At first, their prediction seemed correct: The attack in June 1941 caught Stalin unawares and the Red Army unprepared.

After two years of decisive victories over France, Poland and others, Hitler and the German High Command were confident that the Soviet Union would fall within six weeks. The Nazis would never fully recover.įourteen months before Stalingrad began, Hitler had launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest military offensive in human history. But months later, on February 2, 1943, when the Germans trapped in the city surrendered, it was clear that the momentum on the Eastern Front had shifted. More Soviet soldiers died in this five-month contest than Americans died in the entire war. Almost half – over 1.8 million people – became casualties. More than four million combatants fought in the gargantuan struggle at Stalingrad between the Nazi and Soviet armies. The most famous battle of World War II began a few days over three quarters of a century ago. Editor’s Note: This essay was adapted and expanded from an article published by Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective.

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