History and Biographies

Battle of Stalingrad

August 1942, 1,300,000 men and 1,500 aircraft. There were four German groups and each group had different plans. Group A would curve around Stalingrad to go and secure the oil/fuel from Baku, then go back to Stalingrad. Group B, which was made up of the German 6th army, the 4 Panzer army, and some Romanian and Italian allies marching with them.

As Group B was marching towards Stalingrad, the oil fields of Maikop and Elista were set on fire by the Soviets. Some of the Baku oil/fuel fields were destroyed by the Germans because of the Red Army’s resistance. Group B was going to face the Battle of Stalingrad alone. Group B headed by the 6th army under General Paulus met the resistance from the Soviets near Don river. It took about a month for the 6th army to assert control over the area. The mission was seen as a costly mission for the Germans, much more than they expected. Wilhelm Hoffman wrote in his diary at the time that the Soviets occupied and what a rich field that they will have at the end of the war. The Germans advanced and delayed the Soviet military in Stalingrad. They headed to Chuikov in preparation for an onslaught. Citizens of Stalingrad were forced to stay and face the battle because they had no choice. The first attack on Stalingrad began on August 23, 1942 when 600 planes from the German air force flew over the city and dropped bombs causing the death of 40,000 Russian civilians. The Soviet forces moved to the central and northern parts of Stalingrad. Meanwhile, the German 6th army circled around the city. German troops were forced to move from house to house while the Soviet troops were told to render the German aircrafts and artillery. The German air force kept carpet bombing the area killing Soviets and German soldiers. Ports were blocked and German troops prevented support and supplies from entering. As the Soviet troops grew smaller, they started to retreat. The Germans followed the retreat. Eventually, the Soviets were aided with artillery and support. This frustrated the Germans. The commander of the Soviet 62nd army maintained rigid discipline even in the desperate state and the infamous Russian winter.

The Soviets put into action Operation Uranus that was planned by George Zhunov and executed by the Soviet officer Konstantin Rokossovsky. The goal was to circle the 6th army. Operation Uranus began on November 19, 1942 and involved more than a million Soviet soldiers. After three days, the Soviet troops had completely surrounded and trapped the German 6th army in the city. Hitler did not give orders for the Germans to retreat, but forced them to hold their ground. The Soviet troops now had air superiority by producing a large number of aircrafts and anti-aircraft guns to prevent the Germans from being able to evacuate. General Paulus of the German 6th held until January before finally surrendering to the Soviet military. The Soviets took 110,000 German soldiers prisoner at Stalingrad, only 5,000 of them made it home after the war.

NOT ONE STEP BACK

By: Olawadarasimi Quadri