Editing Battle of Stalingrad (section)

==Significance==
[[File:Stalingrad- The Campaign -Y7HeYmR7M0.webm|thumb|Army University Press in association with the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate presents the Stalingrad campaign overview]]
Stalingrad has been described as the greatest single defeat in the history of the German Army.{{sfnm|1a1=Bell|1y=2011|1p=104|2a1=Beevor|2y=1998|2p=398}} Historian [[Geoffrey Roberts]] described it as "the biggest and most traumatic defeat in German military history" and that "the myth of the invincible ''Wehrmacht'' was gone forever".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geoffrey |first=Roberts |title=Victory at Stalingrad |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0582771857 |edition=1st |pages=8 |language=en}}</ref> The German military historian Walter Görlitz stated that "It was a second [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt|Jena]], and was certainly the greatest defeat in history that a German Army had ever undergone".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Görlitz |first=Walter |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgermang00walt/mode/1up |title=History Of The German General Staff, 1657-1945 |publisher=Westview Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0813301952 |location=Boulder, Colorado |pages=431 |language=en}}</ref> The battle is commonly identified as the turning point on the Eastern Front, in the war against Germany overall, and in the entire Second World War.{{sfn|Zhukov|1974|p=142}}<ref>{{cite book |last= Corrigan |first= Gordon |date= 2010 |title= The Second World War: a Military History |publisher= Atlantic |location= London |page= 353 |url= https://archive.org/details/secondworldwarmi0000corr/page/353/mode/2up |url-access= registration |access-date= 10 April 2021}}</ref>{{sfn|Bell|2011|pp=95, 108}} The battle is analyzed as being a "point of no return" on the Eastern Front and as the "final military consequence" of Germany's decreasing chances to win the war against the Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Germany and the Second World War: The Global War |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-19-822888-0 |edition=1st |volume=VI |location=Oxford |pages=1214–1215 |language=en}}</ref> The Soviet general Viktor Matsulenko deemed the battle to be the "beginning of a basic turning point not just in the course of the Great Patriotic War, but for the entire World War II" and that the battle was the "most important military-political event of World War II".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Matsulenko |first=V. |date=1982 |title=The Battle on the Volga |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA365948 |journal=Military History Journal |via=DTIC}}</ref> The battle is also seen as the turning point in the air war, as German forces lost countless aircraft and experienced crewmen.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cross |first=Robin |url=https://archive.org/details/battleofkurskope0000cros/page/n5/mode/1up |title=The Battle of Kursk: Operation Citadel 1943 |publisher=Penguin Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=9780141391090 |pages=122 |language=en}}</ref> Stalingrad gave the people of the Soviet Union hope, with military historian David Glantz asserting that "Russians, as well as many of the former Soviet Union’s other ethnic minorities, saw the Red Army’s victory at Stalingrad as a catharsis which saved Stalin’s city and salvaged a nation’s shattered pride".<ref name="Jones-2007" /> In 1989, a comprehensive quantitative analysis concluded that Stalingrad was the military turning point of the war, the turning point for the Soviet leadership, as Stalin recognized the practicality of using his experienced commanders and gave his generals more freedom in fighting the war, and that the Soviet Union had indeed seized the initiative as a result of the battle, based on some of the critical factors examined in the study.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Dingle |first=Dennis W. |date=1989 |title=Stalingrad and the Turning Point on the Soviet-German Front, 1941-1943 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA212034.pdf |pages= |access-date=2 March 2024 |degree=Master's |publisher=United States Army Command and General Staff College}}</ref> An analysis in 2004 also concluded that the epic battle sealed the fate of the Germans in the East, a blow in which they would never recover from, and as a result the strategic initiative shifted to the Soviet side, therefore establishing the Battle of Stalingrad as the fundamental turning point in the war on the Eastern Front.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Luther |first=Thomas C. |date=2004 |title=The Strategic Implications of the Battle of Stalingrad |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA424054 |pages= |access-date=7 March 2024 |degree=Master's |publisher=US Army War College}}</ref> A year of Axis gains from Case Blue had been wiped out. The Sixth Army of Germany had ceased to exist, and the forces of Germany's European allies, except Finland, had been shattered.{{sfn|Roberts|2006|pp=154–155}} In a speech on 9 November 1944, Hitler himself blamed Stalingrad for Germany's impending doom.{{sfn|Beevor|2002|p=xxxiii–xxxiv}} Furthermore, according to some historians, such as Mikhail Myagkov, a Russian historian, the battle ended up completely dissuading [[Turkey]] and [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] from declaring war on the Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Юрьевич |first=Мягков Михаил |date=2013 |title=Сталинградская битва в контексте современной истории |url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/stalingradskaya-bitva-v-kontekste-sovremennoy-istorii |journal=Вестник МГИМО Университета |volume=1 |issue=28 |pages=22–28 |issn=2071-8160}}</ref> The battle also stifled plans for future joint strategy in the [[Indian Ocean|Indian Ocean area]] between the Japanese and the Germans once their forces met up, and made certain that the German ambitions to use Soviet resources to fight against the [[Western allies|Western Allies]] were no longer feasible.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Overy |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Overy |title=Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945 |publisher=Penguin Publishing |year=2022 |isbn=9780593489437 |location=New York |pages=265–266 |language=en}}</ref> Its importance was further noted by historian [[John Erickson (historian)|John Erickson]], who stated that "If the [[battle of Poltava]] in 1709 turned Russia into a European power, then Stalingrad set the Soviet Union on the road to being a world power".<ref>{{Cite book |last=MacGregor |first=Iain |title=The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle |publisher=Scribner |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-9821-6358-7 |location=New York |pages=13 |language=en}}</ref>

According to Roberts, "Battles do change the course of history. They determine the outcome of wars, the shape and character of victory and the peace that follows. They also change how the history of a war is viewed. In both these respects no battle changed history more than Stalingrad", and that "The coming of the [[Atomic Age|nuclear era]] meant that there would never be another battle like Stalingrad. The greatest battle of the last great war of the pre-atomic age was an epic struggle that will never be surpassed."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geoffrey |first=Roberts |title=Victory at Stalingrad |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0582771857 |edition=1st |pages=193–194 |language=en}}</ref> Historian [[J. Bradford DeLong|J. Bradford Delong]] expressed that the Battle of Stalingrad, "of any battle in human history, has made the greatest positive difference for humanity".<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeLong |first=J. Bradford |date=2012-10-25 |title=Our Debt to Stalingrad |url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/seventy-years-after-the-battle-of-stalingrad-by-j--bradford-delong |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Project Syndicate |language=en}}</ref>

The destruction of multiple armies and the halting of Germany's advance made the battle a watershed moment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tarrant |first=V.E. |url=https://archive.org/details/stalingradanatom0000tarr/page/230/mode/2up |title=Stalingrad: Anatomy of an Agony |publisher=Leo Cooper |year=1992 |isbn=978-0850523423 |location=London |pages=230–231 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Childers |first1=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Childers |title=The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4516-5113-3 |edition=1st |pages=518 |language=en}}</ref> Germany had lost its best army, as the Sixth Army was regarded as "the finest and most triumphant infantry in the world at that time" and was deemed to have been the "invincible, unstoppable spearhead of the Third Reich's arms".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sieff |first=Martin |date=2005-04-27 |title=Analysis: Stalingrad defines urban war |url=https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2005/04/27/Analysis-Stalingrad-defines-urban-war/85451114614844/ |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref> At the time, the global significance of the battle was not in doubt. A [[Dresden]] newspaper wrote in early August that the battle would become the "most fateful battle of the war", and an article from the British ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Daily Telegraph]]'' in September shared similar views.<ref name="Hellbeck-2015b">{{Cite book |last=Hellbeck |first=Jochen |url=https://archive.org/details/stalingradcityth0000hell/mode/1up |title=Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2015 |pages=2 |isbn=9781610394963 |language=en}}</ref> Joseph Goebbels also shared similar sentiment, declaring that the battle was a "question of life or death, and all of our prestige, just as that of the Soviet Union, will depend on how it will end".<ref name="Hellbeck-2015b" /> The [[Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda|Reich Ministry of Propaganda]] declared it to be "the greatest battle of attrition the world has ever seen".<ref>{{Cite web |title=ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА --[ Военная история ]-- Уткин А. И. Вторая мировая война |url=http://militera.lib.ru/h/utkin3/11.html |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=militera.lib.ru}}</ref> On 2 February 1943, American journalist [[Barnet Nover]] wrote in the ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' that "Stalingrad's role in this war was that of the Battles of the [[First Battle of the Marne|Marne]], [[Battle of Verdun|Verdun]] and the [[Second Battle of the Marne|Second Marne]] of the [[World War I|last war]] rolled into one".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nover |first=Barnet |date=2 February 1943 |title=Echoes of Doom: Germany and the Russian Drive |url=https://sovietstalingrad.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/the-end-of-stalingrad/ |access-date=6 March 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> While on 3 February 1943, the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' heralded the destruction of "the flower of Adolf Hitler's army".<ref>{{Cite book |last=MacGregor |first=Iain |title=The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle |publisher=Scribner |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-9821-6358-7 |location=New York |pages=17 |language=en}}</ref> The next day, on 4 February, French newspaper, ''La Semaine'', headlined it as "the greatest battle of all time".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Overy |first=Richard |title=Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945 |publisher=Penguin Publishing |year=2022 |pages=265 |language=en}}</ref> Writing in his diary on 1 January 1943, British General [[Alan Brooke]], [[Chief of the Imperial General Staff]], reflected on the change in the position from a year before:

{{blockquote|I felt Russia could never hold, Caucasus was bound to be penetrated, and [[Abadan]] (our Achilles heel) would be captured with the consequent collapse of [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Middle East]], [[South-East Asian theatre of World War II|India]], etc. After Russia's defeat how were we to handle the German land and air forces liberated? England would be again bombarded, threat of invasion revived... And now! We start 1943 under conditions I would never have dared to hope. Russia has held, Egypt for the present is safe. There is a hope of clearing North Africa of Germans in the near future... Russia is scoring wonderful successes in Southern Russia.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=107}} }}

At this point, the British had won the [[Second Battle of El Alamein|Battle of El Alamein]] in November 1942. However, there were only about 50,000 German soldiers at El Alamein in Egypt, while at Stalingrad, at least 200,000 Germans had been lost.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=107}} Stalingrad is viewed as being more important than both El Alamein and [[Operation Torch]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mawdsley |first=Evan |title=The Oxford History of World War II |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-19-288408-4 |editor-last=Overy |editor-first=Richard |location=Oxford |pages=172 |language=en}}</ref>

On 30 January 1943, the tenth anniversary of his coming to power, Hitler chose not to speak. Joseph Goebbels read the text of his speech for him on the radio. The speech contained an oblique reference to the battle, which suggested that Germany was now in a defensive war. The public mood was sullen, depressed, fearful, and war-weary.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=104–105, 107}} 

The reverse was the case on the Soviet side. There was an overwhelming surge in confidence and belief in victory. A common saying was: "You cannot stop an army which has done Stalingrad." Stalin was feted as the hero of the hour and made a Marshal of the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=106}}

The news of the battle echoed round the world, with many people now believing that Hitler's defeat was inevitable.{{sfn|Roberts|2006|pp=154–155}} The [[Turkey|Turkish]] Consul in Moscow predicted that "the lands which the Germans have destined for their [[lebensraum|living space]] will become their dying space".{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=95}} Britain's conservative ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' proclaimed that the victory had saved European civilisation.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=95}} The country celebrated "Red Army Day" on 23 February 1943. A ceremonial [[Sword of Stalingrad]] was forged to the order of King George VI. After being put on public display in Britain, this was presented to Stalin by Winston Churchill at the [[Tehran Conference]] later in 1943.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=106}} Soviet propaganda spared no effort and wasted no time in capitalising on the triumph, impressing a global audience. The prestige of Stalin, the Soviet Union, and the worldwide Communist movement was immense, and their political position greatly enhanced.{{sfn|Bell|2011|p=108}}

===Commemoration===
[[File:Вечный огонь на Мамаевом кургане.Панорама.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The Eternal Flame in Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd, Russia (collage)]]
In recognition of the determination of its defenders, Stalingrad was awarded the title [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]] in 1945. A colossal monument called ''[[The Motherland Calls]]'' was erected in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan, the hill overlooking the city where bones and rusty metal splinters can still be found.<ref>Historical Memorial Complex "To the Heroes of the Stalingrad Battle" at Mamayev Hill. [http://mamayevhill.volgadmin.ru/00_n.htm Official web site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926113201/http://mamayevhill.volgadmin.ru/00_n.htm |date=26 September 2008}}. Retrieved 17 July 2008.</ref> The statue forms part of a war memorial complex which includes the ruins of the Grain Silo and Pavlov's House. On 2 February 2013 [[Volgograd]] hosted a military parade and other events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the final victory.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Parfitt|first1=Tom|title=Stalingrad anniversary: 70 years on, Russian city still gives up its WWII dead|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9842943/Stalingrad-anniversary-70-years-on-Russian-city-still-gives-up-its-WWII-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9842943/Stalingrad-anniversary-70-years-on-Russian-city-still-gives-up-its-WWII-dead.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=7 September 2017|work=The Telegraph|date=1 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Russia marks 70th anniversary of Stalingrad battle|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/02/70th-anniversary-stalingrad-battle/1885695/|access-date=7 September 2017|work=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|issue=2 February 2013}}</ref> Since then, military parades have always commemorated the victory in the city.

Every year still, hundreds of bodies of soldiers who died in the battle are recovered in the area around Stalingrad and reburied in the cemeteries at Mamayev Kurgan or Rossoshka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqFo-TswRss|title=Searching for Missing Soldiers in Stalingrad (Die Toten von Stalingrad) - Arte documentary|date=3 November 2020 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>