Battle of Stalingrad
Who: Germans and Russians
What: Stalingrad was the scene of one of the most important and bloody battles of WWII. About 2 million casualties. The Soviets had been caught by surprise by German attacks into Russia. However, they had more men to sacrifice as well as more airplanes and tanks. German General von Paulus surrendered despite Hitler’s orders to fight to the end.
Where: Stalingrad, Russia
When: mid 1942 - early 1943
Why: Hitler’s ultimate goal was the oil fields of the Caucasus but wanted to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad on the Volga first.
Significance: Stalin contributed to the severity of this battle because he had ignored warnings of German invasion from British and Soviet intelligence. He had also purged the army of “anti-soviet” officers. This attack on Russia broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact of non-aggression.