Soviets Encircle Stalingrad: Germany's Sixth Army Trapped
Soviet forces launched Operation Uranus on November 19, 1942, attacking from the north and south of Stalingrad in a massive pincer movement that closed behind the German Sixth Army four days later. The plan targeted the weaker Romanian and Italian units guarding the German flanks rather than the main German force. Over one million Soviet soldiers, 13,500 guns, 900 tanks, and 1,100 aircraft participated. The encirclement trapped 300,000 German soldiers in a pocket roughly 30 miles long and 20 miles wide. Hitler ordered Friedrich Paulus to hold Stalingrad at all costs. Hermann Goering promised an airlift that never materialized. A relief attempt by Erich von Manstein failed in December. Paulus surrendered on February 2, 1943. Only 91,000 of the original 300,000 survived to become prisoners. Fewer than 6,000 returned to Germany.
November 19, 1942
84 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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