71 years ago, the first phase of the Battle of Stalingrad began.2 张照片

71 years ago, the first phase of the Battle of Stalingrad began. The Battle of Stalingrad became one of the most significant battles during the Great Patriotic War. On July 17, 1942, the first defensive phase of this battle commenced, lasting until November 18, 1942. It was carried out by the forces of the Stalingrad and South-Eastern Fronts, with the support of the Volga Military Flotilla. During these battles, additional units were deployed to the Soviet forces, including the command of the South-Eastern Front, five commands of army groups, and two commands of tank armies, along with 56 divisions and 33 brigades. In the fierce defensive battles that took place in the Don River basin and later in the area around Stalingrad and within the city itself, the enemy’s offensive forces were utterly destroyed, and the main assault group of the German army on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front was neutralized. At the same time, the conditions were created for the Soviet forces to launch a decisive counteroffensive. On November 19, 1942, the second phase of the battle began – the Stalingrad Strategic Offensive Operation, which lasted until February 2, 1943. This operation was conducted by the forces of the South-Western, Don, and Stalingrad Fronts, again with the support of the Volga Military Flotilla. During this phase, the Soviet forces managed to encircle and annihilate the main forces of the German 4th Tank Army and the 6th Field Army, and also defeated the 3rd and 4th Romanian armies as well as the 8th Italian army. The enemy suffered losses of over 800,000 men, and more than 91,000 were captured, including two and a half thousand officers and 24 generals. The Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad marked a turning point in the course of World War II. As a result of this battle, the Soviet army seized strategic initiative from the enemy and retained it throughout the remainder of the war. To commemorate the heroes who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, a memorial complex was built on Mamayev Kurgan between 1963 and 1967.