Victory in Europe Day: 7 important Allied victories against the Nazis
1. The Battle of Stalingrad – Aug. 23, 1942 to February/March 1943
As part of its invasion of the Soviet Union, the German Army was ordered to seize control of the major city of Stalingrad, which is modern-day Volgograd, Russia.
However, Red Army forces flooded the city and gave the Germans fiercer-than-expected resistance, with the Axis forces bogged down in constant urban warfare.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Ultimately, because of attrition and a brutal winter, the Germans and their Romanian allies were weakened and then surrounded when Soviet forces successfully encircled them.
Up to an estimated 2 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the battle, with around 100,000 German soldiers eventually surrendering. Although the German Army officially capitulated on Feb. 2, sporadic smaller-scale fighting continued into March.
“The loss at Stalingrad was the first failure of the war to be publicly acknowledged by Hitler. It put Hitler and the Axis powers on the defensive and boosted Russian confidence as it continued to do battle,” explained History.com.
“In the end, many historians believe the Battle at Stalingrad marked a major turning point in the conflict. It was the beginning of the march toward victory for the Allied forces of Russia, Britain, France and the United States.”
