The decisive battle for Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad: briefly the most important thing about the defeat of German troops

The turning point during the Second World War was the great. A summary of the events is not able to convey the special spirit of cohesion and heroism of the Soviet soldiers who participated in the battle.

Why was Stalingrad so important to Hitler? Historians identify several reasons why the Fuhrer wanted to capture Stalingrad at all costs and did not give the order to retreat even when defeat was obvious.

A large industrial city on the banks of the longest river in Europe - the Volga. A transport hub for important river and land routes that connected the center of the country with the southern regions. Hitler, having captured Stalingrad, would not only have cut an important transport artery of the USSR and created serious difficulties with the supply of the Red Army, but also would have reliably covered the German army advancing in the Caucasus.

Many researchers believe that the presence of Stalin in the name of the city made its capture important for Hitler from an ideological and propaganda point of view.

There is a point of view according to which there was a secret agreement between Germany and Turkey to join the ranks of the allies immediately after the passage for Soviet troops along the Volga was blocked.

Battle of Stalingrad. Summary of events

Time frame of the battle: 07/17/42 - 02/02/43.
Taking part: from Germany - the reinforced 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus and Allied troops. On the USSR side - the Stalingrad Front, created on July 12, 1942, under the command of first Marshal Timoshenko, from July 23, 1942 - Lieutenant General Gordov, and from August 9, 1942 - Colonel General Eremenko.
Periods of the battle: defensive - from 17.07 to 18.11.42, offensive - from 19.11.42 to 02.02.43.

In turn, the defensive stage is divided into battles on the distant approaches to the city in the bend of the Don from 17.07 to 10.08.42, battles on the distant approaches between the Volga and Don from 11.08 to 12.09.42, battles in the suburbs and the city itself from 13.09 to 18.11 .42 years.

The losses on both sides were colossal. The Red Army lost almost 1 million 130 thousand soldiers, 12 thousand guns, 2 thousand aircraft.

Germany and allied countries lost almost 1.5 million soldiers.

Defensive stage

July 17th- the first serious clash of our troops with enemy forces on the shores
August 23- enemy tanks came close to the city. German aircraft began to regularly bomb Stalingrad.
September 13- storming the city. The fame of the workers of Stalingrad factories and factories, who repaired damaged equipment and weapons under fire, thundered throughout the world.
October 14- the Germans launched an offensive military operation off the banks of the Volga with the aim of capturing Soviet bridgeheads.
November 19- our troops launched a counteroffensive according to the plan for Operation Uranus.

The entire second half of the summer of 1942 was hot. A summary and chronology of defense events indicate that our soldiers, with a shortage of weapons and a significant superiority in manpower on the part of the enemy, accomplished the impossible. They not only defended Stalingrad, but also launched a counteroffensive in difficult conditions of exhaustion, lack of uniforms and the harsh Russian winter.

Offensive and victory

As part of Operation Uranus, Soviet soldiers managed to surround the enemy. Until November 23, our soldiers strengthened the blockade around the Germans.

12 December- the enemy made a desperate attempt to break out of the encirclement. However, the breakthrough attempt was unsuccessful. Soviet troops began to tighten the ring.
December 17- The Red Army recaptured German positions on the Chir River (the right tributary of the Don).
December 24- ours advanced 200 km into the operational depth.
31th of December- Soviet soldiers advanced another 150 km. The front line has stabilized at the Tormosin-Zhukovskaya-Komissarovsky line.
January 10- our offensive in accordance with the “Ring” plan.
January 26- The German 6th Army is divided into 2 groups.
January 31- the southern part of the former 6th German Army was destroyed.
02 February- the northern group of fascist troops was eliminated. Our soldiers, the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, won. The enemy capitulated. Field Marshal Paulus, 24 generals, 2,500 officers and almost 100 thousand exhausted German soldiers were captured.

The Battle of Stalingrad brought enormous destruction. Photos by war correspondents captured the ruins of the city.

All the soldiers who took part in the significant battle proved themselves to be courageous and brave sons of the Motherland.

Sniper Vasily Zaitsev destroyed 225 opponents with targeted shots.

Nikolai Panikakha - threw himself under an enemy tank with a bottle of flammable mixture. He sleeps eternally on Mamayev Kurgan.

Nikolai Serdyukov - covered the embrasure of the enemy pillbox, silencing the firing point.

Matvey Putilov, Vasily Titaev are signalmen who established communication by clamping the ends of the wire with their teeth.

Gulya Koroleva, a nurse, carried dozens of seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield of Stalingrad. Participated in the attack on the heights. The mortal wound did not stop the brave girl. She continued to shoot until the last minute of her life.

The names of many, many heroes - infantrymen, artillerymen, tank crews and pilots - were given to the world by the Battle of Stalingrad. A summary of the course of hostilities is not capable of perpetuating all the exploits. Entire volumes of books have been written about these brave people who gave their lives for the freedom of future generations. Streets, schools, factories are named after them. The heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad should never be forgotten.

The meaning of the Battle of Stalingrad

The battle was not only of enormous proportions, but also of extremely significant political significance. The bloody war continued. The Battle of Stalingrad became its main turning point. Without exaggeration, we can say that it was after the victory at Stalingrad that humanity gained hope for victory over fascism.

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Target: introduce students to one of the important battles in the history of the Great Patriotic War, identify the stages, and find out the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War.

Tasks:

introduce the main events of the Battle of Stalingrad;
reveal the reasons for the victory of the Soviet people in the Battle of the Volga;
develop skills in working with a map, additional literature, selecting, evaluating, analyzing the material being studied;
to cultivate a sense of patriotism, pride and respect for compatriots for the accomplished feat.

Equipment: map "Battle of Stalingrad", handouts (cards - assignments), textbook by Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G., Brandt M.Yu. History of Russia XX - early XXI centuries. M., “Enlightenment”, 2009. Video clips from the film “Stalingrad”. Students prepare messages in advance about the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Predicted results: Students must demonstrate the ability to work with a map, video clips, and a textbook. Prepare your own message and speak to an audience.

Lesson plan:

1. Stages of the Battle of Stalingrad.
2. Results and significance.
3. Conclusion.

DURING THE CLASSES

I. Organizational moment. Greeting students

II. New topic

The topic of the lesson is written down.

Teacher: Today in class we must analyze the main events of the Battle of Stalingrad; characterize the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad as the beginning of a radical turning point in World War II; reveal the reasons for the victory of the Soviet people in the Battle of the Volga.

Problem task: Slide 1. Some Western historians and military leaders say that the reasons for the defeat of Hitler’s army at Stalingrad are the following: terrible cold, mud, snow.
Can we agree on this? Try to answer this question at the end of the lesson.

Assignment to students: While listening to the teacher’s story, draw up a thesis plan for the answer.

Teacher: Let's look at the map. In mid-July 1942, German troops rushed to Stalingrad, an important strategic point and the largest center of the defense industry.
The Battle of Stalingrad falls into two periods:

I – July 17 – November 18, 1942 – defensive;
II – November 19, 1942 – February 2, 1943 – counter-offensive, encirclement and defeat of German troops.

I period. July 17, 1942 Units of the 62nd Soviet Army came into contact in the Don bend with the advanced units of the 6th Army of German troops under the command of General Paulus.
The city was preparing for defense: defensive structures were built, their total length was 3860 m. Anti-tank ditches were dug in the most important directions, the city's industry produced up to 80 types of military products. Thus, the tractor plant supplied the front with tanks, and the Red October metallurgical plant supplied it with mortars. (Video clip).
During heavy battles, Soviet troops, showing steadfastness and heroism, thwarted the enemy’s plan to capture Stalingrad on the move. From July 17 to August 17, 1942, the Germans managed to advance no more than 60-80 km. (See map).
But still the enemy, albeit slowly, was approaching the city. The tragic day came on August 23, when the German 6th Army reached the western outskirts of Stalingrad, surrounding the city from the north. At the same time, the 4th Tank Army, together with Romanian units, advanced towards Stalingrad from the southwest. Fascist aviation subjected the entire city to a brutal bomb attack, carrying out 2 thousand sorties. Residential areas and industrial facilities were destroyed, tens of thousands of civilians were killed. Embittered fascists decided to wipe the city off the face of the earth. (Video clip)
On September 13, the enemy, having brought into battle an additional 9 divisions and one brigade, began an assault on the city. The defense of the city was directly carried out by the 62nd and 64th armies (commanders - Generals Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov and Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov).
Fighting began on the streets of the city. Soviet soldiers fought to the death, defending every five Volga lands.
"No step back! Fight to the death! - these words became the motto of the defenders of Stalingrad.
The famous Pavlov's house became the personification of the courage of the Stalingrad residents.

Student message:“There is no land for us beyond the Volga” - this phrase of sniper Vasily Zaitsev became a catchphrase.

Student message: In one of the battles in mid-October, Matvey Putilov, a signalman at the headquarters of the 308th Infantry Division, performed an immortal feat.

Student message: As a symbol of immortal glory, the name of the marine Mikhail Panikakh entered the history of Stalingrad.

Student message: The height dominating the city is Mamayev Kurgan, during the Battle of Stalingrad it was the site of the most fierce battles, a key defense position, listed in reports as height 102.

Student message: During the defensive stage, the city residents showed persistence in the fight for the city.

Student message: Paulus launched his last offensive on November 11, 1942 in a narrow area near the Red Barricades plant, where the Nazis achieved their last success.
Find the results of the defensive period in the textbook, page 216.
By mid-November, the Germans' offensive capabilities had dried up.

II. The counteroffensive of Soviet troops near Stalingrad began on November 19, 1942. As part of this strategic plan, an operation was carried out to encircle Nazi troops near Stalingrad, codenamed “Uranus”.

Watching a video clip. The guys complete the task - fill in the gaps in the text. ( Annex 1 )

Questions:

Which fronts took part in Operation Uranus?
In which city did the main units of the Soviet army unite?

Field Marshal Manstein, the shock tank group, was to provide assistance to Paulus.
After stubborn battles, Manstein’s divisions approached the encircled troops from the southwest to a distance of 35-40 km, but the 2nd Guards Army, which arrived from the reserve under the command of General Malinovsky, not only stopped the enemy, but also inflicted a crushing defeat on him.
At the same time, the advance of the Goth army group, which was trying to break the encirclement in the area of Kotelnikov, was stopped.
According to the “Ring” plan (General Rokosovsky led the operation), on January 10, 1943, Soviet troops began the defeat of the fascist group.
On February 2, 1943, the encircled enemy group capitulated. Its commander-in-chief, General Field Marshal Paulus, was also captured.
Watching a video clip.
Exercise. Place on the map “The defeat of German troops at Stalingrad” ( Appendix 2 )

The direction of attacks of Soviet troops;
The direction of the counterattack of Manstein's tank group.

All actions of the Soviet troops during the Battle of Stalingrad were coordinated by Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
The victory in the Battle of Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of not only the Great Patriotic War, but also the entire Second World War.
– What is the essence of the concept of “radical change”? (The Germans lost their offensive fighting spirit. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command)
– Let’s return to the problematic task: Some Western historians and military leaders say that the reasons for the defeat of Hitler’s army at Stalingrad are the following: terrible cold, mud, snow.
Slide 8.
– Can we agree on this? (Students' answers)
Slide 9. “The Battle of Stalingrad is truly a golden page in the military history of our people,” wrote the commander of the Stalingrad Front, General Eremenko. And one cannot but agree with this.

Poem(read by student)

In the heat, factories, houses, train stations.
Dust on the steep bank.
The voice of the Fatherland told him:
“Don’t hand over the city to the enemy!”
Gulko rolled in the bloody darkness
The hundredth attack wave,
Angry and stubborn, chest-deep in the ground,
The soldier stood to death.
He knew that there was no turning back -
He defended Stalingrad...

Alexey Surkov

III. Bottom line

To consolidate the material, complete the task on cards (work in pairs).
(Appendix 3 )
Stalingrad is a symbol of courage, perseverance, and heroism of Soviet soldiers. Stalingrad is a symbol of the power and greatness of our state. At Stalingrad, the Red Army broke the back of the Nazi troops, and under the walls of Stalingrad the beginning of the destruction of fascism was laid.

IV. Reflection

Grading, homework: paragraph 32,

Literature:

Alekseev M.N. Wreath of Glory "Battle of Stalingrad". M., Sovremennik, 1987
Alekseev S.P. A book to read on the history of our Motherland. M., “Enlightenment”, 1991
Goncharuk V.A."Memorable icons of heroic cities." M., “Soviet Russia”, 1986
Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G., Brandt M.Yu. History of Russia XX - the beginning of XX? century. M., “Enlightenment”, 2009
Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. Workbook on the history of Russia, grade 9. Issue 2..M., “Enlightenment”, 1998
Korneva T.A. Non-traditional lessons on the history of Russia of the twentieth century in grades 9 and 11. Volgograd “Teacher”, 2002

By mid-summer 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga.

The German command includes Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). Germany's goal was to take possession of an industrial city, the enterprises in which produced military products that were needed; gaining access to the Volga, from where it was possible to get to the Caspian Sea, to the Caucasus, where the oil necessary for the front was extracted.

Hitler wanted to implement this plan in just a week with the help of Paulus's 6th Field Army. It included 13 divisions, with about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks.

On the USSR side, German forces were opposed by the Stalingrad Front. It was created by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 12, 1942 (commander - Marshal Timoshenko, since July 23 - Lieutenant General Gordov).

The difficulty was also that our side experienced a shortage of ammunition.

The beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad can be considered July 17, when, near the Chir and Tsimla rivers, the forward detachments of the 62nd and 64th armies of the Stalingrad Front met with detachments of the 6th German Army. Throughout the second half of the summer there were fierce battles near Stalingrad. Further, the chronicle of events developed as follows.

Defensive stage of the Battle of Stalingrad

On August 23, 1942, German tanks approached Stalingrad. From that day on, fascist aircraft began to systematically bomb the city. The battles on the ground also did not subside. It was simply impossible to live in the city - you had to fight to win. 75 thousand people volunteered for the front. But in the city itself, people worked both day and night. By mid-September, the German army broke through to the city center, and fighting took place right in the streets. The Nazis intensified their attack. Almost 500 tanks took part in the assault on Stalingrad, and German aircraft dropped about 1 million bombs on the city.

The courage of the Stalingrad residents was unparalleled. The Germans conquered many European countries. Sometimes they only needed 2-3 weeks to capture the entire country. In Stalingrad the situation was different. It took the Nazis weeks to capture one house, one street.

The beginning of autumn and mid-November passed in battles. By November, almost the entire city, despite resistance, was captured by the Germans. Only a small strip of land on the banks of the Volga was still held by our troops. But it was too early to declare the capture of Stalingrad, as Hitler did. The Germans did not know that the Soviet command already had a plan for the defeat of the German troops, which began to be developed at the height of the fighting, on September 12. The development of the offensive operation “Uranus” was carried out by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.

Within 2 months, in conditions of increased secrecy, a strike force was created near Stalingrad. The Nazis were aware of the weakness of their flanks, but did not assume that the Soviet command would be able to gather the required number of troops.

On November 19, troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of General N.F. Vatutin and the Don Front under the command of General K.K. Rokossovsky went on the offensive. They managed to surround the enemy, despite resistance. Also during the offensive, five enemy divisions were captured and seven were defeated. During the week of November 23, Soviet efforts were aimed at strengthening the blockade around the enemy. In order to lift this blockade, the German command formed the Don Army Group (commander - Field Marshal Manstein), but it was also defeated.

The destruction of the encircled group of the enemy army was entrusted to the troops of the Don Front (commander - General K.K. Rokossovsky). Since the German command rejected the ultimatum to end resistance, Soviet troops moved on to destroy the enemy, which became the last of the main stages of the Battle of Stalingrad. On February 2, 1943, the last enemy group was eliminated, which is considered the end date of the battle.

Results of the Battle of Stalingrad:

Losses in the Battle of Stalingrad on each side amounted to about 2 million people.

Significance of the Battle of Stalingrad

The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is difficult to overestimate. The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad had a great influence on the further course of the Second World War. She intensified the fight against fascists in all European countries. As a result of this victory, the German side ceased to dominate. The outcome of this battle caused confusion in the Axis countries (Hitler's coalition). A crisis of pro-fascist regimes in European countries has arrived.

The encirclement of Red Army units near Kharkov in May 1942 and the defeat near Kerch sharply worsened the situation on the entire southern wing of the Soviet-German front. The Germans launched new attacks almost without respite. At the end of July 1942, the Germans managed to cross the Don in its lower reaches and capture Rostov. Tank and motorized columns of Field Marshal List moved in an unstoppable stream across the endless expanses of the Kuban. Large oil fields in the Maykop region soon came under German occupation. Once again, as in the summer of 1941, mortal danger loomed over the country.

On July 28, 1942, Headquarters order No. 227 appeared, signed personally, known as “Not a step back!”

(No publication)

The enemy is throwing more and more forces to the front and, regardless of the great losses for him, climbs forward, rushes into the depths of the Soviet Union, captures new regions, devastates and ruins our cities and villages, rapes, robs and kills the Soviet population. Fighting is taking place in the Voronezh region, on the Don, in the south, at the gates of the North Caucasus. The German occupiers are rushing towards Stalingrad, towards the Volga and want to capture Kuban and the North Caucasus with their oil and grain riches at any cost(...)

The population of our country, who treats the Red Army with love and respect, begins to become disillusioned with it, loses faith in the Red Army, and many of them curse the Red Army for putting our people under the yoke of the German oppressors, and itself flowing to the east( ...)

Every commander, Red Army soldier and political worker must understand that our funds are not unlimited. The territory of the Soviet state is not a desert, but people - workers, peasants, intelligentsia, our fathers, mothers, wives, brothers, children... We no longer have superiority over the Germans either in human reserves or in grain reserves. To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time ruin our Motherland. Every new piece of territory we leave behind will strengthen the enemy in every possible way and weaken our defenses, our Motherland in every possible way(...)

It follows from this that it is time to end the retreat.

No step back! This should now be our main call (...)

There is a lack of order and discipline in companies, battalions, regiments, divisions, tank units, and air squadrons. This is now our main drawback. We must establish the strictest order and iron discipline in our army if we want to save the situation and defend our Motherland(...)

The Supreme Command of the Red Army orders:

1. To the military councils of the fronts and, above all, to the commanders of the fronts:

a) unconditionally eliminate retreating sentiments in the troops and suppress with an iron fist the propaganda that we can and should allegedly retreat further to the east, that such a retreat will supposedly cause no harm;

b) unconditionally remove from post and send to Headquarters to bring to court martial the army commanders who allowed the unauthorized withdrawal of troops from their positions without an order from the front command;

c) form within the front from one to three (depending on the situation) penal battalions (800 people each), where to send middle and senior commanders and relevant political workers of all branches of the military who are guilty of violating discipline due to cowardice or instability, and place them on more difficult sections of the front to give them the opportunity to atone for their crimes against the Motherland with blood.

2. Military councils of armies and, above all, commanders of armies(...)

b) form within the army 3-5 well-armed barrage detachments (up to 200 people each), place them in the immediate rear of unstable divisions and oblige them, in the event of panic and disorderly withdrawal of division units, to shoot panickers and cowards on the spot and thereby help honest fighters divisions to fulfill their duty to the Motherland;

c) form within the army from five to ten (depending on the situation) penal companies (from 150 to 200 people in each), where to send ordinary soldiers and junior commanders who have violated discipline due to cowardice or instability, and place them in difficult areas army to give them the opportunity to atone for their crimes against the Motherland with blood(...)

The order should be read in all companies, squadrons, batteries, squadrons, teams, and headquarters.

People's Commissar of Defense I. STALIN. Living memory. The Great Patriotic War: the truth about the war. In three volumes. Volume one. - WITH.

Although in certain areas of Stalingrad the enemy was only 150-200 m from the Volga bank, he could no longer advance further. The fight was for every street, for every house. The defense of just one house by soldiers under the command of Sergeant Ya. Pavlov became a legend. For 58 days and nights, Soviet soldiers defended their positions and did not surrender them to the enemy.

The counter-offensive of the Red Army near Stalingrad began on the morning of November 19, 1942. The troops of the South-Western (commanded by General N. Vatutin), Don (formed on September 28, 1942, commanded by General K. Rokossovsky), and then Stalingrad (commanded by General A. Eremenko ) fronts, having broken through the enemy’s defenses, rushed in converging directions towards Kalach, located in the enemy’s rear. The main attacks were carried out on positions occupied mainly by Romanian and Italian divisions. On the evening of November 21, Moscow radio broadcast an emergency message from the Sovinformburo, which said:

The other day, our troops located on the approaches to Stalingrad went on the offensive against the Nazi troops. The offensive began in two directions: from the northwest and from the south of Stalingrad. Having broken through the enemy’s defensive line with a length of 30 km in the north-west (in the Serafimovich region), and in the south of Stalingrad - with a length of 20 km, our troops in three days of intense fighting, overcoming enemy resistance, advanced 60 - 70 km... Thus both railways supplying enemy troops located east of the Don were interrupted. During the offensive of our troops, six enemy infantry and one tank divisions were completely destroyed. Heavy losses were inflicted on seven enemy infantry, two tank and two motorized divisions. In three days of fighting, 13 thousand prisoners and 360 guns were captured, as well as many machine guns, mortars, rifles, vehicles, and a large number of warehouses with ammunition, weapons and food. The enemy left 14 thousand corpses of soldiers and officers on the battlefield. The troops of Lieutenant General Romanenko, Major General Chistyakov, Major General Tolbukhin, Major General Trufanov, and Lieutenant General Batov distinguished themselves in battles. The offensive of our troops continues.

Kulkov E.N., Myagkov M.Yu., Rzheshevsky O.A. War 1941-1945 Facts and documents. M., 2010.

On November 23, 1942, strike groups of the Soviet fronts united in the Kalach area and closed a ring around 22 divisions and 160 separate units with a total number of more than 300 thousand people from the enemy’s 6th field and 4th tank armies. Hitler's army had never known such a shock.

FROM THE ULTIMATUUM OF THE SOVIET COMMAND TO THE COMMANDER OF THE 6TH GERMAN ARMY COLONEL GENERAL PAULUS, January 8, 1943

The 6th German Army, formations of the 4th Panzer Army and the reinforcement units assigned to them have been completely surrounded since November 23, 1942. Units of the Red Army surrounded this group of German troops in a tight ring. All hopes of saving your troops by advancing German troops from the south and southwest did not materialize. The German troops rushing to your aid are defeated by the Red Army and the remnants of these troops are retreating to Rostov (...) The situation of your encircled troops is difficult. They experience hunger, illness and cold. The harsh Russian winter is just beginning; severe frosts, cold winds and snowstorms are still ahead, and your soldiers are not provided with winter clothing and are in severe unsanitary conditions.

You, as the commander and all the officers of the encircled troops, understand perfectly well that you have no real opportunity to break through the encirclement. Your situation is hopeless and further resistance makes no sense.

In the current hopeless situation for you, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, we invite you to accept the following conditions of surrender:

1) All German encircled troops led by you and your headquarters cease resistance.

2) You must place all personnel and weapons at our disposal in an organized manner. all military equipment and military property are in good condition.

We guarantee life and safety to all officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who have ceased resistance, and, after the end of the war, return to Germany or any country where prisoners of war wish.

We retain military uniforms, insignia and orders, personal belongings, valuables, and for senior officers, edged weapons, for all personnel of the surrendered troops.

All surrendered officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers will be provided with normal food immediately. All wounded, sick and frostbitten will be provided with medical assistance.

Headquarters Representative

Supreme High Command of the Red Army, Colonel General of Artillery Voronov

Commander of the Don Front troops, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky

The Great Patriotic War. Military historical essays. Book 2. Fracture. M., 1998. P.429

Paulus's refusal to capitulate to Soviet troops at the beginning of January 1943 was essentially a death sentence for both German soldiers killed in battle and captured. The vast majority of the 91 thousand soldiers captured in Stalingrad by the beginning of February turned into living corpses - frostbitten, sick, exhausted people. Hundreds of them died before they even had time to reach the assembly camps. After the end of the battles in Stalingrad, the Soviet people rejoiced. Such a bright and obvious victory was inspiring. In Germany, on the contrary, three days of mourning were declared, which became the external reaction of the German leadership to the events that took place. “The possibility of ending the war in the East by means of an offensive no longer exists,” Hitler said at a meeting of the Wehrmacht’s senior command on February 1, 1943.

The Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point in the Great Patriotic War and throughout the Second World War. The battle is divided into two periods: the first, defensive, which lasted from July 17 to November 18, 1942; second, offensive, from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.

Defensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad

After the defeat near Moscow, Hitler and his command decided that during the new summer campaign of 1942 it was necessary to strike not along the entire length of the Soviet-German front, but only on the southern flank. The Germans no longer had enough strength for more. It was important for Hitler to capture Soviet oil, the Maykop and Baku fields, get grain from Stavropol and Kuban, and take Stalingrad, which divided the USSR into central and southern parts. Then it would be possible to cut the main lines of communication that supplied our troops and obtain the necessary resources to wage an arbitrarily long war. Already on April 5, 1942, Hitler’s fundamental directive No. 41 was issued - the order to conduct Operation Blau. The German group was supposed to advance in the direction of the Don, Volga and Caucasus. After capturing the main strongholds, the German Army Group South was to split into Army Group A (advancing into the Caucasus) and Army Group B (advancing towards Stalingrad), the main force of which was the 6th Army of General Paulus.

Already before the start of the main attack in the south of the USSR, the Germans were able to achieve serious successes. Our spring offensive operations near Kerch and Kharkov ended in major failures. Their failure and the heavy losses of the Red Army units that were surrounded helped the Germans achieve rapid success in their general offensive. Wehrmacht formations began to advance when our units were demoralized and began to withdraw in eastern Ukraine. True, now, taught by bitter experience, the Soviet troops tried to avoid encirclement. Even when they found themselves behind enemy lines, they infiltrated through German positions before the enemy front became dense.

Soon heavy fighting broke out on the approaches to Voronezh and in the bend of the Don. The command of the Red Army tried to strengthen the front, bring up new reserves from the depths, and give the troops more tanks and aircraft. But in oncoming battles, as a rule, these reserves were quickly exhausted, and the retreat continued. Meanwhile, Paulus's army advanced. Its southern flank was to be covered by the 4th Panzer Army under the command of Hoth. The Germans struck Voronezh - they broke into the city, but were unable to completely capture it. They were detained on the banks of the Don, where the front remained until January 1942.

Meanwhile, the elite German 6th Army, which numbered more than 200 thousand people, advanced inexorably along the bend of the Don towards Stalingrad. On August 23, the Germans carried out a fierce air raid on the city, which involved hundreds of aircraft. And although more than 20 vehicles were shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners and air defense aircraft, the city center, train station and most important enterprises were virtually destroyed. It was not possible to remove civilians from Stalingrad in time. The evacuation was spontaneous: primarily industrial equipment, agricultural implements, and cattle were transported across the Volga. It was only after August 23 that the civilian population rushed east across the river. Of the nearly half a million population of the city, only 32 thousand people remained in place after the fighting. Moreover, to the 500 thousand pre-war population it is necessary to add tens of thousands more refugees from Ukraine, from the Rostov region and even from besieged Leningrad, who by the will of fate ended up in Stalingrad.

Simultaneously with the fierce bombing on August 23, 1942, the German 14th Tank Corps managed to make a multi-kilometer march and break through to the banks of the Volga north of Stalingrad. The fighting took place near the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. From the south, German columns of the 4th Tank Army, transferred from the Caucasus, were advancing towards the city. In addition, Hitler sent the Italian and two Romanian armies to this direction. Near Voronezh, positions were occupied by two Hungarian armies, covering the attack on the main direction. Stalingrad went from being a secondary goal of the summer 1942 campaign to becoming the main objective for the German army.

A. Jodl, chief of staff of the operational leadership of the Wehrmacht, noted that the fate of the Caucasus was now being decided at Stalingrad. It seemed to Paulus that it was necessary to throw one more additional regiment or battalion into the breakthrough and he would decide the outcome of the battle in favor of the German army. But the battalions and regiments left one after another for battle and did not return. The Stalingrad meat grinder ground up Germany's human resources. Our losses were also very large - the Moloch of war was merciless.

In September, protracted battles began in the quarters (or rather, in the ruins) of Stalingrad. The city could fall at any moment. The Germans had already reached the Volga in several places within the city limits. Essentially, only small islands of resistance remained from the Soviet front. From the front line to the river bank there was often no more than 150–200 meters. But the Soviet soldiers held out. For several weeks the Germans stormed individual buildings in Stalingrad. The soldiers under the command of Sergeant Pavlov resisted enemy fire for 58 days and never gave up their positions. The L-shaped house, which they defended to the last, was called “Pavlov’s House.”

An active sniper war also began in Stalingrad. To win it, the Germans brought from Germany not just experts in their field, but even leaders of sniper schools. But the Red Army also produced wonderful cadres of sharp shooters. Every day they gained experience. On the Soviet side, the fighter Vasily Zaitsev, who is now known throughout the world from the Hollywood film “Enemy at the Gates,” distinguished himself. He destroyed more than 200 German soldiers and officers in the ruins of Stalingrad.

Nevertheless, in the fall of 1942, the position of the defenders of Stalingrad remained critical. The Germans would probably have been able to completely take the city if not for our reserves. More and more units of the Red Army were transferred across the Volga to the west. One day, the 13th Guards Rifle Division of General A.I. Rodimtsev was also transferred. Despite the losses suffered, she immediately entered the battle and recaptured the Mamaev Kurgan from the enemy. This height dominated the entire city. The Germans also sought to take possession of it at any cost. The battles for Mamayev Kurgan continued until January 1943.

In the most difficult battles of September - early November 1942, the soldiers of the 62nd Army of General Chuikov and the 64th Army of General Shumilov managed to defend the ruins remaining behind them, withstand countless attacks and tie up the German troops. Paulus carried out the last assault on Stalingrad on November 11, 1942, but it also ended in failure.

The commander of the 6th German Army was in a gloomy mood. Meanwhile, our command increasingly began to think about how to radically turn the tide of the battle for Stalingrad. A new, original solution was needed that would influence the entire course of the campaign. .

The offensive period of the Battle of Stalingrad lasted from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.

Back in mid-September, when the Germans sought to destroy the Soviet troops in Stalingrad as soon as possible, G. K. Zhukov, who became the First Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, instructed some senior officials in the General Staff of the Red Army to develop a plan for an offensive operation. Returning from the front, he, together with the Chief of the General Staff A. M. Vasilevsky, reported to I. Stalin about the plan of the operation, which was supposed to tip the scales of the grandiose confrontation in favor of the Soviet troops. Soon the first calculations were made. G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky proposed bilateral coverage of the Stalingrad enemy group and its subsequent destruction. Having listened to them carefully, I. Stalin noted that it was necessary, first of all, to hold the city itself. In addition, such an operation requires the involvement of additional powerful reserves, which will play a decisive role in the battle.

Reserves from the Urals, the Far East and Siberia arrived in increasing quantities. They were not immediately introduced into battle, but accumulated until time “H.” During this period, a lot of work was carried out at the headquarters of the Soviet fronts. The newly formed Southwestern Front of N.F. Vatutin, the Don Front of K.K. Rokossovsky, and the Stalingrad Front of A.I. Eremenko were preparing for the offensive.

And now the moment has come for the decisive throw.

On November 19, 1942, despite the fog, thousands of guns on the Soviet front opened fire on the enemy. Operation Uranus began. Rifle and tank units went on the attack. Aviation was waiting for more favorable weather, but as soon as the fog cleared, it took an active part in the offensive.

The German group was still very strong. The Soviet command believed that about 200 thousand people were opposing them in the Stalingrad area. In fact, there were over 300 thousand of them. In addition, on the flanks, where the main attacks of the Soviet troops were carried out, there were Romanian and Italian formations. Already by November 21, 1942, the success of the Soviet offensive was evident, which exceeded all expectations. Moscow radio reported that the Red Army had advanced more than 70 km and captured 15 thousand enemy troops. This was the first time such a major breakthrough of enemy positions had been announced since the Battle of Moscow. But these were only the first successes.

On November 23, our troops took Kotelnikovo. The cauldron slammed shut behind the enemy troops. Its internal and external fronts were created. More than 20 divisions were surrounded. At the same time, our troops continued to develop their offensive in the direction of Rostov-on-Don. At the beginning of January 1943, the forces of our Transcaucasian Front also began to move. The Germans, unable to withstand the onslaught and fearing that they would end up in a new gigantic cauldron, began to hastily retreat from the foothills of the Caucasus. They finally abandoned the idea of taking possession of Grozny and Baku oil.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Command Headquarters was actively developing the plan for a whole cascade of powerful operations that were supposed to crush the entire German defense on the Soviet-German front. In addition to Operation Uranus (encircling the Germans at Stalingrad), Operation Saturn was planned - encircling the German armies in the North Caucasus. In the central direction, preparations were being made for Operation Mars - the destruction of the 9th German Army, and then Operation Jupiter - the encirclement of the entire Army Group Center. Unfortunately, only Operation Uranus was successful. The fact is that Hitler, having learned about the encirclement of his troops at Stalingrad, ordered Paulus to hold on at all costs, and ordered Manstein to prepare a relief strike.

In mid-December 1942, the Germans made a desperate attempt to rescue Paulus's army from encirclement. According to Hitler's plan, Paulus should never have left Stalingrad. He was forbidden to strike towards Manstein. The Fuhrer believed that since the Germans had entered the banks of the Volga, they should not leave there. The Soviet command now had two options at its disposal: either continue the attempt to envelop the entire German group in the North Caucasus with a huge pincer (Operation Saturn), or transfer part of its forces against Manstein and eliminate the threat of a German breakthrough (Operation Little Saturn). We must give credit to the Soviet Headquarters - it assessed the situation and its capabilities quite soberly. It was decided to be content with a bird in hand, and not look for a pie in the sky. A devastating blow to Manstein’s advancing units was delivered just in time. At this time, Paulus’s army and Manstein’s group were separated by only a few tens of kilometers. But the Germans were driven back, and the time had come to liquidate the pocket.

On January 8, 1943, the Soviet command offered Paulus an ultimatum, which was rejected. And just two days later, Operation Ring began. The efforts made by the armies of the Don Front of K.K. Rokossovsky led to the fact that the encirclement began to quickly shrink. Historians today express the opinion that not everything was done perfectly then: it was necessary to attack from the north and south in order to first cut the ring in these directions. But the main blow came from west to east, and we had to overcome long-term fortifications of the German defense, which were based, among other things, on positions built by Soviet troops on the eve of the Battle of Stalingrad. The fighting was fierce and lasted for several weeks. The air bridge to the surrounded people failed. Hundreds of German planes were shot down. The diet of German military personnel dropped to a meager level. All the horses were eaten. There have been cases of cannibalism. Soon the Germans lost their last airfields.

Paulus was at that time in the basement of the city's main department store and, despite requests to Hitler for surrender, never received such permission. Moreover, on the eve of complete collapse, Hitler awarded Paulus the rank of field marshal. This was a clear hint: not a single German field marshal had ever surrendered. But on January 31, Paulus chose to surrender and save his life. On February 2, the last northern German group in Stalingrad also stopped resisting.

91 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers and officers were captured. In the city blocks of Stalingrad themselves, 140 thousand corpses of German military personnel were subsequently buried. On our side, the losses were also great - 150 thousand people. But the entire southern flank of the German troops was now exposed. The Nazis began to hastily leave the territory of the North Caucasus, Stavropol, and Kuban. Only a new counter strike from Manstein in the Belgorod area stopped the advance of our units. At the same time, the so-called Kursk salient was formed, events on which would take place in the summer of 1943.

US President Roosevelt called the Battle of Stalingrad an epic victory. And King George VI of Great Britain ordered a special sword forged for the residents of Stalingrad with the engraving: “To the citizens of Stalingrad, strong as steel.” Stalingrad became the password of Victory. It was truly the turning point of the war. The Germans were shocked; three days of mourning were declared in Germany. The victory at Stalingrad also became a signal for countries allies of Germany, such as Hungary, Romania, Finland, that it was necessary to look for the fastest way out of the war.

After this battle, Germany's defeat was only a matter of time.

M. Yu. Myagkov, Doctor of Science n.,
Scientific Director of the Russian Military Historical Society