The Battle of Stalingrad: Operation Blau

Day 540, 17:50 • Published in USA USA • by Chris Stanwick

July 1942 - Stalingrad, USSR: Called the bloodiest battle in modern history, the battle for control of Stalingrad during the Second World War raged for nearly seven months and resulted in over two million casualties. Beginning as a German offensive to take the strategic Soviet city in July 1942, the battle turned into a rout for the Nazis by February 1943 that led to the capture of over 100,000 German soldiers. The Battle for Stalingrad is noted for the blatant disregard for human life by both belligerents, both military and civilian.

The battle began as the German Operation Blau to capture the Soviet oil fields surrounding Stalingrad. The city itself became a secondary objective because of its strategic importance as a major industrial center, its location along the navigable Volga River, and for the propaganda effects the capture of the city named after Soviet leader Josef Stalin would have on Soviet morale. In 1942, the German Army vastly overpowered the Soviet Army, with better equipment and well-trained soldiers. However, the urban fighting required to capture the city would erase the Soviets' disadvantages.

In June 1942, the German Army Group South began its push into southern Russia, meeting several obstacles in the form of a severe lack of paved roads. The Panzer armies were delayed over a week trying to move through the Soviet countryside. However, the German infantry, aided by the Hungarian Second Army, captured the city of Voronezh in July despite the setbacks. By the end of July, the Germans managed to push the Soviet Army across the Don River, within forty miles of Stalingrad. Establishing their main supply depots west of the Don, the German Army Group South continued toward the city, using the Hungarian, Italian, and Romanian armies to guard the northern flank against a Soviet counterattack.

With the German Army nearing, Stalin appointed Marshal Andrei Yeremenko as the commander of the Soviet Southeastern Front and Commissar Nikita Krushchev as commander of Stalingrad's defenses. The newly formed Soviet 62nd Army was assigned the task of defending Stalingrad at all costs. The actual battle for Stalingrad began on August 21, 1942 as Luftwaffe bombers began raiding the city, killing 40,000 civilians and turning the city into rubble. As the Germans and Soviets both settled in for a long siege, the civilians trapped within the city frantically looked for a way to escape the horror unfolding around them. By February 1943, the city would be nearly leveled and most of the residents gone or dead.

The Battle of Stalingrad was a series of battles, operations, and offenses that cannot be summarized sufficiently in just one brief article. This is the first of several, highlighting the beginning movements of the battle. Expect the final articles soon.

Chris Stanwick, Editor