The Battle of Stalingrad (17 July 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, beginning when Nazi Germany and its Axis allies attacked and became locked in a protracted struggle with the Soviet Union for control over the Soviet city of Stalingrad (now known as Volgograd) in southern Russia. The battle was characterized by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in aerial raids; the battle epitomized urban warfare, and it was the single largest and costliest urban battle in military history. It was the bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entirety of World War II — and arguably in all of human history—as both sides suffered tremendous casualties amidst ferocious fighting in and around the city.
Battle of Stalingrad: 600 Luftwaffe planes bomb Stalingrad, killing 40,000 people
The Battle of Stalingrad (17 July 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, beginning when Nazi Germany and its Axis allies attacked and became locked in a...
Events Before
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech during his State of the Union address, outlining fr
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech during his State of the Union address, outlining freedom of speech and worship and freedom from want and fear [1] [2]
New Fourth Army Incident: Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek fire on the surrounded Communist N
New Fourth Army Incident: Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek fire on the surrounded Communist New Fourth Army at Maolin, Anhui Province, killing or capturing about 7,000 troops
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra first record "Take the 'A' Train" written by Billy Strayhorn, at RCA Studio in Hollywoo
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra first record "Take the 'A' Train" written by Billy Strayhorn, at RCA Studio in Hollywood, California; it goes on to become his signature tune
Future CIA Director William J. Casey (27) weds Sophia Kurz
Future CIA Director William J. Casey (27) weds Sophia Kurz
American Actress Hattie McDaniel (45) weds real estate salesman James Lloyd Crawford; divorced 1945
American Actress Hattie McDaniel (45) weds real estate salesman James Lloyd Crawford; divorced 1945
Events After
German officer Claus von Stauffenberg is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of…
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatmen
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatment; he is released in time for preseason training
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though the siege is not fully lifted until a year later
German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to Soviet troops at Stalingrad
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army…
More from the 1940s
D-Day: The Normandy Landings
Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals
Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…
Omar al-Bashir is born
Omar al-Bashir is born
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on August 23, 1942?
- The Battle of Stalingrad (17 July 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, beginning when Nazi Germany and its Axis allies attacked and became locked in a protracted struggle with the Soviet Union for control over the Soviet city of Stalingrad (now known as Volgograd) in southern Russia. The battle was characterized by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in aerial raids; the battle epitomized urban warfare, and it was the single largest and costliest urban battle in military history. It was the bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entirety of World War II — and arguably in all of human history—as both sides suffered tremendous casualties amidst ferocious fighting in and around the city.
- Why is Battle of Stalingrad: 600 Luftwaffe planes bomb Stalingrad, killing 40,000 pe... historically important?
- The battle was characterized by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in aerial raids; the battle epitomized urban warfare, and it was the single largest and costliest urban battle in military history. It was the bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entirety of World War II — and arguably in all of human history—as both sides suffered tremendous casualties amidst ferocious fighting in and around the city.