Stalingrad Turning Point

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The Battle of Stalingrad began on the 23rd of August in 1942 and it is one of the most bloodiest and significant battles in the history of warfare. The two main belligerent sides during the battle were the Axis powers, composed of Germans, Romanians, Italians, Hungarians, and the Allies, composed of only Russians. The battle is to be considered a major turning point in the war because it was the first catastrophic defeat the Wehrmacht Army faced in the history of the German army. “It was the Battle of Stalingrad that broke the back of the Wehrmacht ”. As a result, the German army was unable to continue advancing into the Soviet Union and “marked the turning of the tide of war in favour of the Allies” . My grandparents lived through the…show more content…
It was one of the major industrial and communications center in the Soviet Union. Southern Russia is an area with rich resources, especially of oil fields. Therefore, for Hitler, capturing this area would allow Germany to prevent the Soviet forces of receiving fuel for their war machine. Additionally, the city was named Stalingrad on April 10, 1925 after the Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Therefore, the city was important for both Hitler and Stalin because the annexation of Germany or the victory of the Soviets at Stalingrad would bring a morale boost to their people. As a result, the battle of Stalingrad was fought between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army who were defending their city. The battle was fought from August 23rd 1942 to February 2nd 1943. In the early stages of the Second World War, the German army focused on Western Europe only however, Hitler diverted his attention and decided to attack Russia by 1941. At first, the huge German war machine focused on capturing Leningrad and Moscow. However, as soon as Germany’s attack failed, Hitler wanted to invade the southern Russia. Against the advice of his generals, Hitler attacked Stalingrad. Germany was successfully in capturing much of the city as it surrounded the city including Russian troops. The freezing temperature and the arrival of reinforcements for the Soviets, the Wehrmacht faced a reserve encirclement, which forced them to

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