The Battle of Stalingrad: How Hitler Lost The War

History Hit
History Hit
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Published 2023-08-14
In the winter of 1942, the armies of Hitler and Stalin went head to head in the bloodiest battle of the Second World War.

Fought over five months through the bitter Russian Winter, the Battle for Stalingrad would serve as a turning point in the course of the Second World War and would mark a drastic change in the fortunes of the two dictators and the men who fought for them.

But how did an industrial city on the banks of the Volga come to play such a decisive role in the course of the Second World War?

In this series (‘Hitler vs Stalin’), historians James Holland, Guy Walters, author of The Lighthouse of Stalingrad Iain MacGregor and Research Fellow Sarah Ashbridge explore the personalities behind the battle to uncover the key moments, decisions and motivations that lead to this decisive moment.

In this episode 1, we uncover the personalities and psychology of the two Tyrants, Hitler and Stalin and their Generals Paulus and Zhukov as they enter a new season of campaigning against the backdrop of a global war.

In episode 2, after four months of heavy fighting, German commander Paulus and his troops had succeeded in pushing the Soviet's from out of the centre of the city and to within 800 metres of the Volga.

Victory seemed within their grasp, but what Paulus and Hitler didn't know was that Zhukov and Stalin were planning something that would change the battle, and the war - Operation Uranus.

Re-join our team of experts James Holland, Guy Walters, Iain MacGregor and Sarah Ashbridge as they continue to explore the personalities behind the battle and uncover the key moments & decisions that led to Stalin's ultimate victory over Hitler.

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All Comments (21)
  • @admiralyisoonshin4995
    The battle of Stalingrad was the greatest turning point of WW2 in Europe. I read the book of it when I was 13 years old. Very impressive and unforgettable war history in WW2.
  • @MrMike-oc6dr
    I am totally addicted to these stories of the Eastern front. They are put together very well and with the diary included it enhances the experience. Very well done!
  • @BigBlue1026
    My Dad was a Merchant Marine during the war and told me horror stories of the convoys of liberty ships delivering supplies through the N Atlantic up into Russia. When they weren't dodging U-boats they were busy chopping ice off the decks to keep the ships from capsizing. The ships were loaded and even had equipment tied down on the deck. In one case I remember him telling about a railroad locomotive strapped down on the deck. One time he was so tired when they arrived in port at Russia that he slept through a attack on the port by German bombers and woke up to find that the pier they were tied to was burning.
  • @khizani
    Fun fact: Stalin was a successful bank robber in his early career :). He organized and led few robberies including (at the time) famous 1907 Tbilisi center bank robbery, making away with 350,000 rubles (a lot of money in 1907!) and leaving 6 people dead and 40 wounded.
  • @kimwarfield1587
    Why are you blurring all the pictures of death? Show these images to really show the horror of war to everyone.
  • @writtenplague
    🤔 I wish that HBO would make a mini series Stalingrad with all the battles beginning to end. With all these historical details, I would love to see that!!!!
  • @ambition112
    0:00: 💥 The battle for Stalingrad played a defining role in World War II, resulting in the deaths of nearly 2 million people and paving the way for Stalin's victory over Hitler. 10:43: 🔥 Hitler orders an attack towards Stalingrad and the wider offensive in southern Russia, despite doubts and the misconception that the Soviets were finished. 19:40: 🔥 Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union was driven by his hatred for bolshevism and his theories of racial superiority, envisioning it as a war of annihilation to give himself more living space for the Third Reich. 28:19: 🔥 The intense fighting in Stalingrad between German and Soviet forces, with the Soviets hanging on by their fingernails. 36:30: 💥 The battle for Stalingrad intensifies as German forces face heavy casualties and Soviet resistance in the city, while Hitler remains optimistic about victory. 48:05: 💥 Operation Uranus was launched by the Soviets, led by Zhukov, to surround and annihilate the German sixth Army in Stalingrad. 59:48: 😢 German troops trapped in Stalingrad face a hopeless battle as Hitler refuses to allow a breakout. 1:08:38: 💔 The Battle of Stalingrad was a devastating defeat for the German army, resulting in the surrender of the Sixth Army and the death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. 1:20:07: 💔 The fall of Stalingrad marks a turning point in World War II, leading to a psychological blow for Hitler and a transition in the war. Recap by
  • @edvinboskovic9963
    Absolutely excellent documentary by historians James Holland, Guy Walters, Sarah Ashbridge and Iain MacGregor. Such a detailed and accurate description of the circumstances related to Stalingrad, in just one documentary. One of the questions , that raise from documentary is question , what's really happened with German high command between AH orders No.41 and 45. It is so contradictory, that it is very difficult for generals and the army to act in the circumstances of issuing such diametrically opposed orders. Very few historians talk about it, because probably the answer to that is impossible to get any more today.
  • @petr416
    The phrase uttered by Marshal Zhukov to Rokossovsky back in 1945, immediately after the capture of Berlin: “We liberated them, and they will never forgive us for this“................. He knew...
  • @innercynic2784
    Good archival film footage marred by projection on a brick background. World at War series from the 70s was much more impactful with narration by Lawrence Olivier and a tremendous score
  • @brucemacmillan9581
    When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, he found himself playing tennis on a football field.
  • @robertmendick3195
    The Americans in the late 1944/early 1945 Ardennes offensive copied the German mistake by not providing adequate winter clothing. Many frostbite injuries. Six years later the same happened at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.
  • @user-fi2ix7mr6i
    Viewed several videos on the Stalingrad battle. One in particular was the disintering of one mass German grave site in Russia to be reburied on German soil. The massive injuries, amputations,mangled skeletal remains were horrific. It must have been pure *ell for them.
  • @markprange4386
    0:50 In Sarepta, downriver of Stalingrad. The building (N 48.5169°, E 044.5219°) is still standing in 2023. The building & tower at right are also still standing.
  • @istvanfuzak9998
    Let’s not forget the significance of Richard Sorge. He informed Soviet HQ, that Japan will NOT attack the Soviet Union, so Stalin was able to move big forces from the East border to Stalingrad.
  • @craignedoff991
    Battle of Moscow showed the war wouldn't be short, or easy. Battle of Stalingrad that Russia wouldn't lose. Battle of Kursk that Germany couldn't win, no matter the effort. Operation Bagration that Germany would lose, soon, and decisively. Within 9 months Germany was a defeated heap of rubble.