Aug+1942+Battle+of+Stalingrad


 * __Hitler orders attack on Stalingrad; The Battle of Stalingrad. __**

 Spring of 1942 Hitler had renewed assaults on the Soviet Union [1]. The major attack target was Stalingrad, the industrial center next to Volga River [2]. To aid the attack that was coming up, Hitler assembled a large army with troops that were drawn from Italy, Romania, and Hungary [1]. At first in the battle, the Allies fought well, even though they had shortages of fuel, that in returned slow them down[1]. After the Germans had bombed the city until it was rubble, the German troops moved into the ruins to try and wipe out the remaining Soviets. The Soviet defenders that were stuck between the Volga River and the Germans, they fought back the best they could in their situation. There is a estimate that many tens of thousands of soldiers on each side, both Soviets and Germans, had died in just this phase of the battle. The Soviets had held off the attack of the Germans throughout the fall of 1942. A Soviet Marshall, Georgy Zhukou, gathered the remaining soldiers for a counter attack. In November, a strong force broke through the Axis defenses, surrounding about 250,000 men. But even then, Hitler had refused to let his troops retreat. With hunger, the cold and the Soviets attack, it all eventually took a big toll on the German soldiers In late January, the German commander told Hitler that they had no ammunition, food, or medicine left [1]. The Germans had failed to take Stalingrad and all the serving Axis troops forced to surrender in early 1943, which meant Hitler had suffered defeat [2].


 * __What was lost. __**

 On the Soviet side, 32 ships were sunk, and 9 were damaged. The Axis had 850,00 had suffered casualties and 1,500,000 personnel were killed in the battle. The men killed on the Soviet side were 1,129,619 military and 40,000 civilian deaths [19]. Many suffered.

__Works Cited:__


 * 1) Ramirez, Susan, Peter Stearns, and Sam Wineberg.//World History; Human Legacy//. Holt, Rineheart and Winston, 448-450. Print.
 * 2)  Ayers, Edward, Robert Schulzinger, Jesus Teja, and Deborah White. //American Anthem//. Holt, Rineheart and Winston, 2007. 403. Print.
 * 3) http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=3