Episode notes
In 1942, Nazi Germany appeared close to dominating Europe. But on the banks of the Volga River, the German advance became trapped in one of the deadliest urban battles in history.
This episode explores the Battle of Stalingrad, from Hitler’s campaign toward the Caucasus oil fields to the brutal street fighting inside the ruined city. Discover how Soviet defenders turned factories, basements, and apartment blocks into fortresses, why Germany’s exposed flanks became dangerously vulnerable, and how Operation Uranus surrounded the German Sixth Army.
We also examine Hitler’s refusal to authorize a retreat, the failure of the Luftwaffe to supply the trapped troops, and the starvation, cold, and collapse that followed.
Stalingrad did not end World War II, but it shattered the myth of German invincibility and gave the Soviet Union the momentum to begin pushing westward.
This is the story of the city battle that changed the direction of the war.