By the spring of 1942, despite the failure of Operation Barbarossa to decisively defeat the Soviet Union in a single campaign, the war seemed to be progressing well for the Germans. Germany’s Stalingrad offensive was driven by the two main objectives of time and material resources. Hitler was determined to complete the offensive before the powerful United States joined the war and secondly, he wanted to grab the oil resources in the Caucasus.
The plan was to starve the Soviet Union of oil while securing an alternative petroleum resource for Germany.
The six-month battle of Stalingrad (today known as Volgograd) from August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943 led to over a million men losing their lives and crushed Hitler’s ambitions of colonising the Soviet Union. Today, the horrors of this battle are unimaginable when the once proud German 6th army completely disintegrated. some of the soldiers were reduced to cannibalism in order to stay alive in the ruins of the city in gut wrenching conditions as the mercury plunged below -40°C. The battle was marked by close quarters combat and the complete lack of regard for military and civilian casualties. It is estimated that the combined casualties were close to two million.
The German offensive to capture Stalingrad was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble and eventually became mired in building-to-building fighting. Despite having gained control of much of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was still unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders who held on tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.
As the brutal Russian winter set in, the 6th Army was debilitated severely from cold, starvation and ongoing Soviet attacks. The Germans were caught between the terrible conditions they were fighting in and Hitler’s resolute belief in the need to keep on fighting. Surrender seemed to be the only escape for the beleaguered German army.
The Russians were equally determined to hold on to their city at all costs and they managed to do so. They fought with a fanatical fervour not only because they were determined to hold on to their city but also because they were driven by revenge for the Nazi atrocities committed on the ordinary Russians, typified by the sight of women and children hanging from trees. The hatred for Germans was intense and every Russian soldier and commander was determined to kill as many Germans as possible.
Both the opposing armies then engaged in a primitive bloody battle which was fought in places like ruined houses, cellars and bunkers.
Around half a million Russian men were killed and 1,50,000 Germans. Of the 1,10,000 Germans who surrendered, only 5,000 managed to survive Stalin’s brutal gulags and return to a defeated Germany.
The bloodiest battle in the Second World War came to an end on January 31, 1943 when Field Marshall Friedrich Paulus disobeyed the orders of his Führer to kill himself and surrendered. Hitler was obsessed with the city that bore the name of his Communist nemesis and wanted it to be crushed at all costs. This battle was the undoing of the German army and cost them a quarter of everything they owned such as guns, tanks and munitions. They never recovered from this defeat and for many days following the battle, shops and restaurants in Berlin stayed closed as a mark of respect.