re: 73 Years ago today: Battle of Stalingrad ends with the surrender of 6th Army

quote:

---

The Russians were lucky to have over 700K men and 1400 tanks to commit to a diversion if that was what Mars was.

---

At that stage of the war, Zhukov was the man that Stalin always chose to lead the most important battles. So, with Mars, we have Stalin's most trusted commander, and the most powerful offensive forces marshaled and ready to attack. But the attack was utterly defeated.

That's why Glantz says that Mars was the main event and, after it failed, Soviet propaganda touted Mars as a mere diversion.

This would not be the only time that Soviet propaganda has defined the mililtary history of WW2's Eastern Front. Until about 20 or so years ago, the history of the Battle of Prokhorovka told us that the Germans lost about 600 tanks in that battle. That was also Soviet propaganda and is not true.

Glantz's book When Titans Clashed is the best single book on the War in the East.