While the German 6th Army was bogged down in the city, Soviet forces launched a massive pincer movement, encircling 300,000 Axis troops.
The German offensive ground to a halt against the dense Soviet defenses. When the Soviets launched their counter-attack, they began a relentless westward drive that would not stop until they reached Berlin in 1945.
In February 1943, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered. It was a catastrophic defeat from which Germany never truly recovered; the strategic initiative passed permanently to the Soviet Union. Kursk (1943): The Final Gamble The Eastern Front: Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Kurs...
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched the largest invasion in history. Over three million soldiers poured across the Soviet border, catching the Red Army off guard.
At the gates of Moscow in December 1941, the Soviet Union launched a massive counter-offensive, proving for the first time that the German war machine was not invincible. Stalingrad (1942–1943): The Turning Point While the German 6th Army was bogged down
By 1942, the German focus shifted south toward the oil fields of the Caucasus. Standing in their way was the city of Stalingrad.
This became the largest tank battle in history, featuring thousands of armored vehicles like the German Tigers and the Soviet T-34s. In February 1943, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered
The Eastern Front remains the bloodiest conflict in human history. It cost the lives of an estimated 27 million Soviet citizens and soldiers and accounted for roughly 80% of all German combat casualties. While the Western Allies provided crucial industrial aid and opened a second front in 1944, the "Great Patriotic War" was primarily won through the sheer endurance and massive mobilization of the Soviet Union.