The battle of Stalingrad was fought between the invading forces of Nazi Germany and the forces of Soviet Union (Russia) who were defending the city. The battle was fought from August 1942 to February of 1943. This was the decisive battle of World War II because it ended the German offensive as well as destroying much of the German armies. Though the early stages of World War II focused on Western Europe, Hitler had diverted his attention to Russia by 1941. The Soviets saw how easily, Germany moved into and took over other countries. Being they knew they could not match the German Armies technology and speed. They decided to use a strategy which spread their Army in a series of defensive lines over hundreds of miles. So when the Germans attack and broke the first line, they would be met again a couple miles latter by another defensive strong hold. Plus the retreating Russian troops had a point to fall back on. Making each battle harder on the Germans to win and bring them deeper into Russia. So now when the Germans finally did reach Leningrad and Moscow, it was winter and they were not the same huge war-machine. Now the Russians could stop them and the attack on the two major cities fail. Hitler then decided that now would be a good time to invade southern Russia. Against the advice of his generals Hitler attacked Stalingrad. The German forces took much of the city. German armies surrounded the city and so the Russians were trapped and would remain so for several months. When reinforcements arrived for the Soviets they surrounded the Germans and forced them to surrender. Douglas Macarthur said, This was the greatest military achievements in history. The battle of Stalingrad not only destroyed much of the German army, but also ended their offensive in Russia and ultimately resulted in Germanys defeat in the second World War. ...
