For the 1949 Russian film, see The Battle of Stalingrad (film). For the Russian Civil War battle at the same city, see Battle of Tsaritsyn.
Battle of Stalingrad
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
Clockwise from top left: (1) Soviet 76.2 mm ZiS-3 field gun, in firing position. (2) Red Army soldiers on roof of house. (3) German Ju 87 after a dive bomber attack. (4) Axis POWs (Germans, Italians, Romanians, Hungarians) (5) Soviet troops fighting in a destroyed workshop. (6) German Sturmgeschütz III on the move.
Date
17 July 1942[Note 2] – 2 February 1943[Note 3] (6 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Expulsion of the Axis forces from the Caucasus, reversing their gains from the 1942 Summer Campaign
Belligerents
Germany
Romania
Italy
Hungary
Croatia[Note 1]
Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Adolf Hitler
Maximilian von Weichs
Friedrich Paulus
Hermann Hoth
Erich von Manstein
W. F. von Richthofen
Petre Dumitrescu
C. Constantinescu
Italo Gariboldi
Gusztáv Jány
Joseph Stalin
Georgy Zhukov
Nikolay Voronov
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Andrey Yeremenko
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Nikolai Vatutin
Vasily Chuikov
Units involved
Army Group B:
6th Army
4th Panzer Army
3rd Army
4th Army
8th Army
2nd Army
Army Group Don[Note 4]
6th Army
4th Panzer Army
1st Panzer Army
3rd Army
Stalingrad Front:
28th Army
51st Army
57th Army
62nd Army
64th Army
Don Front[Note 5]
24th Army
65th Army
66th Army
Southwestern Front[Note 6]
1st Guards Army
5th Tank Army
21st Army
Strength
Initial:
270,000 personnel
3,000 artillery pieces
500 tanks
600 aircraft, 1,600 by mid-September (Luftflotte 4)[Note 7][1]
At the time of the Soviet counter-offensive:
c. 600,000–1,011,000 men[2][3]
400,000 Germans
200,000 Romanians
640+ tanks
732 (402 operational) aircraft[4]
Initial:
187,000 personnel
2,200 artillery pieces
400 tanks
300 aircraft[5]
At the time of the Soviet counter-offensive:
1,103,000–1,143,500 men[3][6]
13,451 artillery pieces
894 tanks[6]
1,115 aircraft[7]
Casualties and losses
800,000[8]–1,500,000 casualties[9]
Germany: 300,000+ (6th Army and 4th Panzer Army)[10][11][12] 400,000+(all units)[13]
Italy: 114,000[14]–114,520[11]
Romania: 109,000[14]–158,854[11]
Hungary: 143,000[11]
Hiwi: 19,300–52,000[15]
900 aircraft destroyed
1,500 tanks destroyed
6,000 guns destroyed
744 aircraft; 1,666 tanks; 5,762 guns captured
See casualties section.
1,129,619–2,672,000 casualties[16] 478,741–2,000,000 killed or missing 650,878–672,000+ wounded or sick
2,769 aircraft
4,341 tanks (25–30% were total write-offs.[17])
15,728 guns
See casualties section.
Total dead: 1,000,000–3,000,000+[18][19][20][16][21]
v
t
e
Eastern Front
Naval warfare
Baltic Sea
Black Sea
Arctic Ocean
1941
Barbarossa
Brest
Białystok–Minsk
1st Baltic
Brody
Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
1st Smolensk
Uman
Odessa
1st Kiev
Tallinn
Leningrad
Sea of Azov
1st Kharkov
1st Crimea
Sevastopol
Rostov
Gorky
Moscow
Finland
Kerch
Chechnya
Air war 1941
1942
Lyuban
Barvenkovo–Lozovaya
Rzhev
Toropets–Kholm
Demyansk
Kholm
2nd Kharkov
Case Blue
Caucasus
Rzhev–Sychyovka
Sinyavino
Stalingrad
Velikiye Luki
Mars
Little Saturn
1943
Iskra
Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh
Voronezh–Kharkov
Polar Star
3rd Kharkov
Gorky Blitz
Kursk
1st Donbas
Belgorod-Kharkov
2nd Donbas
2nd Smolensk
Lenino
Dnieper
Nevel
2nd Kiev
1944
Dnieper–Carpathian
Leningrad–Novgorod
Narva
2nd Crimea
1st Jassy–Kishinev
Karelia
Bagration
Lvov–Sandomierz
Doppelkopf
2nd Jassy–Kishinev
Dukla Pass
2nd Baltic
Belgrade
Debrecen
Petsamo–Kirkenes
Courland
Gumbinnen
Budapest
1945
Vistula–Oder
Western Carpathian
East Prussia
Silesia
Breslau
Solstice
East Pomerania
Lake Balaton
Moravia–Ostrava
Vienna
Bratislava–Brno
Berlin
Prague
Prague uprising
v
t
e
Case Blue to 3rd Kharkov
Blue
Voronezh
2nd Rostov
Caucasus
Fischreiher
Kalach
Izbushensky
Stalingrad
Little Saturn
Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh
Voronezh-Kastornensk
Gallop
Star
3rd Kharkov
v
t
e
Romanian military actions in World War II
Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
Diosig
Treznea
As part of the Axis (1941–1944)
Bucharest
Constanța
München
Uman
Odessa
Azov
Sevastopol
Rostov
Kerch
Kharkov
Blue
Edelweiss
Stalingrad
Uranus
Winter Storm
Little Saturn
Western Allied Campaign in Romania (Tidal Wave)
Kerch-Eltigen
Dnieper
Dnieper–Carpathian
Uman–Botoșani
1st Jassy–Kishinev
Crimea
Lublin–Brest
2nd Jassy–Kishinev
As part of the Allies (1944–1945)
Turda
Păuliș
Debrecen
Budapest
Bratislava–Brno
Prague
v
t
e
Battle of Stalingrad
Firebombing
Voronezh
Braunschweig
Izbushensky
Pavlov's House
Uranus
Donnerschlag
Winter Storm
Little Saturn
Tatsinskaya
Koltso
The Battle of Stalingrad[Note 8] (17 July 1942 – 2 February 1943)[22][23][24][25] was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later renamed Volgograd) in Southern Russia. The battle was characterized by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, with the battle epitomizing urban warfare,[26][27][28][29][30][31] and it was the single largest and costliest urban battle in the history of warfare.[32][33][26][34][35] It was the bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entire Second World War, and arguably in all of history, with both sides enduring ferocious fighting and suffering massive casualties.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42] Today, the Battle of Stalingrad is often regarded as the turning point in the European theatre of war,[43] as the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German High Command) was forced to withdraw considerable military forces from other areas in occupied Europe to replace German losses on the Eastern Front, ending with the rout of the six field armies of Army Group B, including the destruction of Nazi Germany's 6th Army and an entire corps of its 4th Panzer Army.[44] The Soviet victory energized the Red Army and shifted the balance of power in the favour of the Soviets.
Stalingrad was of great strategic importance for both sides, as it was the largest industrial center of the Soviet Union and an important transport hub on the Volga River.[45][46] Whoever controlled Stalingrad would therefore gain access to the oil fields of the Caucasus and would control the Volga.[47] Stalingrad also had significant symbolic importance as it bore the name of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union.[47] Germany was already operating on dwindling fuel supplies, and as a result, focused its efforts on moving deeper into Soviet territory and taking the oil fields at any cost. The German forces first clashed with the Stalingrad Front on the distant approaches to Stalingrad on 17 July. On 23 August, the Germans launched an offensive by using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intense Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The battle degenerated into house-to-house fighting as both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November, the Germans, at great cost, had pushed the Soviet defenders back into narrow zones along the west bank of the river. Winter conditions became particularly brutal,[29] with temperatures reaching as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) in the second half of November,[48] and −30 °C (−22 °F) in late January.[49]
On 19 November, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the Romanian armies protecting the 6th Army's flanks.[50] The Axis flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was cut off and surrounded in the Stalingrad area. Adolf Hitler was determined to hold the city at all costs and forbade the 6th Army from trying a breakout; instead, attempts were made to supply it by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. The Soviets were successful in preventing the Germans from delivering enough supplies through the air to the trapped Axis forces. Nevertheless, heavy fighting continued for another two months. On 2 February 1943, the German 6th Army, having exhausted their ammunition and food, finally capitulated after over five months of fighting, making it the first of Hitler's field armies to surrender in World War II.[51]
The Soviet victory is commemorated in Russia as the Day of Military Honour. The battle has also become ingrained in popular culture.
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).
^Bergström 2007.
^Glantz & House 1995, p. 346.
^ ab История Второй Мировой войны 1939-1945. В 12 томах. [History of the Second World War 1939-1945. In 12 volumes.] (in Russian). Vol. 6. Коренной перелом в войне. Воениздат. 1976. p. 35.
^Hayward 1998, p. 225; Bergström 2006, p. 87.
^Bergström 2007, p. 72.
^ abGlantz & House 1995, p. 134
^Hayward 1998, p. 224.
^Wilson, Peter H. (2023). Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500 (1st ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 580. ISBN 978-0-674-98762-3.
^ Великая Отечественная война 1941–1945 годов. В 12 т. [The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, in 12 Volumes] (in Russian). Vol. 3. Битвы и сражения, изменившие ход войны. Кучково поле. 2012. p. 421. ISBN 978-5-9950-0269-7.
^Walter Scott Dunn, Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943, p. 1
^ abcdWalsh 2000, p. 165.
^Jochen Hellbeck, Stalingrad: The City That Defeated the Third Reich, p. 12
^DiMarco 2012, p. 39.
^ abFrieser et al. 2017, p. 14.
^Cite error: The named reference Portrait was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abСоколов, Борис (2014). Чудо Сталинграда [The Miracle of Stalingrad] (in Russian). Алгоритм. pp. 235–236.
^Hill, Alexander (2016). The Red Army and the Second World War. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1107020795.
^Wagner, Margaret; Osborne, Linda; Reyburn, Susan; Kennedy, David (2007). The Library of Congress World War II Companion. Simon & Schuster. pp. 527, 528. ISBN 978-0-7432-5219-5.
^Davis, Daniel L. (9 October 2021). "The Battle of Stalingrad Left an Incomprehensible 1.9 Million Dead". The National Interest. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
^Hanson, Victor Davis (2020). The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won (reprint ed.). Basic Books. p. 308. ISBN 978-1541674103.
^Hoyt, Edwin P. (1993). 199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad. Tor Books. p. 276. ISBN 9780312854638.
^Werth 1964, p. 441: "Broadly speaking, the Battle of Stalingrad may be divided into the following stages: (1) July 17 to August 4, when the main fighting was still inside the Don Bend."
^Cite error: The named reference :28 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Hardesty, Von; Grinberg, Ilya (2012). "Stalingrad". Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II. University Press of Kansas. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7006-1828-6. Epic in scope and meaning, this bloody conflict endured for 199 days, beginning in July 1942 and ending in February 1943.
^Wills, Matthew (17 July 2017). "How the Nazis Created the Myth of Stalingrad". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 23 March 2024. Seventy-five years ago in July of 1942, the battle for Stalingrad began.
^ abJohnson, Kevin D (1991). "Intelligence Preparation of the Urban Battlefield". Advanced Military Studies – via DTIC.
^Anderson, Gregory K. (1 June 2003). Urban Operations: Theory and Cases (Master's thesis). Naval Postgraduate School. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
^Sieff, Martin (27 April 2005). "Analysis: Stalingrad defines urban war". UPI. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^ abSpencer, John; Geroux, Jayson (28 June 2021). "Urban Warfare Project Case Study #1: Battle of Stalingrad". Modern War Institute. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^DiMarco 2012, p. 27.
^Walsh, Stephen (2020). "The Battle of Stalingrad, September–November 1942". In Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (ed.). A History of Modern Urban Operations. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 55. ISBN 978-3-030-27088-9.
^Intrec Inc (1974). "Weapons Effects in Cities. Volume 1". Technical Report – via DTIC.
^Hartle, Anthony E. (1975). Breaching Walls in Urban Warfare (Master's thesis). United States Army Command and General Staff College. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^Baumann, Robert F.; Bassett, William E. (2018). "The Debaltsevo Raid by the Bashkir Cavalry Division During "Operation Gallop," February 1943". In Kem, Jack D. (ed.). Deep Maneuver: Historical Case Studies of Maneuver in Large-scale Combat Operations. Army University Press. p. 34.
^Kramer, Andrew E.; Lima, Mauricio (12 April 2023). "The Final Blocks: Inside Ukraine's Bloody Stand for Bakhmut". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
^Winchester, Charles D. (2011). Hitler's War on Russia. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 9781849089906.
^Cite error: The named reference :29 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Liddil, Davis (2016). ""Stalingrad is Hell": Soviet Morale and the Battle of Stalingrad" (PDF). CLA Journal. 4: 203.
^Cite error: The named reference :30 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Krinko, Evgeniy F.; Medvedev, Maksim V. (1 February 2018). "Demographic Consequences of the Stalingrad Battle". Vestnik Volgogradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Seriâ 4. Istoriâ, Regionovedenie, Meždunarodnye Otnošeniâ (in English and Russian). 23 (1): 91–104. doi:10.15688/jvolsu4.2018.1.9. ISSN 1998-9938.
^Hanson, Victor Davis (2020). The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won (Reprint ed.). New York: Basic Books. pp. 3, 308. ISBN 978-1541674103.
^Johnson, Ian (15 August 2017). "Stalingrad at 75, the Turning Point of World War II in Europe". Origins. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
^Bellamy 2007
^Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ГЛЕЗЕРОВ, Сергей (17 August 2017). "Битва за символ. Сталинград стал точкой перелома во Второй мировой войне". spbvedomosti.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 27 March 2024.
^ ab"History Through the Viewfinder". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^Jaskulski, Konrad (2011). "Role of the Atmosperic Phenomenon in World War 2" (PDF). Prace i Studia Geograficzne (in English and Polish).
^Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Beevor 1998, p. 239.
^Shirer 1990, p. 932.
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