The Battle of Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War II 80 years ago when German forces capitulated to the Red Army, stays an effective sign of patriotism in Russia as it presses its war in Ukraine.One of the largest fights in history, the fighting raved for more than 6 months in 1942 and 1943 prior to the Russians beat Nazi soldiers caught in the ruined city in the depths of winter.By the time it was over, on Feb.
2, 1943, between 1 and 2 million individuals had died.The first-ever surrender by the Nazis was glorified in Russia as the occasion that saved Europe from Adolf Hitler.Today, a few of the most enthusiastic advocates of President Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine are to be found in Stalins so-called Hero City of Stalingrad, now called Volgograd.Prize locationLocated some 900 kilometers (559 miles) southeast of Moscow, pre-war Stalingrad was a crucible of Soviet market with factories in the city of 600,000 people producing military hardware.Stalingrad likewise acted as an entrance to the oil fields of the Caucasus as well as to Central Asia and the Caspian Sea.For Hitler, who had in June 1941 pulled out of a German-Soviet non-aggression pact, its name alone made it a tantalizing target and worthy of a legendary fight.200 days and nightsThe fight began in July 1942 and lasted for 200 days of grinding aerial barrages and house-to-house battling in between the Germans on one hand and Soviet soldiers and civilians on the other.The Soviets were under stringent orders from Stalin to stand their ground.
Not a single step back, he purchased, cautioning that soldiers who pulled back would be shot.The 6th Army of German general Friedrich Paulus managed to acquire control of 90 percent of the city.
But in November, the Red Army staged a powerful counter-offensive, getting rid of the opponent soldiers who were trapped and left to starve in the Soviet winter.In January 1943, the Soviets introduced a last offensive, retaking the messed up city district by district up until the last German troops capitulated on Feb.
2, 1943.
From Stalingrad to VolgogradOriginally called Tsaritsyn, the city ended up being Stalingrad throughout Soviet dictator Joseph Stalins guideline in 1925.
As part of the de-Stalinization procedure introduced by his successor Nikita Khrushchev, the freshly rebuilt city was renamed Volgograd in 1961.
In 2013, legislators in the city voted to restore the name Stalingrad for ritualistic purposes 6 days a year, including Feb.
2, to celebrate the Nazi surrender, and May 9, to mark the last Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945.
Glorified battleThe city is steeped in fond memories for the previous Soviet Union, sustaining a vigorous business in historical tourism.Looming big over the city is a hilltop memorial to the fight that includes a towering 85-meter (279-foot) sculpture of a woman with a raised sword, called The Motherland Calls.
Defenders of Stalingrad have actually passed a great heritage to us: love for the Motherland, preparedness to safeguard its interests and self-reliance, to stand strong in the face of any test, Putin stated in 2018 on the 75th anniversary of the surrender.Films and video gamesThe battle has actually been the inspiration of a number of movies, from German director Joseph Vilsmaiers Stalingrad , a ruthless depiction of the battle as seen by German troops, to Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuks 2013 take on the Soviet experience.In literature it motivated Vasily Grossmans well-known 1960 work of art Life and Fate, which was prohibited in the Soviet Union for over a quarter of a century for drawing the line between Stalinism and Nazism.In popular culture, Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, among the battles heroes, appears in the cult video game Call of Duty.