The Bloodiest Battle In History

The Battle of Stalingrad was arguably the bloodiest battle in history, claiming a total of 1,971,00 lives, of which 841 000 on the German side and 1 130 000 Soviet. Fought during WW2, between August 1942 and February 1943, this battle was all about gaining control of Stalingrad (now known as the city of Volgograd.)

The battle started when the German Luftwaffe bombed the city, leaving many buildings in ruins. When the German army advanced, they ended up fighting the Soviets building-to-building, ruin-to-ruin. Although the Germans controlled over 90 percent of the city, they just couldn’t get rid of the remaining Soviet soldiers. With the cold of winter came a two-pronged attack from the Red Army and the German 6th Army found themselves in dire straits. Continual attacks, cold and starvation began to take its toll, but Hitler refused permission to retreat. In February 1942 the Germans tried to break out but, with all supply lines severed, they were crushed.