1. A major turning point in WWII Mr S Fitzgerald
Battle of Stalingrad
A major turning point in WWII
Mr S Fitzgerald

2. The Battle of Stalingrad
In 1942 the Germans advanced towards Stalingrad and the oil fields of the Causcuses.
The Luftwaffe bombed the city to shreds.
When the Germans entered the Russians emerged from the rubble to fight them.
Molotov cocktails were thrown at Ger tanks.
Stalin insisted the city must not be lost.
In Nov 1942 the Russians attacked from the sides and surrounded the Germans.
The trapped German army surrendered on 31 Jan 1943.

4. Hitler’s order to Von Paulus and the 6 Army, January 24, 1943
"Surrender is forbidden. 6 Army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable contribution towards the establishment of a defensive front and the salvation of the Western world.“

5. “My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even  worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs then for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished." Anonymous German soldier 

6. Importance of Battle of Stalingrad
A complete German army group was lost. 100,000 were taken prisoner.
It proved to be a major turning point in war.
The Nazi advance had been stopped, slowly the German forces were pushed back to Germany.
The power of the German army was broken.
By early 1945 the Red Army would enter Germany.