No greenery remained

Chuikov takes over command of Stalingrad

Subordinate to Zhukov

Chuikov is amazed by what has happened to Stalingrad

Fight for the railway station

Red Army pushed to the very edge of the Volga

Germans attacked the central railway station

Changed hands fifteen times in three days

Resembled an earthquake

The city resembled the aftermath of an earthquake

“Bitter fighting”

Soviet Advantage

Fighting at night benefited the Soviets

“Bitter fighting”

The mentality of the soldiers

Stalingrad defies military explanation

Chuikov inspired his men

All this was watched by Zhukov as he planned Operation Uranus

Operation Uranus

1 million Russian soldiers

14,000 heavy artillery

1000 tanks

Operation Uranus

November 19, 1942

First fully prepared Soviet attack of the Second World War

Aimed at the weaker Romanian forces

Uranus pinched

Within four days Soviet forces surround the Germans

The Russian pincer movement works and the two Russian forces meet 100km west of Stalingrad

Germans trapped

Hitler orders Paulus to remain near Stalingrad

The Luftwaffe promised to supply the German Army with food

A field marshal never surrenders

Paulus is promoted to Field Marshall

Hitler did this expecting Paulus to kill himself rather than surrender

Paulus is captured in a cellar the next day

Results of Stalingrad

Germans finally suffered a defeat in the war’

Their mantra of being an invincible army was shattered

Provided a morale boost for the allied nations