Stalingrad, Soviet Union
From the Call of Duty Wiki
Stalingrad (literally "Stalin City") was a major industrial city in Russia named after the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Before the Russian Civil War, the city was known as Tsaritsyn. The city was named after Stalin in honor of his defence of the city in 1925 during the Russian Civil War. Currently, the city is officially called Volgograd ("Volga City") after its name was changed in 1961 as part of Nikita Khrushchev's "de-Stalinization" programs. The city lays on the west bank of the Volga river. During World War II on the Eastern Front, the city was the site of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles in modern military history. Currently, the combined casualties of both Axis and Soviet forces in the Battle of Stalingrad is estimated at over 1.5 million. Stalingrad is prominently featured in Call of Duty: World at War in the mission Vendetta.
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[edit] Backround
In June 1941, Nazi-Germany broke the Molotov-Ribbentrox Non-Aggression Pact and launched an invasion (code-named "Operation Barbarossa") on the Soviet Union, thus creating the World War II Eastern Front. By the fall of 1941, the Nazis had laid siege to Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg) in the north, arrived at the outskirts of Moscow, and had advanced as far as Rostov, threatening the Caucasus oil fields in the southern Soviet Union. Stalingrad was the last major step to the Soviet capital. Adolf Hitler recognized the importance of Stalingrad as a vital industrial center and staging area and that capturing the city named after his nemesis would deal a great blow to the morale of the Soviet Union. Army Group South was divided into two separate forces, Army Groups A and B. Army Group South B, which included the 6th Army, was led by Friedrich Von Palaus, and the 4th Panzer Army, was ordered to assault the city.
[edit] The Battle of Stalingrad
As Army Group South B attacked Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe defeated the Russian air force. The 62nd Army, led by Lt. Gen. Vasily Chuikov defended the city. The resulting battle left the city city in ruins, sometimes up to 8 meters deep, making a near- impenetrable defense. Soviet snipers used this to their great advantadge. One man, Junior Lt. Vasily Zaytzev racked up 242 confirmed kills, while some estimate his victories at over 500. His story was immortalized in the movie, [[Enemy at the Gates]].
[edit] Operation Uranus
The Soviet counter-offensive, codenamed Operation Uranus, trapped the 6th army in a pocket. The losing Axis troops were ordered to destroy the bridges leading across the smaller rivers on the way to the city, but the Russians arrived in a captured Panzer, surprising the troops and disabling the explosives. The Luftwaffe tried to fly in supplies, but weather and anti-aircraft fire hindered their ability to resupply the freezing troops. Thousands of men froze to death on the runways. Hitler promoted Von Paulus to Field Marshall, telling him that no German Field Marshall had ever surredered. Palaus surrendered to the Soviet troops on January 31, 1943.
[edit] Aftermath
The combined casualties were estimated to be over one and a half million. After the Battle of Stalingrad, it was one long, uninterrupted retreat back to Berlin.
