As the Germans advanced into Russia they were able to push back Russian defenses. The Russians began to feel hopeless as if this was a war they were going to lose. Late into the advancement of Stalingrad the Russians began to make strides to push back German forces and win small key victories. The key component of those battles were the Russian generals inspirational leadership, order 227, and the soldiers morale. Michael Jones, the author of Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed places the majoring turning point on October 14th with the Russians forces pushing back the German forces in the battle of the Orlovka Salient. The soldier’s morale and the slogan “ there is no land beyond the Volga” is what he claims was the reason for Russian victory …show more content…
The main words that I noticed reoccurring in Jones’s book is courage, morale, inspiration, leadership and pride for their country. Overall, out of all those great qualities morale is most significant. Jones makes the argument that morale was the factor that the Russians the boost to push back the Germans and sustain their city. I believe those were all contributing factors for the final stand and victory of the Russian army in Stalingrad. Moreover, a series of battles lost or won can deplete an army rather quickly especially if you don’t have the available resources such as tanks, guns or troops. At that point what do you have? Hopefully your comrades or a commander that you believe can inspire you by his great leadership and bring your fellow comrades together. However, the red army had more than that they had a brotherhood, a love for their country and the will to never give up or retreat. It is nearly impossible to have those types of characteristics still standing after seeing the amount of casualties continuing to raise and your city dwindling away. In order for the Russians to make a stand their mindset had to change. As the Germans continued to push the Russian forces back and surround them the Russians soldiers had to make a choice give up or fight. Often times the Germans told the Russians soldiers to surrender and there is no way they will win, but the Russians refused to give in. Thus, referring to the three reasons they never gave up the slogan “ there is no land beyond Volga “, soldiers morale and great commanders that cared for their
“In Stalingrad, in addition to its heavy losses, the German army also lost its formidable image of being invincible,” Document 8 reveals.” In fact, with the loss of Stalingrad, the German army began to lose battles all across the Eastern Front and in North Africa”(Document 8: Graphics). The men did not lose their lives in the Battle of Stalingrad did lose the image that had been built for themselves. The following loses after that battle prove that the German army was weakened and could no longer keep all of their word and the image Hitler had built up for them. Without pushing the soldiers to stay at Stalingrad, Hitler and the Germans could have salvaged the war and their reputations. Although the end of World War II was 2 ½ years after the Battle of Stalingrad, the result of the battle influence who won the war. Because the Germans lost at Stalingrad, they began to lose other battles and suffered questioning and disbelief of their previous reputation of being invisible. The biggest mistake Adolf Hitler made was how he conducted the Battle of
Throughout the battle, you see numerous Army Values and Warrior Ethos being used. “I will never leave a fallen comrade”, was the etho used the most, to reach the separated platoon. The battle also shows that not all tactical orders are effective, but as a leader you must never second guess yourself.
and Russian losses were appalling; Stalin began exhorting Churchill to open a second front at the
This operation started on June 22, 1941. By the time December of 1941 came around, Germany 's troops had reached the gates of Moscow. Germany believed they were going to be successful, so they were pretty confident. For a short time in the spring of 1942, the Germans regained the military scheme, and by June, the Germans were making their way toward the city of Stalingrad.
There was a a massive turning point in the war. This is very important to me. Up until the autumn of 1919, the Whites had been successful. They were starting to look close to victory for Trotsky’s liking. General Colchacks forces were closing in around the Eastern front and Yudenich was on.
The Soviet Union’s massive success in this battle marked the war turning in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was fought from July 1942 to February 1943. On 19 November 1942, the Red Army launched a carefully planned counteroffensive led by General Georgy Zhukov. By the time of the counteroffensive, the Germans were outnumbered 1,011,000 to 1,103,000.
Westwood, J. N., “Endurance and Endeavour: Russian history, 1812-1980”. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1981.
“Stalingrad is the scene of the costliest and most stubborn battle in this war. The battle fought there to its desperate finish may turn out to be among the decisive battles in the long history of war…In the scale of its intensity, its destructiveness, and its horror, Stalingrad has no parallel. It engaged the full strength of the two biggest armies in Europe and could fit into no lesser framework than that of a life-and death conflict which encompasses the earth”
After a two year stalemate, both the Russians and Germans awaited major confrontations that would define the momentum for either side. Up until this point in the war, although the Germans had captured many European countries and were victoriously advancing with their keen tactics, such as the blitzkrieg and their cogent weapons, battles on the Eastern front seemed impossible to win. Upon a dismal loss at the Battle of Stalingrad earlier in 1943, German morale was greatly lowered and the German forces finally apprehended the strength of the Russian troops. The momentum would finally be settled with the decisive battle near the town of Kursk, a town on the Moscow-Rostov railway, in Southern Russia. The goal of the Battle of Kursk was to regain German morale and to pinch off a large salient in the Eastern front, which would make Russians much more vulnerable to German attack. Being such an important battle to the overall success of the Germans, they formulated several unique plans; however, due to the lack of good judgement, these plans were doomed from the very start.
The next year, in 1943, another German offensive was launched especially around the approaches of Stalingrad. Stalingrad was almost completely destroyed by the German sixth Army. That was the near end for Germany, but it took several months of destruction and desperate fighting, and millions of millions of deaths for that to happen.
The battle of Stalingrad may have very well been the most important battle over the course of World War II. Not necessarily remembered for its course of fighting, the battle is more known for its outcome. Not only did the battle turn out to be a major turning point in the war, it may have saved most of Eastern Europe from incomparable destruction. The battle included two of the biggest political and military icons of their time, Stalin and Hitler.
The Red Army was a massive and strong army, but they had no intellect or skills. Stalin of course had many who had animosity towards him, and the generals of the Red Army sure did. They betrayed him during World War II, and he had them all imprisoned. He wanted them to be tortured and feel pain because of their
Being a good soldiers also required you to, follow the rules, follow orders, obey the code of conducts, look out for your fellow comrades, fulfill your duty requirement, being honest and fight for your country. In other words, a soldier must be committed. Committed to their work, the nation, the mission, their fellow servicemen and their unit. With these characteristics, a soldier can become successful.
It was the unity of action and the unity of mind that was the ultimate triumph in defying the Germans. It wasn’t each prisoner fighting for his own memory. It was each prisoner fighting for the memories of all prisoners.
"The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. Total discipline overcomes adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says drive on." - Former Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge