THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD

JULY, 1942 – FEBRUARY, 1943

BACKGROUND EASTERN (RUSSIAN)FRONT SITUATION -

SUMMER, 1942 AXIS (GERMAN) ARMIES CONTROL MOST OF EUROPEAN

RUSSIA (USSR) RED ARMY & USSR HAVE TAKEN MASSIVE CASUALTIES MOST SOVIET INDUSTIRES / FACTORIES HAVE BEEN

EVACUATED EAST OF URAL MTS. MOST OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN TAKEN OR … ARE EXPECTED

TO BE TAKEN EXAMPLES:

Army Group North – seiging Leningrad Army Group Center – close to Moscow Army Group South – Kiev captured, moving towards

Central Asia & Oil fieldsRESULT?

-GERMANS FEEL INVINCIBLE -GERMANS HAVE MOMENTUM -SOVIETS HAVE RESORTED TO SCORCHED-EARTH POLICY -SOVIETS HAVE CALLED ALL RESERVES INTO MILITARY -SOVIETS ARE “PLAYING FOR TIME” (DEFINE)

RUSSIAN FRONT

STRATEGICSITUATION,

SUMMER -1942

“IF I DO NOT GET THE OIL OF MAIKOP AND GROZNY, THEN I MUST END THIS WAR.”

ADOLF HITLER, 1942

THE GERMAN SITUATION

GERMAN ADVANTAGES: ARMOR ADVANTAGE

RUSSIANS STILL HAD NOT PRODUCED ENOUGH T-34 TANKS TO EFFECTIVELY CHALLENGE GERMAN ARMOR

AIR POWER: LUFTWAFFE IS… MORE EXPERIENCED HAS BETTER AIRCRAFT HAS PERFECTED GROUND SUPPORT TACTICS

MORALE: GERMANS ARE CONFIDENT MOMENTUM: GERMANS ARE ACTIVELY

PURSUING / LOOKING TO DESTROY RED ARMY

THE GERMAN SITUATION(cont’d.) GERMAN DISADVANTAGES

BIGGEST PROBLEM: SUPPLY LINES ARE DANGEROUSLY OVEREXTENDED

EFFECT? EXTENSION OF SUPPLY LINES = INCREASES CHANCE OF SUPPLIES BEING CUT OFF REINFORCEMENTS TAKE LONGER TO GET TO

STALINGRAD MORE TROOPS NEEDED TO PROTECT SUPPLY LINES FEWER TROOPS AVAILABLE FOR FORWARD

OPERATIONS GERMAN BLITZKRIEG TACTICS ARE DESIGNED FOR…

SPEED SURPRISE OPEN TERRAIN / GEOGRAPHY LONG DISTANCES

RESULT? KEY ELEMENTS OF BLITZKRIEG CAN’T BE EFFECTIVELY

USED IN A CITY EXAMPLE? ARMOR / TANK MOVEMENT IS LIMITED

STALINGRAD, 1941 (before the battle)

AERIAL VIEW, STALINGRAD AFTER

THE GERMAN BOMBARDMENT

STALINGRAD DURING THE BATTLE PHOTO TAKEN FROM EAST BANK OF THE VOLGA

RIVER

STALINGRAD SITUATION, FALL 1942

OPERATION BLUE

DEFINE: THE GERMAN CAMPAIGN TO SEIZE SOUTHERN RUSSIA, THE CAUCASUS REGION, AND OIL FIELDS

WHEN? OPERATION BEGINS = LATE JUNE, 1942 OPERATION ENDS W/DEFEAT AT STALINGRAD

WHO/WHAT? GERMAN ARMY GROUP SOUTH GROUP IS DIVIDED INTO TWO SUB-GROUPS

ARMY GROUP “A” ARMY GROUP “B”

BOTH GROUPS ARE ASSIGNED DIFFERENT TASKS & OBJECTIVES

THE PLAN: ARMY GROUP A – SEIZE THE CAUCASUS REGION, AND ALL

VITAL CITIES & RESOURCES THERE ARMY GROUP B –

MOVE EASTWARD TOWARDS THE DON AND VOLGA RIVERS SEIZE CITY OF STALINGRAD

WHY STALINGRAD?

STALINGRAD WAS NOT THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF OPERATION BLUE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE(S) WAS / WERE…

OIL AGRICULTURE /FOOD REDUCE RUSSIA’s INDUSTRIAL CAPACITY

WHY STALINGRAD? LOCATED ON THE VOLGA RIVER VOLGA IS ONE OF RUSSIA’s MAJOR TRANSPORTATION

ROUTES INDUSTRIAL CITY CONTROL OF STALINGRAD WOULD PROTECT ARMY GROUP

SOUTH’s FLANK (define) LESSER REASON: CITY WAS NAMED AFETR STALIN,

SO IT HAD SYMBOLIC VALUE SEIZING STALINGRAD: ASSIGNED TO…

GERMAN 6th ARMY GERMAN 4th PANZER ARMY

PROBLEMS

GERMAN 6th IN PUTTING INCREASING #s OF TROOPS INTO STALINGRAD EVENTUALLY CONTROL 90% OF CITY, BUT… CANNOT GAIN TOTAL CONTROL SOVIET 62ND ARMY IS HOLDING OUT IN CITY RUSSIANS ARE BRINGING MORE RESERVES…

TO THE STALINGRAD AREA ACROSS VOLGA RIVER INTO CITY ***RED ARMY ALSO BRINGS LARGE # OF SNIPERS TO CITY (SO

WHAT?) ARMY GROUP A (INVADING THE CAUCASUS REGION) IS TOO FAR TO

SUPPORT ARMY GROUP B, ESPECIALLY THE 6TH ARMY LATE OCT./EARLY NOV.:

DANGER OF 6TH ARMY BEING CUT OFF INCREASES RUSSIANS ARE BUILDING UP RESERVES / ARMOR ON FLANKS OF

CITY RUSSIANS IN CITY ARE FOLLOWING STALIN’s ORDERS: “NOT A

STEP BACKWARD”

SOVIET SITUATION RUSSIAN 62ND ARMY:

COMMANDED BY VASILY CHUIKOV OVERALL COMMANDER OF STALINGRAD AREA IS GEORGI ZHUKOV 62ND ARMY’s ORDERS ARE SIMPLE =DEFEND THE CITY TO THE LAST

MAN, LAST BULLET, etc. SOVIET BATTLE PLAN IS SIMPLE:

62nd ARMY WILL / MUST DENY GERMANS TOTAL CONTROL OF THE CITY THIS WILL FORCE GERMANS TO COMMIT MORE TROOPS INTO CITY RED ARMY WILL USE CITY TO HOLD GERMAN 6TH ARMY IN STATIC

POSITION RED ARMY WILL THEN LAUNCH SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS ON GERMAN

FLANKS FLANKS WILL LINK UP WEST OF CITY 6TH ARMY WILL CUT OFF FROM REMAINDER OF GERMAN ARMY

BUT…FLANKING ASSAULT MUST BE LAUNCHED BEFORE… GERMANS CAN TRANSFER FORCES FROM ARMY GROUP A TO RELIEVE

6TH ARMY BUT…RED ARMY MUST QUICKLY BUILD UP ARMOR / ARTILLERY /

INFANTRY RESERVES ON FLANKS SO…TIMING IS CRITICAL (for both sides)

NATURE OF THE BATTLE

WHAT WERE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD? VERY LITTLE ARMOR USED MOSTLY CLOSE-QUARTER/HOUSE-to-HOUSE FIGHTING BRUTAL HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING BUILDING COULD BE / WERE OFTEN OCCUPIED BY

BOTH SIDES BUILDINGS USUALLY CONVERTED INTO SMALL

FORTRESSES EXAMPLE?

FACTORIES OFFICE BUILDINGS

SEWERS / BASEMENTS WERE OFTEN FOUGHT OVER or USED FOR SHELTER

EXTENSIVE USE OF SNIPERS BY BOTH SIDES RESULT?

NORMAL OPEN-COUNTRY BATTLE LINES DON’T REALLY EXIST

ORDER OF BATTLE

GERMAN WERMACHT: ARMY GROUP B:

GERMAN 6TH ARMY (GEN. Von PAULUS) GERMAN 4TH PANZER ARMY (GEN. HOTH) ROMANIAN 3rd ARMY ROMANIAN 4th ARMY HUNGARIAN 2ND ARMY ITALIAN 8TH ARMY

INITIAL STRENGTH: 270,000 MEN 3000 ARTILLEY PIECES 500 TANKS 600 AIRCRAFT

ORDER OF BATTLE (cont’d.) SOVIET UNION:

SOVIET 62ND ARMY (inside city, led by Gen. Chuikov)

DON FRONT ARMY SOUTHWESTERN FRONT ARMY STALINGRAD FRONT ARMY

INITIAL STRENGTH: 187,000 MEN 2000 ARTILLERY PIECES 400 TANKS 300 AIRCRAFT

THE BUILD-UP OF TROOPS BY THE TIME OF THE GERMAN SURRENDER,

MASSIVE RESERVES AND EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN SENT BY BOTH ARMIES TO STALINGRAD:

EXAMPLE: TROOP STRENGTH BY TIME OF OPERATION URANUS

(SOVIET COUNTEROFFENSIVE), NOV. 1942: SOVIETS:

1,100,000 MEN 15,000 ARTILLERY PIECES 1400 TANKS 1100 AIRCRAFT

GERMANS: 1,000,000 MEN 10,000 ARTILLERY PIECES 675 TANKS 702 AIRCRAFT

GENERAL FRIEDRICH Von PAULUS,

COMMANDING OFFICER,GERMAN 6th ARMY

(Left) General Wolfram Von Richtofen, Luftwaffe(Right) General Erich Von Manstein, C/O Army Group Don

GEN. HERMANN HOTH,

COMMANDING OFFICER, GERMAN 4th PANZER ARMY

GENERAL VASILY CHUIKOV,COMMANDING OFFICER,

SOVIET 62ND ARMY, STALINGRAD

“WE WILL DEFEND THE CITY OR DIE IN THE ATTEMPT.”

GENERAL VASILY CHUIKOV, SOVIET 62nd ARMY, STALINGRAD

CHUIKOV ADDRESSES 62nd ARMY TROOPS, STALINGRAD

Major GeneralAlexander I. Rodimstev,

Commander,13th Guards Rifle Division,

Red Army, Stalingrad

MAJOR GENERAL KONSTANTIN ROKASSOVSKY,

COMMANDER, DONFRONT (FLANK) FORCES, RED

ARMY

GENERAL CEORGI ZHUKOV, COMMANDING OFFICER,

STALINGRAD AREA

MARSHALL ANDREI YEREMENKO, COMMANDING

OFFICER,RED ARMY

STALINGRAD FRONT (FLANK) FORCES, STALINGRAD

NIKITA KRUSCHEV, RED ARMY POLITICAL

COMMISSARAT STALINGRAD

GERMAN 6TH ARMY TROOPS OUTSIDE STALINGRAD

GERMAN INFANTRY IN STALINGRAD, SEPTEMBER, 1942

ARTIST’s VIEW OF STALINGRAD FIGHTING

German troops in factory rubble, Stalingrad

STANDARD RED ARMY COLD WEATHER INFANRTY GEAR,

1941-43

RUSSIAN SNIPER VASILY ZAITSEV, STALINGRAD, 1942

VASILY ZAITSEV DISPLAYS

HIS MOISIN-NAGANTSNIPER RIFLE

255 CONFIRMED KILLS, INCLUDING 11

SNIPERS

GEN. CHUIKOV INSPECTS ZAITSEV’s RIFLE

VASILY ZAITSEV, 1989

RED ARMY SNIPER FYODOR OKHLOPKOV, 513 CONFIRMED KILLS

NO!

Soviet Moisin-NagantRifle Models

LYUDMILA PAVLICHENKO, RED ARMY SNIPER

LYUDMILA PAVLICHENKO – 309 CONFIRMED KILLS

LYUDMILA PAVLICHENKOCOMMEMORATIVE

STAMP,1976

SOVIET TOKHAREV SVT-400 ASSAULT RIFLE

RED ARMY SNIPERROZA SHANINA, 100 CONFIRMED

KILLS

RED ARMY INFANTRY, STALINGRAD,

OCTOBER, 1942

SGT. YAKOV PAVLOV,13TH GUARDS RIFLE

DIVISION, RED ARMYRECIPIENT: HERO OF THE

SOVIET UNION MEDAL

PAVLOV’s HOUSE AFTER BATTLE

PAVLOV’s HOUSE TODAYVOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA

RED ARMY FLAME THROWER TEAM

RED ARMY TROOPS IN FACTORY RUBBLE, STALINGRD

OPERATION URANUS,

NOVEMBER, 1942

OPERATION URANUS,

NOV. 1942

OPERATION URANUS

HITLER’s OBSESSION W/ CAPTURING STALINGRAD LED TO… TOO MUCH ATTENTION PAID TO FIGHTING IN THE CITY GERMAN FLANKS WERE NOT WELL PROTECTED REQUESTS FROM 6TH ARMY TO MOVE TROOPS TO FLANKS

WERE DENIED GERMAN FLANKS WERE MANNED BY WEAKER ALLIES:

ROMANIAN ARMY HUNGARIAN ARMY ITALIAN ARMY

RESULT? SOVIETSA RECOGNIZE THE WEAKNESS BEGIN MASSING FORCES ON FLANKS NOTH & SOUTH OF CITY

WHY? THEY ARE PLANNING A MASSIVE ASSAULT PURPOSE WILL BE TO CUT OFF / ENCIRCLE 6TH ARMY

GEN. ROKOSSOVSKY OUTSIDE STALINGRAD BEFORE OPERATION URANUS

RED ARMY TROOPS DURING ASSAULT

RED ARMY SIBERIAN TROOPS DURING ASSAULT

PITOMNIK AIRFIELD, STALINGRAD

THE END AT STALINGRAD OPERATION URANUS HAD COMPLETELY CUT OFF 6TH ARMY FROM ANY

LAND SUPPORT DEC., ‘42: OPERATION WINTER STORM

GERMAN 4TH PANZER ARMY ATTEMPT TO BREAK THROUGH TO STALINGRAD

FAILURE ONLY OPTION LEFT = AERIAL RESUPPLY BY LUFTWAFFE

DEC.,’42: SOVIETS LAUNCH OPERATION LITTLE SATURN PURPOSE = CUT OFF ALL GERMANS IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE 6TH ARMY IS ABANDONED BY 4TH PANZER ARMY

6TH ARMY WOULD NEED 800 TONS OF DAILY SUPPLIES TO SURVIVE LUFTWAFFE CLAIMS IT CAN ONLY BRING 117 TONS PER DAY

REALITY: ONLY PROVIDE 95 TONS PER DAY

RESULT? 6TH ARMY BEGINS TO STARVE, SUPPLIES DISAPPEAR LUFTWAFFE LOSSES ARE HEAVY BY JAN. 30TH, 6TH ARMY IS UNABLE TO RESIST

Feb. 2nd, 1943: GEN. Von PAULUS SURRENDERS 6TH ARMY TO SOVIETS

4TH PANZER ARMY

ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE 6TH

ARMY

OPERATION LITTLE

SATURN,DEC./JAN., 1942

GEN. Von PAULUS ARRIVES AT SURRENDER

MEETING,FEBRUARY, 1943

6TH ARMY OFFICERS AFTER SURRENDER

N.Y. TIMES ARTICLE ANNOUNCING Von PAULUS’s SURRENDER

RED ARMY TROOPER WITH GERMAN PRISONER, STALINGRAD, FEB., 1943

GERMAN PRISONERS MARCH INTO CAPTIVITY,

FEBRUARY, 1943

N.Y. TIMES HEADLINE, FEBRUARY 5, 1943

ANNOUNCES END OFSTALINGRAD BATTLE

RESULTS CASUALTIES:

GERMAN: 750,000 KIA, WIA, MIA 91,000 POWs*** 900 AIRCRAFT

SOVIETS: 480,000 KIA/MIA 650,000 WIA 40,000 CIVILIAN KIA 4000 TANKS 16,000 ARTILLERY PIECES 2800 AIRCRAFT

***OF THE 91,000 GERMAN P.O.W.s TAKEN CAPTIVE , ONLY 5000 EVER RETUNR TO GERMANY ALIVE

FINAL EFFECTS

GERMAN ADVANCE INTO RUSSIA IS STOPPED

GERMANS NEVER PENETRATE FURTHER EASTWARD

RUSSIAN OIL RESOURCES ARE SAVED SOVIETS BEGIN SLOW WESTWARD

ADVANCE TOWARD GERMANY STALINGRAD IS THE TURNING POINT IN

THE EUROPEAN THEATRE OF WORLD WAR II

FROM THAT POINT ON, GERMANS ARE ON THE DEFENSIVE

“MOTHER RUSSIA” STATUE, BATTLE OF STALINGRAD MEMORIAL, VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA