Stalingrad Turning Point

“The God of War has gone over to the other side” commented Adolf Hitler himself in February of 1943 when Germany fell short of the glory of winning to the Soviet Union. For this reason, it is mainly believed that the turning point of WWII (1939-1945) began when the USSR conquered Germany in the disastrous battle which took place in Stalingrad, Russia. However, history speaks otherwise. June 6, 1944 was the day when the Western forces successfully commenced and executed their attack upon Nazi lines by invading the sandy beaches at Normandy, France, freeing Europe from Hitler’s dreadful regime. June 6, 1944, was also the day when the Axis Powers had truly raised their white flags. Although the battle of Stalingrad caused Germany’s first major defeat, the invasion at Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, proves to be …show more content…
It was through the battle of Stalingrad that the Germans were finally forced to decline on their offensives to recover from their massive defeat. Because of this, Stalingrad is often known as the turning point of WWII. However, one must consider the factors which allowed the USSR to achieve this triumph over Germany. The Soviet Union clearly did not win the battle of Stalingrad due to their efforts alone. Their military thrived in soldiers, but lacked in warfare technology. For example, some of their planes were dated all the way back to WWI (1914-1918). Moreover, their casualties were greater than that of the Axis Powers with more than 1,000,000 soldiers dead, injured, or imprisoned, 4341 tanks destroyed, 2769 aircraft lost, and 15, 728 artillery eliminated. Evidently, if both sides were fighting under equal circumstances, Germany would have easily conquered Stalingrad. However, what made these circumstances imbalanced was the invasion at Normandy. When winter hit, the frigid weather made it nearly impossible for the Germans to attain their necessary supplies such as food and equipment while fighting in Russian territory.