The day the Germans lost the battle of Stalingrad – level 2
02-02-1943
On August 23, 1942, the Germans began the battle for the city of Stalingrad, Russia. They needed to control Stalingrad if they wanted to continue their journey to the oil fields further in the south.
It all started with a big air bombing of the city. The air defense of the city was made of women only. They had 37 cannons and they fought until the last cannon was active.
In the next stage, the German soldiers entered the city. The Russian defense was strong against a ground attack. Both sides were fighting for every building. The fights were long, and the Germans moved forward very slowly.
The Russians were slowly losing the city but they were still able to control some parts. They were ready to fight to the last man.
All the time, trains were bringing new soldiers to Stalingrad from Siberia. They were often young boys, who were quickly sent to the front line. These young soldiers usually died the same or the next day.
On November 19, 1942, the situation changed. A lot of Russian soldiers came to fight at Stalingrad. They made a circle around German soldiers in the city. The supplies were stopped. The Germans couldn’t get new bullets and food.
On February 2, 1943, the Germans gave up. The battle was over.
The battle was an important turning point of World War II. It was one of the most terrible battles in human history. The city of Stalingrad was totally destroyed. 2 million people were dead or injured.
Difficult words: further (longer in one direction), stage (a step), to fight to the last man (to fight until everyone dies), Siberia (a very big area in Russia with mostly nature), supplies (food, clothes and other important things which soldiers get during a war), turning point (when something changes).
Who was the winner of the battle for Stalingrad?
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