Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad
Explain why one event during World War Two in Europe was a turning point in the conflict
The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 was one of the major turning points in World War Two. It was a major turning point for a number of reasons, the first being that Germany lost considerable amounts of manpower and equipment in this battle; losses from which they never recovered. In addition, the Battle of Stalingrad had a sizeable effect on the German’s and the Allies moral that ultimately led to Nazi Germany’s downfall. Moreover, the Battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advance into Russia, denying them access to the Caucasus oil wells, exacerbating Germany’s fuel crisis and crippling the German army. Finally, the Battle of Stalingrad caused many to question Hitler’s leadership, dividing the army.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point in World War Two due to the major loss of German manpower and equipment. The combined Axis armies composed of two German, two Romanian, one Italian and one Hungarian army suffered an estimated loss of 800,000 men, either killed or wounded, and 91,000 troops became Soviet prisoners. On top of this, they lost an estimated one thousand panzers, eighteen hundred pieces of artillery, nine hundred planes and countless supplies of ammunition, weapons and food. Although the Soviet army also suffered heavy losses, it affected the Germans the most due to the fact that they were fighting a war on two fronts. The Germans were busy trying to invade England and therefore could not afford the heavy losses sustained in this battle. The German loss of manpower and equipment also meant that they could not cope with the Russian advance to Berlin when it came. Moreover, they could not effectively counter the Allies attempts to retake the land they had already captured. The Nazis never recovered from the losses of manpower and equipment in this battle thus forcing them into a full-scale retreat from which the Wehrmacht
Explain why one event during World War Two in Europe was a turning point in the conflict
The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 was one of the major turning points in World War Two. It was a major turning point for a number of reasons, the first being that Germany lost considerable amounts of manpower and equipment in this battle; losses from which they never recovered. In addition, the Battle of Stalingrad had a sizeable effect on the German’s and the Allies moral that ultimately led to Nazi Germany’s downfall. Moreover, the Battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advance into Russia, denying them access to the Caucasus oil wells, exacerbating Germany’s fuel crisis and crippling the German army. Finally, the Battle of Stalingrad caused many to question Hitler’s leadership, dividing the army.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point in World War Two due to the major loss of German manpower and equipment. The combined Axis armies composed of two German, two Romanian, one Italian and one Hungarian army suffered an estimated loss of 800,000 men, either killed or wounded, and 91,000 troops became Soviet prisoners. On top of this, they lost an estimated one thousand panzers, eighteen hundred pieces of artillery, nine hundred planes and countless supplies of ammunition, weapons and food. Although the Soviet army also suffered heavy losses, it affected the Germans the most due to the fact that they were fighting a war on two fronts. The Germans were busy trying to invade England and therefore could not afford the heavy losses sustained in this battle. The German loss of manpower and equipment also meant that they could not cope with the Russian advance to Berlin when it came. Moreover, they could not effectively counter the Allies attempts to retake the land they had already captured. The Nazis never recovered from the losses of manpower and equipment in this battle thus forcing them into a full-scale retreat from which the Wehrmacht
Bibliography: John Simkin, 1997, Stalingrad, viewed on 21st February 2010 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSstalingrad.htm Mike Yoder, 2003, Battle of Stalingrad, Viewed 21st February 2010 http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/stalingrad/default.aspx Chris Trueman, 2000, Battle of Stalingrad, viewed on 20th February 2010 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_stalingrad.htm Mao Tse-tung, 2004, The turning Point of World War II, viewed on 21st February 2010 http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_10.htm The New Yorker, February 1, 1993, p http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/Holocaust/stalingrad-1942.html Geoffrey Roberts, 2002, Victory at Stalingrad: the battle that changed history, Longman J Greenwood, 2007, The Battle of Stalingrad as the turning point in World War II: the Soviet "Stalingrad" generals ' interpretations of the battle, University of Wisconsin, Madison Stalingrad, Battle of