The Decisive Battle of World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad was fought between the invading forces of Nazi Germany and the forces of the Soviet Union 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 Europe, Hitler had diverted his attention to Russia by 1941. At first, the huge German war machine focused on Leningrad and Moscow. This attack failed; and so by the summer of 1942 Hitler wanted 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. The Battle of Stalingrad not only destroyed much of the German army, but also ended their offensive in Russia and ultimately resulted in Germany's defeat in the Second World War. World War II began after years of German dominance in central Europe. Germany had annexed many nearby nations before war was finally declared in September 1939. Nazi Germany had many early successes because their military had been mobilized for a long time while the allies, who at this point were only Britain and France, were less prepared (especially the French). Hitler wisely signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin, and by doing so Germany easily overwhelmed Poland and other lands in Eastern Europe by the end of 1939. By this point, the allies were entrenched in France expecting a repeat of World War I. In the spring of 1940, the Nazi blitzkrieg continued as they occupied Denmark, Norway, and Holland. Now, Germany turned toward France and surprised the allies by invading through Belgium. Within se...
