Hitler attacks Stalingrad

“I saw then that Hitler had lost touch with reality. He lived in a fantasy world of maps and flags.”

Hitler Strikes EastHitler Strikes East

The Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad

Operation Barbarossa:Blitzkrieg invasion of the

Soviet Union

Barbarossa June 1941 Violation of the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact

Battle of Stalingrad: September 1942 – Feb 1943

Overview Turning point in European war :

– Germany loses battle and entire 6th Army.

Hitler unreasonably wanted troops to hold Stalingrad and dismissed commanders at will, so few dared to tell him the truth about conditions and losses.

Germans too far from supply lines, end up surrounded by enemy and starved and froze to death.

Germans advanced quickly at first, but were unprepared for the Russian winter and did not have proper winter gear.

Soviets:– Fought with penal units– Had little to ammo– no radio contact

Soviets killed 13,000 of their own troops for deserting and running away.

However, Germany underestimated the Soviet will to fight

290,000 Germans trapped behind enemy lines.

Urban fighting (far from WW1 trench warfare)

Snipers well supplied with ammunition No fuel meant no water German troops began to starve to death Dead bodies not buried

Battle of StalingradBattle of Stalingrad

CasualtiesGerman’s 91,000 POWs Soviets suffered 1.1 million

casualties including civilians–485,751 were deaths

Battle of StalingradBattle of Stalingrad