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By Tatyana Moskovchenko
The Battle of Stalingrad began in the summer of 1942 and lasted non-stop
for 200 days and nights on the vast territories in the south of the country
between the Don and Volga rivers. The city of Stalingrad - a long urban
strip on the west bank of the Volga - was a major industrial centre and
an important railway junction. Hitler was determined to occupy the city
and smash the Soviet Army forces concentrated there. But the Soviet command
was no less determined to defend the city. So, a long and house-to-house
battle began.
The Soviet army displayed heroism on a mass scale. Defendants of the city
of Stalingrad fought to the last man and bullet. They contested every street
and factory, whether still intact or totally destroyed. They fought for
every single piece of land, bearing in mind one of the orders read out
to the soldiers which said: “Not a step backwards”.
At the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad, the German 6th army headed
by Friedrich von Paulus outnumbered the Soviet army in manpower and military
hardware. But as time went by, the invaders began sustaining heavy loses
and becoming more and more exhausted. On the contrary, the Soviet Army,
following a thoroughly elaborated plan, was receiving fresh reinforcement.
It increased its efficiency and blocked any attempt to capture the city
of Stalingrad.
The Germans were unable to resist the Soviet offensive. For them the situation
became so desperate and hopeless that on November 22nd, 1942 General Friedrich
von Paulus sent Hitler a telegram saying that the 6th army was surrounded.
In reply Hitler ordered the army to take a hedgehog position and await
help from outside. It was obvious that his reaction to the news was not
adequate. General von Paulus sent Hitler another urgent message, informing
him that the situation at the Stalingrad front was changing quickly from
bad to worse. The German army was running out of the ammunition, food and
petrol supplies. Several batteries and anti-tank units had none left at
all. In short, the German army was heading for disaster. The only
way to save it was to deal an immediate knockout blow. In reply, Hitler
kept on insisting that the Soviet forces temporarily surrounded the 6th
army, while in reality it was trapped. Hitler promised the 6th army an
airlift, but it never materialized. Instead of taking any practical measures,
Hitler kept on persuading his army that he was doing all in his power to
save it.
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