Stalingrad Ready To Retreat

It was the first major German loss during World War Two (it significantly decreased their front line power and determination): Prior to Stalingrad the German’s had been on an immense roll since the beginning of the war, and their defeat proved to the Allies that Germany wasn’t invincible. After Stalingrad, there was not any significant German victory in the war. Hitler commented: “the God of war has gone over to the other side”(1943).

We can see that both wars were caused by similar events, that then went ahead to the use of a conscription act.

In addition, the Battle of Stalingrad also caused great political unrest in Germany, causing many to question Hitler’s leadership. Hitler had the opportunity to withdraw his numerous troops after they were surrounded by the Russian army. However, against his Generals’ advice, he chose to let them die for so called ‘Glory’. Von Paulus radioed Hitler desperately informing

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)

As Germany advanced on the city of Stalingrad, Hitler decided to rush the battle and try to finish it quickly. Because of this mindset, his army was severely underprepared to fight a drawn out battle in the Russian winter. German general Blumentritt recalled “The railheads (train tracks) were as much as 200 kilometers behind the front, and the bare nature of the countryside meant that there was little timber (wood) available for constructing defenses. There were no proper trenches or fixed positions” (Document 3). The Soviets had a major advantage over the Germans of the aspect of being resupplied. While they could receive support from nearby or within the city, Germany had to rely on supplies coming from a long way out. If supply shipments were cut off by the Soviets, the Germans were forced to continue fighting with limited resources. Also, the Battle of Stalingrad is a prime example of how much changed between the first and second world war. The vast majority of World War I was fought out of trenches, with soldiers moving very little. World War II was fought in the style of urban warfare, surrounded by streets and buildings, nearly the polar opposite of trench warfare. The Germans were not trained to fight an urban style battle, and thus struggled upon reaching the city of Stalingrad. When the cold Russian winter came, German suffering reached an all time high. A soldier named Wilhelm

Stalingrad - Site of critical World War II Soviet victory that reversed Germany's advance to the East. In late 1942, Russian forces surrounded the Germans, and on Feb. 2, 1943, the German Sixth Army surrendered. First major defeat for the Germans in World War II.

The first of seven introduces the reader to the Battle of Stalingrad by mentioning dates, statistics, significant developments in

Following both of the battles, the eventual outcome of both of the wars were clear. These two battles are also similar in the fact that both the battle of Gettysburg and Saratoga had great military leaders. Both sets of leaders were for the most part dedicated, focused, and inspiring to their men. Although both of these battles may be similar in the fact that they both are turning points and had great military leaders, they also have quite a few differences.

In the first stages of the Russian counter attack against the German army, led by General Friedrich Paulus, the German plan for strategic retreat was stopped by Hitler himself who, in a radio message to Paulus, would say that surrender is not an option and to continue fighting until the German’s were unable to continue. This evidently selfish and stubborn behavior from the leader of Nazi Germany forced the German army to brave the Russian winter and later force their surrender in 1943 by restricting the power of his generals on the front lines. The loss of manpower from this defeat would start the downfall of the power of Nazi

What are some things that were the same in Soldier’s Heart and the article titled “The Battle of Bull Run?”

The British had won the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Breed’s Hill and the Charlestown Peninsula fell firmly under British control. Despite losing their positions, the battle was a morale-builder for the inexperienced Americans, convincing them that patriotic dedication could overcome British military

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.

Although a single battle, the invasion of the city that bears its ruler’s name meant much more than any other fought in world war two. Since that time, Germany had not lost a battle. Following this, they had not won a major battle. It dealt an enormous blow to German morale. So much so that, in Hitler’s tenth anniversary in power, he did not even proclaim the speech himself. This showed that Germany was not the unbreakable wall we speculated and that they were now indeed fighting a defensive war. Many state the Battle of Stalingrad was the pivotal turning point in World

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.

The Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Stalingrad both have significant similarities. The most important of these is the fact that both cities grew to hold a great importance in both societies' history which led to them becoming distinct symbols of public pride. If these cities had fallen to the enemy it's possible that France's and/or Russia's morale of troops stationed all over the Europe would have fallen