The Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad - The Turning Point on the Eastern Front**
The German forces, caught off guard, were quickly surrounded, with their supply lines cut off. The Soviet forces then began to tighten the noose, gradually squeezing the Germans into a smaller and smaller pocket. great battles of wwii stalingrad
In the summer of 1942, German forces, led by General Friedrich Paulus, launched a major offensive on the Eastern Front, code-named Operation Fischreiher (Blue). The goal was to capture the strategic city of Stalingrad, a major industrial center and transportation hub on the Volga River. The city, now known as Volgograd, was a crucial prize for the Germans, as it would give them control of the Volga River and access to the Caucasus region, rich in oil and other natural resources. The Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad - The