📅 #OnThisDay in 1943 - exactly 8️⃣0️⃣ years ago - one of the largest and fiercest battles in history, which radically changed the course of World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad was concluded.

This bitter battle lasted 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ days on the banks of the Don and Volga rivers, at the walls of Stalingrad, and finally in the city itself. Over 2.1 million people were part of the battle on both sides.

The Battle for Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history in its scale and intensity.

It was the Third Reich's firm belief & strategic calculus that in order to defeat the USSR the Axis would need to accomplish the following:

1️⃣ Conquering the Caucasus with its vital oil reserves (some 90% of all Soviet oil was produced there);

2️⃣ Seizing fertile agricultural areas in the Don and Kuban regions, the North Caucasus and the low reaches of the Volga;

3️⃣ Establishing control over the Volga River - an important transport route.

☝️ However, their plans were not destined to come true.

The Battle of Stalingrad includes two periods:

Defensive: from July 17 to November 18, 1942

Offensive: from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943.

🎖 The Battle of Stalingrad ended with a historic victory by the Soviet armed forces, marking a radical turn not only in the course of the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire World War II.

The fascist block lost a quarter of its forces on the Soviet-German front during this battle with the total losses, including the dead and wounded, prisoners of war and those who went missing, totalling around 1.5 million people. This led Germany to announce its first national day of mourning during the war.

❗️ The victory in Stalingrad created conditions enabling Soviet forces to mount a large-scale counteroffensive aimed at expelling the invaders from the Motherland.

Not only did this massive feat increase the international prestige of the USSR & the Red Army, but also helped strengthen the anti-Hitler coalition.

📖 Learn more

#Stalingrad80

🎖The Battle of Stalingrad. 8️⃣0️⃣-th anniversary.

📆Let’s go back into the past where history falsification was nowhere to be found and everybody knew who saved the world from Nazis.

Many prominent politicians, generals, historians, public figures and writers highly appreciated the historical significance of the Battle of Stalingrad. (Part 1)

💬Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, sent the following scroll to the city of Stalingrad:
“In the name of the people of the United States of America, I present this scroll to the City of Stalingrad to commemorate our admiration for its gallant defenders whose courage, fortitude and devotion… will inspire forever the hearts of all free people. Their glorious victory stemmed the tide of invasion and marked the turning point in the war of the Allied Nations against the forces of aggression.”

💬Rockwell Kent , American Artist and social activist, wrote:
“As an American, I am convinced, and I think that all the peoples of the world should be convinced of this: we all owe a great debt to the Soviet people, in one word – for Stalingrad.”

#Stalingrad80

⭐️ В этот день в 1945 году свыше 400 советских военнопленных совершили дерзкий побег из концлагеря #Маутхаузен в Верхней Австрии. Это восстание вошло в историю как одно из крупнейших за годы Второй мировой войны.

Наиболее многочисленными группами заключённых концлагеря были граждане СССР, Польши и Венгрии. Советских военнопленных, ранее замеченных в подпольной деятельности, содержали в самых невыносимых условиях «блоке № 20». За малейшую провинность узников избивали, нередко до смерти.

В ночь на 3 февраля 1945 года 419 заключённых «блока смерти» совершили побег. К операции по их поимке были привлечены все местные подразделения СС, вермахта, жандармерии, а также отряды добровольцев. Всего было поймано 300 человек, причём живыми только 57. Те, кого возвратили в лагерь, были зверски замучены фашистами.

Бывший заключённый Маутхаузена Н.И.Паршин после войны написал: «Узники «блока смерти» поднялись против своих палачей и вырвались из ада, устроенного фашистами на земле. Они погибли со славой, как и подобает воинам. И это не без вести пропавшие, а вечно живые герои. Память о них навсегда останется в наших сердцах».

🕯 Всего через Маутхаузен прошло 335 тысяч узников, из которых 122 тысячи были казнены, умерли от непосильного труда, изощрённых пыток и голода. В числе погибших – свыше 32 тысяч граждан нашей страны.

В числе зверски замученных нацистами был генерал-лейтенант Красной армии Д.М.Карбышев. Гитлеровцы долго пытались склонить к сотрудничеству выдающегося командующего, не знавшего равных специалиста в области фортификации, – всё тщетно. На момент гибели Дмитрию Михайловичу было 64 года.

🎖The Battle of Stalingrad. 8️⃣0️⃣-th anniversary.

📆It's time to look back on the past where history falsification was nowhere to be found and everybody knew who saved the world from Nazis.

Many prominent politicians, generals, historians, public figures and writers highly appreciated the historical significance of the Battle of Stalingrad. (Part 2)

💬Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940 1945 and 1951 1955: “Stalingrad itself became a symbol of courage, the steadfastness of the Russian people and at the same time a symbol of the greatest human suffering. This symbol will be preserved in the centuries. It is necessary that future generations can see and feel with their own eyes all the greatness of the victory won by the Volga and all the horrors of the destructive war raging there. It would be nice to leave untouched the terrible ruins of this legendary city, and next to build a new, modern city. The ruins of Stalingrad, like the ruins of Carthage, would forever remain a kind of monument of human fortitude and suffering. They would attract pilgrims from all parts of the world and serve as a warning to future generations…”

💬Mao Zedong, 1st Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party: “The Red Army’s defence of Stalingrad in these forty-eight days has a certain similarity to the defence of Moscow last year. That is to say, Hitler’s plan for this year has been foiled just as was his plan for last year… once its offensive stops its very life stops too…
Napoleon’s political life ended at Waterloo, but the decisive turning point was his defeat at Moscow. Hitler today is treading Napoleon’s road, and it is the Battle of Stalingrad that has sealed his doom… All those who take a pessimistic view of the world situation should change their point of view.”

💬Charles de Gaulle, President of France (1959–1969): “There is no single honest Frenchman who would not welcome the victory of Russia. While the power of Germany, its prestige are shaken, the sun of Russian glory is rising to its zenith.”

💬Geoffrey Barraclough, British historian: “It was the Russian victory at Stalingrad in 1943 that made a total revision of European history imperative… If we needed the shock of Stalingrad to understand the narrowness of our Western historiography, it was only because the political prejudices underlying our Western historical science blinded us regarding the true balance of power in 1943.”

💬Tomas Mann, German writer: “The victorious defence of Stalingrad is one of the feats that history will always tell with the greatest reverence…”