Cassie Destremau's List: Tipping Point

In 1942, Hitler broke the non-aggression pact he had made with Stalin in 1939 and attacks the symbolic city of Stalingrad. The Nazis attacked Stalingrad because it was a very important industrial city named after Stalin, and because it was on the Volga river which would give them easy access to the Caucasus mountains. The situation at that time was looking very positive for the Germans, who had never lost a continental battle. However, this all changed after the Soviets sacrificed everything to save Stalingrad and the Germans lost the battle.

- Germans attacked Stalingrad in 1942

- Soviets were victorious

- Stalingrad is on the Volga River

- Germans wanted access to the Caucasus

- It stopped the Germans from having access to the Caucasus

- It was Hitler's first continental loss

"Following the fall of Rostov, now officially admitted by the Russians, Stalin begins to implement measures to bolster the resistance of the Red army with increasingly harsh discipline and by granting officers higher status authority." (p.166)

This is basically saying that Stalin is doing all he can to save his city and that under no circumstances will he let it fall to the Germans.

Young, Peter. The world almanac of World War II : the complete and comprehensive documentary of World War II. New York: World Almanac, 1992. Print.

"Accordingly, he [Stalin] poured reinforcements into Stalingrad while at the same time planning vast Red Army movement to encircle the Sixth Army" (p. 318) Stalin is resisting and putting all of his men in Stalingrad to defend it.

"But the Sixth Army required a minimum of 500 tons of supplies a day, a total that was reached just once. And on most days, the Luftwaffe despite heavy losses, delivered far less. Starving and running low on all supplies, the Sixth Army fought in the cellars and ruins of Stalingrad" (p. 318)

The Germans required a lot of supplies in order to survive and they soon start to run out of supplies which starves the soldiers and they are now weak against the Soviets.

O'Neill, William L. World War II : a student companion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.

In the end, this battle was very significant not only for the Soviets, but for the whole world because it was Hitler's first continental loss. After the defeat, the Germans were now on the defensive and Stalin's power and influence began to rise, the Soviet military and air force beginning to match the USA's after World War II, and the Soviets had become a major world-power country. This battle not only put the Germans on the defensive, but put the Soviets in a higher place of power after World War II, which eventually led to the Cold War because there was conflict between the Soviets and the USA.

Hanley, Brian. "The Enduring Relevance of the Battle for Stalingrad."

          JOINT FORCE QUARTERLY.  Fourth Quarter 2006: 88-92.

          SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 10 Mar 2013.

O'Neill, William L. World War II : a student companion. New York:

           Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.

Young, Peter. The world almanac of World War II :

            the complete and comprehensive documentary of World War II.

            New York: World Almanac, 1992. Print.