1. Stalingrad: the turning point of the war
Stalingrad in Russia

2. August 1942, German Sixth Army, led by General Paulus attacked Stalingrad
Marshal Zhukov (Russian commander) defended the city.
Germans nicknamed the battle the “rattenkrieg” (rat war) because for months both sides fought for every single building
Nov 1942, 1 million Russian troops attacked and cut off Paulus and his men from the rest of the German army

3. Hitler would not allow the German army to retreat (give up)
The Luftwaffe tried to bring supplies by air but failed
By January many Germans were dying of starvation.
On 31 Jan 1943, Paulus surrendered.
Over 100,000 Germans were dead and 90,000 taken prisoner

4. The Battle of Stalingrad is so important because it was Hitler’s first major defeat and proved that the German army could be beaten.
The Red Army now had the upper hand
The following summer the Russians defeated the Germans at Kursk

5. This was the largest tank battle of the war
The Russians won many other victories and drove the Germans from Russia
The Russians lost over 20 million men in war.