Contents
What was the goal of the Battle of Stalingrad?
41 on April 5, 1942. Hitler’s goal was to eliminate Soviet forces in the south, secure the region’s economic resources, and then wheel his armies either north to Moscow or south to conquer the remainder of the Caucasus. The offensive would be undertaken by Army Group South under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock.
Why was Stalingrad important to Germany?
The battle took place when Germany and its allies sought control over this city in Southern Russia. The Germans targeted Stalingrad because of its industrial capacities and because of its proximity to the Volga River, which would allow German forces to cut off sources of trade and military deployment.
Did Germany take over Stalingrad?
February 2, 1943 After months of fierce fighting and heavy casualties, German forces (numbering now only about 91,000 surviving soldiers) surrender at Stalingrad on the Volga. In February 1943, after months of fierce fighting and heavy casualties, the surviving German forces—only about 91,000 soldiers—surrendered.
What happened to the German soldiers captured at Stalingrad?
Weakened by disease, starvation and lack of medical care during the encirclement, many died of wounds, disease (particularly typhus spread by body lice), malnutrition and maltreatment in the months following capture at Stalingrad: only approximately 6,000 of them lived to be repatriated after the war.
What happened to the German dead at Stalingrad?
According to a historian and expert on the Battle of Stalingrad, the mass grave is consistent with accounts of the victorious Soviet Red Army hurriedly burying the German dead in a gorge towards the end of the conflict.
What happened to the German survivors of Stalingrad?
The German 6th Army surrendered in the Battle of Stalingrad, 91,000 of the survivors became prisoners of war raising the number to 170,000 in early 1943. As a result of Operation Bagration and the collapse on the southern part of the Eastern front, the number of German POWs nearly doubled in the second half of 1944.
How many German soldiers froze to death?
“They found that around 150 wounded German military personnel had been murdered….Massacre of Feodosia.
| Feodosia Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Deaths | 150–160 German POWs |
| Perpetrators | Red Army |
Why did Germany fight the Battle of Stalingrad?
Fighting at Stalingrad. Hitler saw the war regarding his rivalry with Stalin, and he decided to attack the city, because of its symbolic value. However, the original aim of the offensive in Southern Russian was to secure the oil fields in the Caucasus. The oil was essential for the German war machine.
Why was Stalingrad an optional objective of Fall Blau?
It was simply not part of the plan at any time, on any level. The Maykop oil fields was the main objective of Fall Blau, and Stalingrad was chosen as an optional objective only because it was a communications hub on the Volga that would make a convenient spot for the northern anchor to the Blau campaign.
How many Russian soldiers were lost in the Battle of Stalingrad?
Stalin’s forces lost more than 200,000 men, but they successfully held off German soldiers. With a firm understanding of Hitler’s plans, the Russians had already shipped much of the stores of grain and cattle out of Stalingrad.
Who was the British prime minister during the Battle of Stalingrad?
Some historians regard the battle of Stalingrad as one of the most decisive engagements in world history. In November 1943 Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister,presented the British-made sword of Stalingrad to Stalin at the Tehran Conference in Iran.