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The Stalingrad turning point: how the defeat of the Nazi troops in 1943 changed the course of the war
The Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, which is celebrated on February 2, has become one of the key dates in the history of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War. The victory of the Red Army at Stalingrad disrupted the strategic plans of Nazi Germany and marked the beginning of a radical turning point in military operations. For more information, see the Izvestia article.
The Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943: Wehrmacht plans and the beginning of the battle
The Battle of Stalingrad began on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. This became the largest clash of the Great Patriotic War. The German-fascist leadership hoped to defeat the Soviet troops in the south of the country, seize the oil regions of the Caucasus, the agricultural territories of the Don and Kuban, and disrupt the most important communications.
The artillery crew is firing
Army Groups "A" and "B" were involved in the implementation of these plans. The 6th Army under the command of Colonel-General Friedrich Paulus and the 4th Tank Army were advancing in the Stalingrad direction. By July 17, the 6th German Army had about 270,000 men, 3,000 guns and mortars, and about 500 tanks. It was supported by the 4th Air Fleet (up to 1.2 thousand combat aircraft).
They were opposed by units of the Stalingrad Front, supported by aircraft of the 8th Air Army and long-range bombers. In total, they consisted of 160 thousand people, 2.2 thousand guns and mortars, about 400 tanks. It was supported by 454 aircraft of the 8th Air Army, 150-200 long-range bombers. The main forces of the Red Army were on the defensive in the bend of the Don River, covering the shortest approaches to Stalingrad.
The defense of Stalingrad and fierce street fighting
The defensive operation unfolded on the distant approaches to the city. Despite attempts by the German command to encircle the Soviet troops and break through to Stalingrad through the Kalach area, the plan was thwarted.
By the end of August 1942, German units reached the Volga River north of the city. Fierce street fighting has been taking place since September. The enemy came close to Stalingrad, and in October managed to break into the area of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant.
The last attempt to capture the city was made in November, but it did not bring success. Continuous counterattacks by Soviet troops held back the enemy's advance. By mid-November, the main Wehrmacht group was forced to go on the defensive, and the plan to capture Stalingrad finally failed.
The Red Army's counteroffensive and the encirclement of Paulus' troops
Even during the defensive battles, the Soviet command was preparing a large-scale counteroffensive. By mid-November 1942, more than 1.11 million soldiers, a significant number of artillery, tanks and combat aircraft were concentrated in the Stalingrad area.
The offensive began on November 19 after heavy artillery training. In the early days, the defenses of the Romanian formations covering the flanks of the German group were breached. Already on November 23, the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts closed the encirclement ring around the 6th Army and parts of the 4th tank army of the enemy.
An attempt by the German command to unblock the encircled troops in December 1942 was unsuccessful. Soviet troops launched an offensive on the Middle Don, which finally disrupted the rescue plans of the Stalingrad group of the Wehrmacht.
Soviet soldiers go on the attack with the support of T-34 tanks near the town of Kalach
By the beginning of the offensive, Soviet troops numbered about 1.11 million people, 15,000 guns and mortars, about 1.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, as well as over 1.3 thousand combat aircraft.
The opposing forces included about 1.01 million soldiers, 10.2 thousand guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, and 1,216 aircraft. The concentration of troops and equipment in key areas allowed the Soviet side to achieve significant superiority: on the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts in manpower by 2-2.5 times, in artillery and armored vehicles by 4-5 or more times.
Operation Ring and the completion of the defeat of the enemy
To destroy the encircled troops, the Don Front, under the command of Lieutenant General Konstantin Rokossovsky, conducted Operation Ring. It began on January 10, 1943 and provided for the phased destruction of German forces.
On January 26, Soviet units joined forces in the Mamayev Kurgan area, splitting the encircled group into two parts. Already on January 31, the southern group led by Friedrich Paulus surrendered, and on February 2, 1943, the northern part of the encircled troops laid down their arms.
Lieutenant General Konstantin Rokossovsky, Commander of the Don Front troops
During the offensive, more than 91,000 people were captured, and about 140,000 were killed. The total losses of the enemy during the battle reached about 1.5 million people.
The historical significance of the victory at Stalingrad and the turning point in the war
The Battle of Stalingrad was a decisive event that provided a fundamental turning point in the Great Patriotic War. The defeat of the German and Allied forces undermined the strategic positions of the fascist bloc and deprived Germany of the initiative.
The defeat of the Wehrmacht contributed to the intensification of the Resistance Movement in Europe, and also forced Japan and Turkey to abandon plans for active action against the USSR. In Germany itself, for the first time during the war, national mourning was declared.
Stalingrad as a key moment of the Second World War
The victory of the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point not only for the Great Patriotic War, but also for the entire Second World War. Mikhail Myagkov, the scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society, professor at MGIMO, stated this in a conversation with Izvestia.
The storming of the German airfield near Stalingrad
According to him, the Wehrmacht was dealt a blow from which the German army could not recover. He stressed that the scale of the fighting on the Soviet-German front significantly exceeded the Allied operations. So, in the Battle of El Alamein, the losses of the Italo-German troops amounted to about 55 thousand people, while in the Battle of Stalingrad, Germany and its allies lost about 1.5 million people.
The historian also drew attention to the fact that the battle lasted 200 days and nights and ended with the encirclement of Paulus' 6th Army and part of the 4th Tank Army. As a result, the southern flank of the German grouping on the Soviet-German front was significantly weakened, which led to a rapid retreat of the enemy.
The courage of the soldiers, the transfer of reserves and the bold encirclement plan played a decisive role in the outcome of the battle.
— It was a long-awaited event for people. They finally believed in victory, in the defeat of Germany," the historian noted.
A fighter in the central square of Stalingrad holds a flag over the liberated city.
After the victory at Stalingrad, the Resistance Movement around the world sharply intensified, and the Allies highly appreciated the contribution of the USSR to the defeat of Nazism.
The memory of the Battle of Stalingrad and the heroic deed of the defenders of the city
The victory at Stalingrad was marked by numerous awards and honorary titles. Thousands of soldiers and officers received state awards, and the most distinguished soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In December 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was established, which was awarded to more than 700,000 participants in the battle. In 1945, the city was named a hero city, and in 1965 it was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Volgograd has more than 200 historical sites associated with the events of the battle. Among them are the memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan, Pavlov's House and the Battle of Stalingrad Panorama Museum.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
