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Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, The invasion of Soviet Russia.
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Russians counterattack and succeed in driving the Germans out of Moscow.
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Germans attack Russia again with Operation Blau (or blue).
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Joseph Stalin issued order no.227 which stated that Russian commanders were not to order an unauthorized retreat. "Not a step back!" soon became the "slogan" of the battle.
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Stalin appoints Marshall Andrei Yeremenko as commander of the Southeastern Front. Yeremenko, along with Commissar Nikita Krushchev, were in charge of the planning for the defense of Stalingrad.
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German airforce begins heavy bombing on Stalingrad, marking the beginning of The Battle of Stalingrad. The German airforce would continue bombing Stalingrad block by block for the next five days.
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German bombing created a firestorm in Stalingrad . Stalin refused to allow civillians to evacuate the city due to the motivation they give to the soldiers and the contributions they make to the war effort. The result was the death of thousands of civillians. Stalingrad was turned to rubble.
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Soviet 24th and 66th armies attack German XIV Panzerkorps.
The Luftwaffe (German airforce) forced the Russians to retreat after only a few hours. -
Yeremenko formed the 62nd army with Russian troops deployed across the Volda River and placed this army under the command of Lt. General Vasiliy Chuikov.
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Several units of the German Airforce were dispatched to North Africa to combat American troops. The German airforce thus weakens in Europe.
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Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy and Georgy Zhukov planned the Stalingrad Counteroffensive known as Operation Uranus. Their aim was to exploit the vulnerability of the German northern flank which consisted of Hungarian and Romanian units with poor training and equipment.
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A second Russian offensive sent to the south of Stalingrad and met the Operatu=ion Uranus troops 2 days later. They encircled the German army within Stalingrad.
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The harsh Russian winter has started to kick in and the German troops trapped in stalingrad began to lose fuel, food and medical supplies. Many began to die of frostbite, starvation, and disease. Soviets launched another offensive (operation Saturn) this operation forced remaining German troops to withdraw 250 kilometers away from Stalingrad. Thus eliminating the possibility of reinforcement reaching the German army trapped in Stalingrad.
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Two German airfields at Pitomnik were destroyed.
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The destroyed airfields meant that absolutely no more supplies could be sent to the encircled German troops, and the wounded cannot be carried out.
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The Russians offered Friedrich Paulus a generous surrender deal. If he were to surrender within 24 hours, the Russians would guarantee the safety of all German prisoners, all troops could keep personal belongings, all wounded would receive medical care, and be allowed to return to their home countries. Paulus did not reply because of direct orders from Hitler not to surrender.
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Hitler promoted Friedrich Paulus to Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal). No German field marshal has ever before surrendered. Hitler's intention was clear: Paulus was to fight to the death or commit suicide.
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Paulus surrendered the very day after being promoted after his headquarters were surrounded by Russian troops.
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The end of the Battle of Stalingrad. The Soviets are victorious
