This lesson will discuss the Battle of Stalingrad. It will describe the events leading up to the battle, and a description of the battle from both Russian and German perspectives. Finally, the lesson will reflect on Stalingrad 's significance in WWII.
!!!The Nazi plan: Operation Barbarossa and Case Blue
In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union under the name __Operation Barbarossa__. The goal of the invasion was to conquer the Soviet lands, and to annihilate the people who lived in the East to make room, or __Lebensraum__, for German settlers. The war in the East was gruesome. Over a period of four years, 27 million Soviet soldiers and 4 million German soldiers would die. The civilian populations were starved and terrorized. …show more content…
Some in Europe had come to believe that the German army was invincible. By October, the Germans seemed set to take Moscow. However, despite massive losses, the Soviet Union did not fall as the Nazis had planned. By late 1941, German troops had advanced too far too fast and had run out of supplies, so they fell back and regrouped over the winter. In the summer of 1942, the German forces launched a new offensive against the Soviets called __Case Blue__. They would drive south toward the oil reserves in the Caucasus region, going through the city of Stalingrad, which sits on the Volga River. The bloody Battle for Stalingrad would claim over 2 million lives, and become a major turning point in …show more content…
It was the major psychological turning point in WWII, because up until that point, the German army had been almost invincible. The Germans attacked Stalingrad as part of Case Blue to get to the oil reserves in the Caucasus. Stalin was determined to hold the city because it was named after him, and his Order Number 227 forbade any retreat. The Soviets surprised the Germans with their grit and resilience. The Germans were beaten down by battle, cold and starvation, and eventually surrendered in the winter of 1943. After this, the Soviets would continue to push the Germans back all the way to Berlin where, in 1945, Germany would surrender to the
!!!The Nazi plan: Operation Barbarossa and Case Blue
In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union under the name __Operation Barbarossa__. The goal of the invasion was to conquer the Soviet lands, and to annihilate the people who lived in the East to make room, or __Lebensraum__, for German settlers. The war in the East was gruesome. Over a period of four years, 27 million Soviet soldiers and 4 million German soldiers would die. The civilian populations were starved and terrorized. …show more content…
Some in Europe had come to believe that the German army was invincible. By October, the Germans seemed set to take Moscow. However, despite massive losses, the Soviet Union did not fall as the Nazis had planned. By late 1941, German troops had advanced too far too fast and had run out of supplies, so they fell back and regrouped over the winter. In the summer of 1942, the German forces launched a new offensive against the Soviets called __Case Blue__. They would drive south toward the oil reserves in the Caucasus region, going through the city of Stalingrad, which sits on the Volga River. The bloody Battle for Stalingrad would claim over 2 million lives, and become a major turning point in …show more content…
It was the major psychological turning point in WWII, because up until that point, the German army had been almost invincible. The Germans attacked Stalingrad as part of Case Blue to get to the oil reserves in the Caucasus. Stalin was determined to hold the city because it was named after him, and his Order Number 227 forbade any retreat. The Soviets surprised the Germans with their grit and resilience. The Germans were beaten down by battle, cold and starvation, and eventually surrendered in the winter of 1943. After this, the Soviets would continue to push the Germans back all the way to Berlin where, in 1945, Germany would surrender to the