Stalingrad
- Germans want the oil fields of the Caucasus region
- Begin Sept. 1, 1942 - Germans capture much of the city in street to street fighting - Nov 23 1942, Germans get captured in the city - German commander Von Poulus ordered to fight to death - Between Jan. 31 and Feb 2 300,000 German troops surrender - Major turning point on the Eastern Front - Largest battle in human history (2 million casualties) "After lunch on August 23, a colossal bombardment of the city began. The whole city was razed in just two days. The central district was destroyed first. We left for a refugee centre – on the next day, our house just wasn’t there any longer." Boris Kryzhanovsky, memoirs of Stalingrad resident
What if the Germans had succeeded?
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Russian turn war on Germans. Russians successful in largest battle of human history.
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