Battle of Stalingrad
Operation Barbarossa
On 9 September 1939, Nazi Germany has attacked on Poland without warning. Then with the United Kingdom’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany, World War II. has started. German army which called, Wehrmacht had created a big organisation order and designed a stunning war doctrine, which was above for the capability of other nations’ army. In two year’s progress, Nazi Germany has captured France, Norway, Denmark, Poland and all Balkans. While the war drags on, with the failure of preparation for Sea Lion Operation, Adolf Hitler has put into effect the main plan he was preparing since he has built up his party, Nationale Socialiste Deutchen Arbetrei Partie. On 25 August 1941, Operation Barbarossa has started.
By the end of 1941, Nazi Germany has reached Leningrad in North, Moscow borders in East and Karkov in the South. It was behind the goals Wehrmacht has aimed to reach by the end of the summer season. There were a few reasons of it. The first reason was unforeseen Soviet resistance. The other reasons were the long distance of German army from their supply lines and the harsh winter atmosphere of Russia.
When Wehrmacht attacked on Moscow, the army faced a big resistance and could not advance any more. Then front management decided to retreat to a stronger defensive position. However, Germans were exhausted and lost their breakthrough ability. Yet even the Red army has started to regain his combat capability and superior numerical advantage, Wehrmacht could defence the line or even attack on Soviet forces. Adolf Hitler and the commanders knew that a full retreat would be a disaster for the center Soviet front. In the past, Napoléon Bonaparte has lost his wealth, prestige and his army in the withdrawing from Moscow. So, Wehrmacht continued to stand against Soviet attack. Red army has planned to breakthrough from the weak points of German defence line and corner the center which is preparing to attack to Moscow. However, German lines was still so strong like impenetrable castle walls.
With the end of the winter, it was Germans turn to attack. Hitler has decided to turn his face south, to the Stalingrad. The reasons were resource shortage and ideological moves. He was thinking to capture Azerbaijan oil and make a propaganda with taking the city Stalin was born in against him.
Case Blue
German Army Group South has divided into two groups; A Army Group and B Army Group. B Army Group was going to attack towards Stalingrad and A Army Group was going to capture Caucasia Region. After Russians were defeated in Karkov with two hundred thousand casualties, the operation started. At the beginning B Army Group was commanding by Fedor von Bock, then command passed to Maximilian von Weichs. With the capturation of Voronej on 7 July and Rostov on 23 July, Germans successfully completed the first stage of the operation. Then the Army Group South divided and continued according to the plan. In 16 of July, Wehrmacht has surrounded Stalingrad on the opposite side of the Volga River. In this forward operation, the right and left wings was defending by Roman, Hungarian and Italian forces. Before the war started, Hitler had forced to send some trained units from the front to West. The Allies was started to difficult the Germans. It seems like Germany was going to obligated to fight in both East and West like they did in the Great War. Furthermore, the wings’ defending was so weak that even could not stand against a Soviet attack for two days. Commander Franz Halder has warned the Hitler a lot of time, but Hitler told him “Der nationalsozialistische glaube wird von nun an seine flügel schützen.” so “From now on, the wings will be protected by the national socialist faith.”. Halder continued to his warnings then he dismissed by Hitler.
In July 17, the Battle of Stalingrad has started. German air forces Luftwaffe was carrying the superiority since the war has begun. From the beginning, the city has incredibly bombed, and the place had turned into a disaster. The citizens have suffered great losses. Nevertheless, the endeavor of two sides were astonishing. Wehrmacht has cornered the Red army and was pushing hard to capture whole the city up to the Volga River. As the Germans pushed harder, the Russians were pushing harder too. It was so near to end the impasse in the side of German victory.
Operation Uranus
Soviet front management has decided a pincer movement from the wings of German Army Group South. Georgy Zhukov has aimed to cut the connection of A Army Group with the main German occupation land and encircle the B Army Group in Stalingrad. Soviet forces were reinforcing faster and stronger than Wehrmacht. New fully (nearly) equipped and trained units were coming and day by day, Nazis were losing their advantage in all fronts.
When November comes, German units were taken damage a lot. Both in physical and phycological. When Operation Uranus has started, B Army Group’s wings has dispersed immediately. The German side has stunned. Then, German army has closed in an encirclement. It was now, the defending one is Wehrmacht. The front management immediately changed by Hitler. Erich von Manstein has ordered to a new army group and the A Army Group. Red army was pushing towards to south to cut the line between A and B army groups. However, Manstein has conducted a successful retire and saved the A Army Group from getting destroyed. With the new built Don Army Group, according to Operation Winter Storm, Germans tried to cut the encirclement to save the B Army Group. 4. Panzer Unit, commander Hermann Hoth, started a breakthrough operation but Russians defended the line and pushed the Germans away from Stalingrad.
The Beginning of the End
Wehrmacht’s experienced two hundred thousand soldier has encircled and destroyed by the Soviet forces. With these heavy causalities, the south side of the front has never reinforced for Germans and Wehrmacht could not regain his former strength. Because of Hitler’s madness, Germans gave a lot of losses and made irreversible mistakes. 2 million people, half of it was civilian, died. The whole life in city has destroyed. Heavily bombings, hard climate conditions and the close borders of life and death has affected the humans very much. Even this tragedy of humanity that emerged from the animal greed of a few people hiding under the name of a few meaningless ideologies, wasn’t enough to make the people, which understand and feel the situations that this kind of disasters’ make, notice that we must learn a lesson from it. The millions of people have suffered from Hitler’s ambition. Yet, Nazi Germany had not surrendered. However, in the end, the light particles that had been coming from the future has started to show the big rout, the Nazi Germany will live, after the Battle of Stalingrad.
