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Stalingrad's Importance
Stalingrad was the beginning of the end for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, but many historians
believe it did not mark a major turning point in World War 2. Although Germany still possessed massive military resources
and fought until 1945, the loss of an entire army group was a significant blow to Germany. Owing in part to the to retreat
from the Italian and Hungarian armies, the Germans were forced to retreat from the Caucasus approximately to the line from
which they had started their 1942 summer offensive.
Because of the defeat the German army became demoralized while the German civilian population
was still demonstrating to the Red Army that the Wehrmacht was not invincible. Some historians regard the battle of Stalingrad
as one of the most decisive engagements in world history. In November 1943 Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister,presented
the British-made sword of Stalingrad to Stalin at the Tehran Conference in Iran. The blade was engraved with the words "To
the steelhearted citizens of Stalingrad, a gift from King George the sixth as a token of the homage of the British people."
The memory of the Battle of Stalingrad lives on in Russia.
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