Quote:
Originally Posted by kranz
while trains loaded with food stood on sidings in the suburbs of the city.
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And who gave those orders that things where like that I wonder? Perhaps Stalin
Leningrad was one of those things that Stalin wanted to forget about after the war because in effect they where isolated and did things on their own he feared that the figureheads involved in Leningrad would challenge his control.
The true end for the Wehrmacht was the battle of Kursk that was their last offensive in the East (which of course failed). Stalingrad was a very important battle but it really was not the turning point from the respect of total control changing hands.After the lose at Kursk or Operation Zitadelle the Wehrmacht never again was able to stop a major Soviet.(stopping being forcing it to end and mount an effect counter attack).Had Operation Zitadelle been a success for the Germans it could have had serious effects on the Soviet morale and would have allowed the Germans the chance to close up the one salient that the Soviets had on the entire Eastern Front.
I must agree with Skybird though that the real reason behind Russia in modern times putting so much emphasis on Stalingrad is to further the cult of Stalin and therefore the cult of Putin.
Another very important battle that the Soviets lost but that greatly delayed the Wehrmacht is the greater Battle for Crimea and the Battle for Sevastopol in 1942 this was a very hard fought victory for the Wehrmacht and a costly defense for the Soviet solider but it did delay the Wehrmacht by several months and pulled resources away from other parts of the Easter Front for the Wehrmacht.Had Crimea and Sevastopol fallen with ease for the Wehrmacht it might have changed the outcome of the war.