Battle of Stalingrad

Significance

The Battle of Stalingrad pitted Nazi Germany and its Axis allies against the Soviet Union for control of a major city in southern Russia, producing what is considered the largest and deadliest urban battle in military history and the largest battle of World War II overall. The fighting was marked by intense close-quarters combat and severe civilian losses from aerial bombardment. By the conclusion of the battle, the German Sixth Army had been destroyed, the Fourth Panzer Army had suffered severe losses, and Army Group B was routed. The defeat ended Germany's 1942 summer offensive on the Eastern Front and transferred the strategic initiative to the Soviet Union. The Soviet victory is generally regarded as the pivotal turning point of the European theatre of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (37)