Russia (bbabo.net), - In Russia, every year on February 2, the Day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad (1943) is celebrated. The date was established by the federal law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia", signed in 1995 by Boris Yeltsin.
In terms of duration, intensity and number of participants, the Battle of Stalingrad is one of the largest and decisive battles of World War II. The battle lasted 200 days and nights, at different stages more than 2.1 million people participated in it from both sides.
In 1942, the German command set the task of capturing the Caucasus with its sources of oil, the fertile regions of the Don, Kuban, the North Caucasus and the Lower Volga region, as well as the Volga. For this, Army Group South was divided into two groups. Army Group "A" was supposed to capture the Caucasus. Army Group "B" was supposed to strike at Stalingrad, seize the territory between the Don and the Volga and disrupt transportation along the river, after which it was planned to go to Astrakhan.
The battle of Stalingrad is divided into two periods: defensive and offensive. The defensive operation began on July 17, 1942. On July 28, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227, known as "Not a Step Back!", which forbade the unauthorized withdrawal of troops.
On August 23, the Germans carried out a devastating bombardment of the city, Stalingrad turned into ruins. According to various sources, from 40 to 90 thousand people, mostly civilians, died during it. On the same day, German units broke through to the Volga north of the city. On September 13, the enemy entered the city from the west and south-west, street fighting began in the city. For 125 days of fierce fighting, the enemy's main strike force was bled white. Thus, the conditions were created for the transition to the counteroffensive, which began on November 19, 1942. The offensive operation was called "Uranus".
Soviet troops on November 19 began to encircle the German troops, by November 23 the encirclement ring was closed. The cauldron contained 22 enemy divisions and 150 separate units. On January 10, the final phase of the Battle of Stalingrad began. The Red Army launched Operation Ring, hitting the encircled German units. The enemy grouping was cut into two parts and eliminated. On January 31, 1943, its commander, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, surrendered. The final battle was the surrender on February 2, 1943 of the so-called "northern" grouping of the 6th Army in the area of the Barrikady plant. Its commander, Lieutenant General Karl Strecker, also surrendered. In total, over 91,000 Wehrmacht soldiers were taken prisoner during Operation Ring, including 2,500 officers and 24 generals. The total losses of the enemy in killed, wounded, captured and missing amounted to about 1.5 million people, in connection with which, for the first time in the years of the war, national mourning was declared in Germany. Soviet troops lost about 480 thousand people killed, more than 500 thousand soldiers were injured.
A devastating blow to the enemy was dealt at a time when the Third Reich, as it seemed to its leaders, was at the height of its power and controlled the largest territory of the entire war. In addition to military success, the victory at Stalingrad led to a psychological turning point in the war: the soldiers of the Red Army believed that they could defeat the enemy, and the German units began to fear encirclement. For military distinctions shown during the battle, 55 Soviet formations and units were awarded orders, 122 soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In December 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was established, which was awarded to over 760 thousand participants in the battle. In 1963, on the Square of the Fallen Fighters in Volgograd, where the remains of the city's defenders were buried, the Eternal Flame was lit. At the place of their burial, a 26-meter stele of black and red granite was installed. In 1965, Volgograd received the title of Hero City. In 1967, to commemorate the victory at Stalingrad, the historical and memorial complex "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" was opened on Mamaev Kurgan. During the Battle of Stalingrad, fierce battles took place here. The compositional center of the ensemble is the sculpture "Motherland Calls!" authorship of Evgeny Vuchetich with a total height of 87 m. The statue is a symbol of Volgograd.
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