Battle Of Stalingrad Essay

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The Battle Of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point in World War II, in which the Soviet Red Army surrounded and defeated a very weak and broken German Sixth Army. Hitler sent in his army in an attempt to capture Stalingrad, as it was a major hub, as well as the oil fields right beyond that. Hitler had already depleted much of his army in Operation Barbarossa, in which a large fraction of troops was sent to capture European Russia, mainly Moscow(Willmott, Messenger, and Cross 102). Hitler sent his troops into the Caucasus Region of Russia to attack Stalingrad in the summer of 1942, underestimating the Russian defensive effort. Stalin of Russia sent in millions of troops whom destroyed the German army and had them officially surrender on January 31, 1943. The results of the battle put a massive dent in the German military force and destroyed the German's ability to fight allied forces entering in France and North Africa. Hitler also lost control of himself as a leader and The United States and Russia, with British assistance, officially defeated the Germans within a year of their invasion.
Hitler's approach to Stalingrad began with the formation of Operation Barbarossa, which was a campaign to take the Lebensraum or living space that he speaks of in Mein Kampf.
This policy or idea was mainly directed toward European Russia, which was very rich land, especially with oil. This oil would help fuel Hitler's expanding Germany and take away from the Russian "war machine", which was already lacking at the time of the operation (Operation Barbarossa). The idea behind Barbarossa was that it was a continental Blitzkreig in which the army of 3 million men destroyed the interior of Russia, despite being outnumbered ...

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...nd facing humiliation. After his death, the Third Reich fell and the fate of Europe was to be decided at the Yalta Conference, where Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill of Britain, and Joseph Stalin (The Yalta Conference 1945).
From the initial plans of Operation Barbarossa to Hitler's suicide, the Battle of Stalingrad played a key role in flipping the switch against the Germans. Hitlers over-aggressive battle strategy and his excessive pride caused him to lose sight of the capabilities of his armies. At Stalingrad, he lost what was most vital to continue his takeover; drive. His soldiers lost their will to fight and eventually, the Germans lost their ability to trust Hitler. The Battle at Stalingrad was the main catalyst behind a dramatic series of events that turned what was the greatest power in the world into a crumbling empire and eventually, nothing.

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