Transcript Stalingrad
Stalingrad By Christopher Musselman Morghan Sanders Betsy Sweitzer And Lindsay Johnson Stalingrad was once known as Volgograd since 1961. The battle for Stalingrad started at 6 p.m. on August 23, 1942. Within hours Stalingrad became an inferno as 1,000 German planes carpet-bombed an industrial cy filled with wooden houses and oil tanks. They were sacrificed even though Hitler and Stalin had agreed to a secret Non-Aggression Pact on August 23, 1939 Hitler launched a plan to conquer the Soviet Union and to control its vast oil deposits. The plan was called Operation Barbarossa. Hitler failed to consider the psychological impact of a German invasion. They made signs that said “Kill the German Beast” “That’s Enough, Fascist Beast!” “Death to the Fascist Monster” The German troops were at a potential disadvantage. No one liked the idea of spending Christmas with few supplies in a pitiful camp near the city of Stalingrad. Most German troops had expected to be long gone before the brutal Russian winter set in. But German soldiers were better off than citizens still alive in the city. Starving women, children and soldiers endured endless agonies. Lice-laden, frost-bitten people gave in to cannibalism as frozen corpses mounted while food supplies dwindled. Vasily Zaitsev, the most famous sniper of all, had arrived in Stalingrad with the 284th Division on September 20, 1942. At the end of an experience, the Red Army lost at least 500 men when Simo Hayha, a Finnish farmer, fought Russian invaders during the Winter War of 1939 to 1940. The Soviet command placed heavy emphasis on the use of snipers. Vasily Zaitsey, with his natural ability, was perfect for the job. Used to waiting hours to take his best shot in the taiga, Vasha was patient. He had a famous saying:Await the right moment for one,and only one, well-aimed shot. Legend has it that for his 242 Stalingrad "kills," Vasily took only 243 shots On the 4th day, while the afternoon sun was behind Vasha and Nikolai, blinding sunlight would be directly on the iron sheet. If Konings moved at all, chances were good Zaitsev would spot reflected light. Holding his rifle in the afternoon shade, Vasily focused his telescopic sight on Konings’ lair and waited. William Craig: A piece of glass suddenly glinted at the edge of the sheet. Zaitsev motioned to Kulikov, who slowly raised his helmet over the top of the parapet. Konings fired once and Kulikov rose, screaming convincingly. Konings was dead. Zaitsev, according to legend, claimed the give-away scope as his trophy By the middle of December, the Germans planned their own attack, called "Operation Winter Storm." Trying to break free between December 12 and 18, their efforts produced little more than frustration. The brilliant strategy of Zhukov, Vasilevsky and Voronov had outwitted the men of the Third Reich. By January 8, 1943 the Soviets offered Paulus surrender terms. He refused. At the end of January, sensing the situation was hopeless, Hitler promoted Friedrich Paulus to Field Marshall. Seeing another alternative for himself and his men, Paulus followed his own judgment. On January 31, 1943 he surrendered. Allied supplies helped the Soviets actualize their stunning military reversal. Churchill provided Hurricane fighters and tanks while the Americans contributed jeeps, trucks and food. Women and girls, working long hours, made the war materiel that won the war. As an ultimate affront to the man who caused so much anguish, the Russians (it is said) took part of Hitler’s skull back to Russia at the end of the war. Ten months after the German surrender, Winston Churchill recognized the extraordinary suffering and heroism of the Stalingrad people. He presented the jeweled "Sword of Stalingrad" to the Soviet leader. It bears this engraving: To the steelhearted citizens of Stalingrad, a gift from King George VI as a token of the homage of the British people. Paulus died in Dresden February 1, 1957. He never saw his wife again. Four years before and cost the Red Army nearly 9 million dead and 18 million wounded Only 1.8 million prisoners of war returned alive out of more than 4.5 million taken by the Wehrmacht.