Lesson 11. The Battle of Stalingrad July 1942-Feb 1943

Question 1

Why Hitler focused on Stalingrad?

Answer 1

Stalin did not expect this – thought Ger would attack Moscow again
* Stalingrad = industrial centre for Russia – produced weapons for Soviet troops in WW2 (artillery,
rifles, tanks)
* Volga River runs through Stalingrad = important shipping route for Soviet supplies as it is used
to send oil from the Caspian sea to the rest of the USSR → cutting this off would seriously damage USSR supplies
* By 1942 Germany was running low on oil
* The Caucasus region, south of Stalingrad was rich in raw materials (oil, gas, metals) + crops
(wheat, corn, sunflower seeds))
* Propaganda – city bore Stalin’s name t/f capture = hurt Stalin’s pride

Question 2

Nature of fighting during Battle of Stalingrad

Answer 2

Destruction of city → brutal street-by-street & house-by-house warfare
* Soviet soldiers instructed to stay close to Ger soldiers t/f Luftwaffe + artillery = X used much as may kill
own soldiers
* Destruction → rubble on streets which made it hard for German tanks
* → brutal hand to hand combat (bayonet, grenades etc…)
* Destruction of houses → ↑ use of snipers → soldiers fearing death constantly when out in open

Question 3

Operation Uranus

Answer 3

Nov 1942 = Operation Uranus → Soviet troops encircling 300,000 Germans
* Hitler refuses to surrender ordering all soldiers to continue fight instead ordered an airlift to resupply 6th
army
* Soviets – waited for harsher winter & then attack trapped Germans whose airlift was failing
* Feb 2nd 1943: 6th Army surrenders which is the first major defeat in WW2

Question 4

Consequences of the USSR victory

Answer 4

• It was the largest battle every fought with over 2mill men + up to 1.9mill
  casualties + at least 40,000 civs killed
• Defeat of Nazi Germany’s strongest army = severely weakened German army
• 800,000 casualties + 91,000 taken prisoner

Nazi Ger = X win another battle in WW2 → USSR begin to push Germany back
culminating in invasion of Berlin in 1945

During battle Hitler fired top Generals as they X agree with his stance against
surrender → German army poorly led as a result of Hitler having too much
influence over decisions
* Despite suffering 1.1mill casualties the victory ↑ Soviet confidence + morale as
it showed German army was not invincible