1945-1940: The Battle Of Stalingrad

On December 16, 1944, Adolf Hitler ordered a massive attack on the Allied forces. This attack, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was a last dich effort to split up the Allied forces in their drive towards Germany. The attack failed and effectively led to the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. With few supplies and resources, German forces were heavily outmatched. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in wake of Germany’s inevitable defeat. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered (National Geographic staff,

The Germans defeated the Polish and almost all of Western Europe. Although the British had no help when it came to Hitler and his army, the remains of Europe had been overturned already. The Battle of the Bulge also called Battle of the Ardennes as well, which began Dec. 16, 1944 and ended Jan. 16, 1945. This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory . Winston Churchill made a promise that he would fight as long as it would take to overcome Hitler. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill he referred to “the bulge” as the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.

Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege 1942-1943 is book written by the British military historian, Antony Beevor. Stalingrad covers the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II. Stalingrad was a city in Russia where Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union fought for control. This was part of Adolf Hitler’s plan to crush the Soviet Union and extend his Third Reich into Russian territory. The battle lasted from August 1942 to February 1943. However, the battle ended up with the destruction of the entire German 6th army and with a victory for the Soviet Union. Beevor has won three awards for this book. I wish to give brief summaries of the five sections of the book and give reviews on their main content.

The Battle of the Bulge also known as “Ardennes Offensive”, started on December 16, 1944. The Battle of the bulge, is significantly known as what ruined the German army and brought about the end of the war. The battle got its name from poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest “bulge” that Germans made between its allies. Hitler used this area of 80-mile dense forest, believing that his forces would be able to surround and cut off

World War II was full of conflicts between countries all over the world. Although most people only know things about the holocaust or Hitler 's affect on the World War II, there are other important events that have affected many countries. The Battle of Moscow was a major battle between the Soviet Union and Germany. Ironically, the Soviet Union and Germany previously had a secret agreement (the nonaggression pact) not to go to war on each other, but the promises turned to be broken when Germany 's plan to capture Moscow went into action. (German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, History Site)

The battle of Stalingrad was a major battle on the eastern front of world war two where Nazi Germany and all of its associates fought the Soviet Union over control over the city of Stalingrad. The battle of Britain was a large scale battle in which the Britain’s fought the Germans to protect the UK.

Other than causing the liberation of France and the establishment of a new battlefront, the invasion also relieved the Soviet Union’s pressure. Before the Invasion, Germany had over two million troops fighting against the Red Army in the Eastern Front, and many of Soviet’s cities were captured. The Russians fought desperately to protect their cities. However, after the invasion, with the launch of a new major battlefront in the West, Hitler had to transport many of his forces to the West in order to defend his own country. Without as many troops to fight against, the Soviet army was able to push through Czechoslovakia, Poland and eventually penetrate into Germany; the Soviet Union’s progress greatly sped up the endof the war. (Naval History and Heritage- D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, 6 - 25 June 1944)

On the German side, Hitler was running out of options. Russia has destroyed twenty-five German divisions, the worst defeat ever inflicted on them. On the western front, the Allies had captured Rome and were attacking 155 miles north. The D-Day invaders had destroyed another two German armies while they pushed through France. He was being surrounded on all sides and needed to make a drastic move. He reasoned that since Allies had come so far so fast, they would have to halt eventually to allow their supplies to catch up with them. During

Nearing the end of World War II and after the successful D-Day invasion by Allied Forces, Adolf Hitler would personally plan a counteroffensive he believed would turn the tied of the war in his favor and prevent his unconditional surrender. Historically known as the Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes Counteroffensive, from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945, would showcase the power of a full-scale German offensive while highlighting the ingenuity and heart of the United States Army as they encountered a seemingly undefeatable foe.

Things began to get tough for the Nazis, and all in all, it prevented Hitler from sending troops from France to build up his Eastern front against the soviets. By May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany finally surrendered and a week later, and Hitler had committed suicide. Multiple reasons throughout this excerpt give great excuses to also call this battle one of the largest military assults in

This battle was very back and forth if Germany captured areas during the day, the Soviet Union and their General Georgy Zhukov would capture them during the night. General Zhukov rallied six armies of one million men to surround the city of Stalingrad. General Zhukov was able to trap the Germans inside the city. General Paulus of Germany could have escaped this trap but was ordered not to by Hitler. As the Germans were stick in this trap all through the cold winter, they grew weak.

The battle of Stalingrad raged from August 1942 until the German surrender on 2 February 1943. Significantly, it was the first catastrophic defeat to befall the Wermacht Army who not only lost the battle but were severely humiliated. Indeed, the German Army never fully recovered from this blow to its morale. Upwards of 270,000 troops were killed and 91,000 prisoners were taken by the Red Army; included in this latter number were 23 German Generals. Conversely, morale in the Red Army soared as a consequence of Stalingrad giving the Russians increased strength and confidence. This battle represented a turning point in the Second World War.

Still, from Berlin, Hitler ordered the army to continue the fight and promised General Paulus that reinforcements would be sent. The Russian army would not give up. They trapped the weakened Germans in the city. In January, General Paulus sent a message to Hitler requesting permission to surrender. He knew any victory was impossible and the only thing certain for the Germans was death. Hilter denied his requesting saying that the German army had to stand firm until the last man. Hitler’s pride was one of the biggest reasons the German’s lost to Russia. Had he let his men retreat, regroup and fortify themselves they would have stood a much better chance. Hitler was operating solely on an out of control ego at that point and not rational thought.

“I felt the agony of the other soldiers around me as they fell onto their knees which then hit the ground, as the gunshots beat our eardrums till they were bleeding out, and as hardened men sobbed, knowing they would not see their loved ones again. As I saw through my peripherals, my comrades fall one by one, as I was stuck there, in slow motion, helpless. I ran, everyone made me out to be the only survivor of my squad one of the worst battles ever. The lone survivor of the Battle of Stalingrad, that’s what I supposedly was when I was 14, in my battle worn, blood stained, clothes. That was WWII, not something I want to remember. Listen Victor, no matter what bone cancer does, I will always be with you and you will feel that I’m with

The Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Stalingrad may well be the most gruesome battles in recent history. Both are excellent examples of how important morale is in winning a war. If either of these cities would have fallen to the Germans, history might have unfolded in a very different way than what we see here today.