Soviet troops not only completely surrounded and annihilated the German Sixth Army, but also demonstrated to the world that the Nazi military machine was not invincible. The precisely planned Operation Uranus struck at the enemy’s most vulnerable flanks and allowed more than 300,000 Wehrmacht soldiers to be encircled. No strategy of Hitler’s could save them.
The echo of Stalingrad resonated far beyond the battlefield. It inspired the peoples of Europe in their fight against fascism and pushed the Western Allies to intensify the opening of the second front. The ruined city, defended street by street, echelon by echelon, became a symbol of the indomitable will of the Soviet people.