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Iron Stalingrad
Modern historians have three things that they say in all actuality lost the war for Germany, or at least shortened the war considerably. The first was the lack of an effective four-engined bomber, and the second was the delayment of the use of jet aircraft as fighters. The third was much more major, and ultimately the deciding factor, and that was the invasion of Russia by Hitler. The Third Reich simply could not manage to fight a two-front war against many very capable enemies. The day the German blitzkreig rolled into Russia, the days of the Reich were numbered.
Cold, mud, and sunken morale plagued the German offensive in Russia. It was indeed desparing when the German troops could look out over the frozen wastelands and see the Kremlin of Moscow, but yet it was still so far away. The 20-some miles that separated the Germans from Moscow represented not simply 20 miles, but an inconquerable distance of which no amount of fighting could capture. The last 20 miles to Moscow, which the Germans never reached, was the end of the German offensive in the East and the beginning of their withdrawl.
The Russian Front
After a few defeats near Moscow, the Germans began their "April Offensive," in April 1942, in Southern Russia, Crimea, and the Ukraine. Sevastopol fell on July 3rd 1942 after a year-long seige. After this success, Hitler ordered his southern armies to drive North and by this the Germans laid seige to the great city of Stalingrad on August 23rd 1942. During this time, another German army attempted to take the Caucasian oil fields, but after a few thrilling victories, they met stiff Russian resistance and ultimately withdrew after taking heavy beatings.
Stalingrad from the air
For five months the Germans battled for Stalingrad. So convinced in their victory, Hitler and Goebbles declared that all Russian resistance in Stalingrad had ceased and the Nazis held the city. That was not at all true. After a breif respite, in which the Germans entered Stalingrad itself, the Russian defenders attacked again and again, until the entire city was one hellish battlefield. From house to house, building to building the fighting went. In weeks, the city was in ruin, and the Germans found themselves low on ammunition, supplies, and also beginning to feel the winter of 1943 start to make its presence known.
Fighting in Stalingrad
A strong Russian counter-offensive was started, and the German troops were then basically surrounded and cut off from any supply lines. Hitler ordered his troops to fight to the last man, and promoted the officer in charge of Stalingrad to Field Marshal. Hitler was quick to note that no German field marshal had ever been captured alive. In spite of this, the new field marshal knew his time was up in Stalingrad and duly surrendered - alive - 91,000 German troops. The Germans had lost, and lost bitterly. Hitler was outraged at the surrender and ordered massive attacks against Stalingrad, but these all ended in utter failure. Stalingrad was truely the turning point of the Russian campaign and in the months that followed the only offensives were Soviet ones. Interesting note: The recent motion picture "Enemy at the Gates" is based on a Soviet sniper at Stalingrad.
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