1. The Battle of Stalingrad

2. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. It took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943, and is often cited as one of the turning points of the war. The German offensive to take Stalingrad, the battle inside the city and the Soviet counter-offensive - which eventually trapped and destroyed the German 6th Army and other Axis forces around the city - was the first substantial German land defeat of the war.

3. In November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack on the exposed flanks of the German 6th Army in Stalingrad. This operation dramatically turned the tables, as the weakly held German flanks collapsed and the German 6th Army was cut off and surrounded inside Stalingrad. As the Russian winter set in, the 6th Army weakened rapidly from cold, starvation and ongoing Soviet attacks, but command ambiguity coupled with Adolf Hitler's resolute belief in the "power of the will" and the value of standing fast prevented it from breaking out. During December, a German attempt to break the encirclement failed, and subsequently all attempts at supply collapsed. By early February 1943, German resistance in Stalingrad had ceased, and the surrounded 6th Army had been destroyed.

4. Importance of Stalingrad
Try to answer why Stalingrad was so important to Hitler.
Read the text.
Importance of Stalingrad
The capture of Stalingrad was important to Hitler, and Mussolini, for two primary reasons. First, it was a major industrial city on the Volga River – a vital transport route between the Caspian Sea and northern Russia. As a result, the German capture of the city would effectively sever the transportation of resources and goods to the north. Second, its capture would secure the western flank of the German armies as they advanced into the oil-rich Caucasus region – with the strategic goal of cutting off fuel to Stalin's war machine. The fact that the city bore the name of the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, would make its capture an ideological and propaganda coup.
The Soviets realized that they were under tremendous constraints of time and resources and ordered that anyone strong enough to hold a rifle be sent to defend the city. At this stage of the war, the Red Army was less capable of highly mobile operations than the German Army; however, combat inside a large urban area, which would be dominated by hand-held small arms rather than armored and mechanized tactics, minimized the Red Army's disadvantages.
Name two primary reasons.

5. The strength of both armies for the battle was as follows:
German Army
Russian Army
Led by Paulus
Led by Zhukov
1,011,500 men
1,000,500 men
10, 290 artillery guns
13,541 artillery guns
675 tanks
894 tanks
1,216 planes
1,115 planes

6. Paulus could have broken out of this trap in the first stages of Zhukov’s attack but was forbidden from doing so by Hitler. 
Supreme Commander to 6 Army, January 24, 1943
"Surrender is forbidden. 6 Army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable contribution towards the establishment of a defensive front and the salvation of the Western world.“
Hitler's communication with von Paulus.
How do you think why surrender was forbidden?

7. Read some sayings and answer the questions
"My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even  worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs then for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished."
Anonymous German soldier 
What did he mean?

8. Read some sayings and answer the questions
"I was horrified when I saw the map. We're quite alone, without any help from outside. Hitler has left us in the lurch. Whether this letter gets away depends on whether we still hold the airfield. We are lying in the north of the city. The men in my unit already suspect the truth, but they aren't so exactly informed as I am. No, we are not going to be captured. When Stalingrad falls you will hear and read about it. Then you will know that I shall not return."
Anonymous German soldier 
What did that soldier speak about?

9. Watch a war newsreel

10. Answer the questions:
What is this film about?
What do you know about Nazi army?
Who was a field general?
How many generals gave up?
What was the biggest catch of all?
How and where was the general Paulus cought?
How many divisions surrendered?

11. Speaking about the meaning of the Stalingrad Battle in the history of modern Russia, let us remind you that the history of the Soviet Union comes to be the essential part of the history of Russian Federation. Though the Soviet Union has vanished from the political map of the world, the heroic deed of the millions of soviet soldiers, who have freed the world from fascists will never be erased from the blessed memory of their thankful descendants.
Russia has always had the cities which played a most significant part in its history. Stalingrad is doubtfully one of those cities. It has become the symbol of pain and suffering, the symbol of the greatest fortitude of the soviet nation.

12. "The God of War has gone over to the other side."
Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – Nazi army was in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on. In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the shame von Paulus had brought on the Wehrmacht and Germany. Paulus was also stripped of his rank to emphasise Hitler’s anger with him. Hitler commented:
"The God of War has gone over to the other side."
What did he mean?
Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus (left), with his chief of staff, Generalleutnant Arthur Schmidt (middle) and his aide, Wilhelm Adam (left), after their surrender
759,560 Soviet soldiers were awarded this medal for the defence of Stalingrad from 22 December 1942

13. What can you see on these pictures? Have you ever been there?
What can you say about these places?