Russia to mark 70 years since Battle of Stalingrad

[Gerald]

Up to a million soldiers died in the six months of intense warfare

Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead tributes to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The city of Stalingrad, which was renamed Volgograd in 1961, will regain its wartime name for the event, following a council decision.

Around one million people are thought to have died in the battle, as Soviet troops defeated the Germans.

It is considered one of the major turning points of World War II.

The vast death toll is not the only reason why the battle has huge significance in Russia, the BBC's Moscow correspondent Daniel Sandford reports.

It is seen as the moment when the tide was turned against the Nazis.

From Stalingrad some Soviet soldiers fought all the way to Berlin, he adds.

The defeat threw Hitler's offensive in the Soviet Union into disarray.

The victory in World War II is one of the things that unites all Russians, our correspondent adds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21303886


Note: 2 February 2013 Last updated at 03:13 GMT

[Cybermat47]

Commemorating 70 years since the definition of hell became one word.

[Stealhead]

In my opinion Leningrad or rather the 872 day long siege of Leningrad is a better one definition of Hell it does not get the attention that Stalingrad does which is a shame there was much more to the
war on the Eastern Front than just Stalingrad.

People in Leningrad truly suffered. Leningraders had to work every single day helping defend the city but they had to do this while starving to death so each day when people went out to do their job several of thier co-workers simply dropped dead and they left the body to sit because another might expire just digging the grave that's hell.In Stalingrad people dealt with this for a few months while in Leningrad they had to suffer for 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days.

[BossMark]

One of WW2 greatest and bloodiest battles.

[kranz]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Leningraders had to work every single day helping defend the city but they had to do this while starving to death so each day

while trains loaded with food stood on sidings in the suburbs of the city.

[Skybird]

And the rennaissance of Stalin cult is blossoming on. Archconservative veteran orgainstions managed to push through a bill at court that renames the city Stalingrad for several days per year. Throughout Russia, report Russian newspaper, busses with Stalin portraits are to be seen. A critical discussion abo9tu the fact that stalin belongs amongst the greatets m,ass murderers and war criminals of all time, does not take place.

Since many years, Stalin is becoming en vogue again. There are musicals about him, school books gloss over his murderous acting and glorify him, he is very popular with many young ones.

Hm.

These days I read a report that the Russian airforce is reintroducing the red star on its planes.

Hm.

And of Putin one can safely say that he has completely abandoned his 15+ years ago attempts to bring Russia closer to Europe, and now has plotted a determined course back into the past.

Remembrance all this is not. It is abuse. It is transfiguration.

[Oberon]

Putin tried to get closer to Europe, Europe told Putin where he could stick it. Russia was great in the past, is it any wonder that Russians want to return to it? Of course, the brutality of Stalins rule is forgotten by many, who just remember the times when the word 'Russia' meant more than drunken brawlers and mafia but that's how it goes in most countries, Japan is another good example of this.

Anyway, that's off topic.

What is on topic is the fact that Stalingrad was one of the big turning points of World War II, along with Midway, where the Axis suffered major defeats. From 1943 it was pretty much all over for Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, they both would put up major battles, and claim victories, but the tide had turned.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by kranz

while trains loaded with food stood on sidings in the suburbs of the city.

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.

[STEED]

Pathe Gazette newsreel...

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/on-this-day...2.html#lpd3hUb


David M Glantz now thinks if Stalin did not order that summer attack towards Kharkov the Russian's could have withdrawn and stopped the Germans outside Stalingrad.