Essay: What factors contributed to the Soviet victory at Stalingrad?

February 29, 2016
Internal Assessment
Section A: Plan of Investigation
In this investigation, I aim to evaluate the military leadership roles that contributed to the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. I first became interested in this topic while watching a documentary on the Battle of Stalingrad with my father called Stalingrad. After watching this, I became curious as to what factors contributed to the Soviet victory within this battle, especially within the leadership of the Red Army.
I aim to answer this question through researching militaristic techniques used by the Red Army marshal at the time, Gregory Zhukov, and he overall leadership techniques being used in Russia during the time of the battle by Joseph Stalin. I will be investigating this by using sources including a number of monographs, scholarly articles, websites, and primary sources.
Word Count: 127
Section B: Summary of Evidence
Background Information on the Battle of Stalingrad
‘ Lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943
‘ Considered to be the turning point of World War II because it stopped the advancement of Nazi Germany into the East and shifted the power of the war from the German army to the Allies1
‘ Fought between the Germans and the Soviets over control of the Volga River
‘ Control over this river was extremely sought after because of the access it offered to trade routes and oil fields in Azerbaijan
‘ Both Germany and Russia hoped to industrialize and the opportunities provided by the Volga River would allow them to do so3
Beginning of the War
‘ Germany launched a surprise attack on Stalingrad on August 23, 1942
‘ The German army held the thought that they would be able to defeat the Soviet army before winter time, in which the harsh weather conditions in Russia would set in4
Military Leadership and Strategies of the Red Army
‘ Georgy Zhukov began as a general in the Red Army, but eventually went on to become a marshal4
‘ Along with Stalin, Zhukov constructed the operations used in the Battle of Stalingrad4
‘ These operations led to Germany’s defeat and saved the city of Stalingrad4
‘ Because Germany attacked the Soviets, the Red Army had to play defense for the majority of the battle4
‘ By instigating the first attack, Germany hoped to take an offensive approach and ultimately drive the Red Army to the Volga River, eventually causing them to surrender
‘ New aerial warfare techniques had recently been introduced and the German army took full advantage of this5
‘ The German army mainly attacked through air raids and on-land combat5
‘ The Red Army attempted to counterattack these air raids by creating a great number of aerial reinforcements, but the German air force Luftwaffe was too strong for the Red Army to fight5
‘ Russia became fully aware that they would be unable to defeat Germany’s air force and strategized a counteroffensive attack using on-land armies5
‘ Zhukov was able to create a counteroffensive, Operation Uranus, which he launched in mid-November of 19424
‘ In this operation, the Red Army encircled German Army and surrounded them completely4
‘ This left the German army unable to receive resources from outside forces, which left them without survival essentials including food, water, clothing, artillery and weapons4
‘ Eventually winter hit Russia, and without the resources necessary for survival, the German army was unable to live in these harsh conditions4
‘ Zhukov was aware that the German army would be unable to outlast the winter weather in Russia and used this weakness against them4
‘ No German general had ever surrendered in the past, leading Hitler to believe that General Paulus of the German army would kill himself before surrendering, and told his troops to hold their ground4
‘ Paulus surrendered on February 2, 1943, which led to a Soviet victory against the German army4
Overall Reasons for the Soviet Victory
‘ The Soviet victory can be largely attributed to the military leadership of the Red Army at the time and the strategies they created4
‘ Stalin also used other factors, such as not allowing citizens to leave Stalingrad, to help motivate the Red Army which also was a factor contributing to the Soviet victory4
‘ The Soviet victory led to a halt in the spread of Nazi Germany1
Word Count: 595
Part C: Evaluation of Sources
Extract A:
This website, created by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, offers a detailed description of the militaristic operations created by both the German and Soviet army for the Battle of Stalingrad. Its purpose is to give an account for what contributed to the Soviet victory and the defeat of the German army in this battle. This source is limited, however, because it places emphasis on the effects the Battle had on Nazi Germany rather than also focusing on the effects a Soviet victory had on both Russia and World War II in general. Still, this source is valued because of the information it provides on military strategies and operations in the battle, which is information that is difficult to find in a source on the Battle of Stalingrad because so many only focus on the battle very generally. This source acknowledges many of the techniques used by General Zhukov and General Paulus at the time and makes it evident how both military leaders attempted to use the weaknesses of the other army against them, which ultimately worked for the Red Army and led to a Soviet victory.
Word Count: 185
Extract B:
Europe, by Norman Davies, gives detailed causes and effects of the Battle of Stalingrad, while also giving a general description of what happened in the battle. Norman Davies wrote this text to offer a perspective on what contributed to this battle and what its effects were on World War II. This information is valuable because not only does it offer information on the causes and effects of the battle, it also provides a detailed description of Europe both before and during the war, which helps the reader fully understand the purpose of this battle. Though lots of useful and unique information is offered in this text, it is limited in the sense that much of the information is extremely general. The text does not go in depth as to the operations and strategies used within the war and Davies gives a very simple play-by-play of what happens in the battle and rather focuses on the causes and effects of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Word Count: 163
Part D: Analysis
Considered to be one of the bloodiest battles in history, the Battle of Stalingrad was fought between the Germans and the Soviets over control of the River of Volga, which was seen as valuable because of it’s access to oil fields in Azerbaijan. Prior to this battle, Russia had control over both the river and the city of Stalingrad, which they named to honor their leader at the time, Joseph Stalin. Hitler hoped to capture Stalingrad, along with the river, because a German victory against the Red Army ensured the spread of Hitler’s regime to Eastern Europe.
On August 23, 1942 Germany launched a surprise attack on the city of Stalingrad with the thought that their army would be able to defeat Russia by winter, which was essential because of Russia’s harsh winter weather conditions. However, due to the powerful military leadership of the Red Army, Russia was able to defend the city of Stalingrad and eventually defeat the German army.
With the previous leader of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky’s death happening just two years before the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalin was forced to select a new leader in an extremely short amount of time. Georgy Zhukov began as a general in the army but during the Battle of Stalingrad went on to become the Marshal, or the officer of highest rank in the Red Army. Because of this, Zhukov worked with Stalin to create operations that led to Germany’s defeat and ultimately saved the city of Stalingrad.
Because Germany initially attacked the Soviets, the Red Army had to remain in a defensive position towards the beginning of the battle. Germany hoped to begin by attacking Stalingrad and eventually push the Red Army towards the River of Volga until they were forced to surrender. The German army attacked in air raids, something that had recently been introduced in the world of warfare. Russia hoped to counterattack these raids by sending out a great number of aerial reinforcements, but were no match for the Luftwaffe German air force. Russia quickly became aware that Germany dominated the aerial warfare and therefore General Zhukov, who is often considered to be the greatest general of Soviet Russia, planned a strategic counteroffensive using on-land armies.
In mid-November, Zhukov launched a counteroffensive attack called Operation Uranus on the German army. The Red Army was able to encircle the German army, surrounding them completely. Because of this, the German army was unable to obtain access to the resources they needed such as artillery, ammunition, food and water. The German air force attempted to resupply these resources, yet were unable to access the army. Winter hit Russia in full force, and much of the German army was unable to survive in these conditions. Russia was aware that they would not be able to outlast the winter weather and used this against them. Hitler continued to tell the German army to hold their ground, thinking that his head General Paulus would kill himself before surrendering because no German general had ever surrendered in the past. That being said, Paulus proved this wrong when he surrendered on behalf of the German army on February 2, 1943, leading to a Soviet victory.
Word Count: 532
Part E: Conclusion
This Internal Assessment set out to evaluate the military leadership roles that contributed to the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. The Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad can be largely attributed to the military leadership within Russia at the time. Both Stalin and General Zhukov recognized the Red Army’s own weaknesses, such as having a weaker air force, and noted Germany’s weakness as well, which was being unable to survive the harsh winter weather conditions in Russia. This is what led to their creation of operations within the battle and is ultimately what led to the most significant victory of the Red Army in World War II. Because of this, Russia not only kept control of the River of Volga and the city of Stalingrad, but they also stopped the German army from advancing into the East. In conclusion, General Zhukov’s guidance of the Soviet army and creation of operations throughout the battle, along with Stalin’s overall militaristic leadership, were essential in the victory of the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Word Count: 176
Part F: Sources and Word Limit
Beever, Antony. Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943. New York: Penguin Group, 1998. Print.
Biesinger, Joseph A. ‘Battle of Stalingrad.’ Germany. Facts on File, 2006. Modern World History Online. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/
Borrero, Mauricio. ‘Battle of Stalingrad’ Russia. Facts on File, 2004. Modern World History Online. Web. 7. Jan. 2016. http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/
Garsia, Clive. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-)                            21.3 (1945): 391’392. Web.
Glantz, David and House, Jonathan. When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995. Print
Hutchinson, Daniel. ‘Battle of Stalingrad.’ Encyclopedia of World History, Vol. 5, Facts on File, 2013. Modern World History Online. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. http://online.infobase.com/HRC/
2015. Print.
Levine, Jason. ‘World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad.’ American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/
Roberts, Geoffrey. Victory at Stalingrad: The Battle that Changed History. New York: Pearson Education Limited, 2002. Print.
Zaytsev, Vasily. Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich. New York: Jochen Hellbeck, 2015. Print.