75 Years Ago: The bloodiest battle in human history came to an end

February 3, 1943:

The German Sixth Army finally surrenders to the forces of the Red Army in and around the city of Stalingrad. The battle had raged since August of the previous year, quickly escalating into one of the bloodiest and most desperate struggles in the history of warfare. Several different times the Germans had held up to 90% of the city, but each time the Soviets launched counterattacks, driving the invaders just ever so backwards.

In November 1942, the Russians launched a massive counteroffensive in the vicinity of Stalingrad. Two massive pincers, one to the north of the city and one to the south, smashed through Axis defenses and met up in rear of the city - cutting the German Sixth Army off from friendly forces to the west. Surrounded and beginning to starve, their commanding officer - General Friedrich Paulus - asked Hitler for permission to break out. Permission was denied.

The Russian winter rolled in and thousands of German soldiers, ill-equipped for the extreme cold, began to freeze to death in the brutal conditions. And still the battle raged on in the streets and ruined buildings of Stalingrad.

On January 30, 1943, with the situation around Stalingrad looking hopeless, Hitler promoted Paulus to the rank of field marshal. No German field marshal had ever surrendered his command, so the implication was clear. Hitler expected him to commit suicide before ever surrendering his army to the Russians. The very next day, Paulus and his staff were captured by the Soviets. Instead of blowing his brains out, Paulus surrendered himself willingly.

Two days later, the German Sixth Army capitulated. Upon hearing of the Sixth Army's surrender and Paulus's continued existence, Hitler flew into a rage:

quote:

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"In peacetime Germany, about 18,000 or 20,000 people a year chose to commit suicide, even without being in such a position. Here is a man who sees 50,000 or 60,000 of his soldiers die defending themselves bravely to the end. How can he surrender himself to the Bolshevists?!"

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Of the 91,000 German soldiers and additional 15,000 Axis allies who surrendered to the Red Army, fewer than 6,000 ever returned home. Total casualties for the Axis powers in the Battle of Stalingrad numbered around 628,000 men. Russian military casualties officially stand at 1.1 million (with nearly 500,000 of that number listed as killed in action). The total number of civilian casualties will never be known for sure.

And it all came to an end.....75 years ago today.