The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point for Germany in the Second World War. 

 

It came more than a year after the Nazi's invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa. The invasion has been described as a surprise by many, but by 1940 many citizens inside Russia were fully aware that at some stage the USSR and Germany were going to have to go to war.

 

It was a Marxist Regime up against a National Socialist Regime, communist against fascist. By the time of the invasion in June 1941 Russian President Joseph Stalin and his advisors were buying time desperately trying to upgrade the Red Army before the inevitable war between the two ideologies. 

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But they got the timing wrong, with Stalin convinced he could lead Hitler on a merry diplomatic dance until his military production had caught up with German Industry which was estimated to be in late 1942. 

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The terrible struggle in Stalingrad that killed around a million Russians and over eight hundred thousand Germans dwarfs any other in history. It is vital to understand present day Russia through the prism of The Great Patriotic War as it’s known in Russia, and through the understanding of the defense of four main cities.

 

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THE PODCAST SERIES

This is a podcast series dedicated to this battle and will start with an overview of Operation Barbarossa, the assault on Moscow and Leningrad, then move to Stalingrad after a few episodes. The series will follow the war week by week until the defeat of the German 6th Army in February 1943.

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