The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most significant battles on the Eastern Front in World War II. It was fought between the German Army and the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia. The battle was marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, with the battle epitomizing urban warfare. Here are some key events that happened during the battle:

• In the summer of 1942, Hitler launched a major offensive into southern Russia, seeking to destroy what was left of the Soviet Army and ultimately capture the Caucasus oilfields. The initial advance went well, and the German Sixth Army under General Friedrich von Paulus was ordered to capture the city.
• Stalin demanded that Stalingrad be defended at all costs, and every available soldier and civilian was mobilized.
• Stalingrad was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe, and the ruins became the scene for months of bitter street fighting. By October most of the city was in German hands, but the Russians clung onto the banks of the Volga, across which they ferried vital reserves.
• Meanwhile, Soviet General Georgi Zhukov built up fresh forces either side of the city, and in November launched a massive assault to surround and trap von Paulus’s army. Forbidden to break out by Hitler, the Sixth Army endured until February 1943, when its exhausted remnants surrendered. The Germans lost a total of 500,000 men during the Stalingrad campaign, including 91,000 taken prisoner.
• The battle stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies.
• Civilians, including women and children, were put to work building trenchworks and protective fortifications. A massive German air raid on 23 August caused a firestorm, killing hundreds and turning Stalingrad into a vast landscape of rubble and burnt ruins. Ninety percent of the living space in the Voroshilovskiy area was destroyed.

In 1945, Stalingrad was officially proclaimed a Hero City of the Soviet Union for its defense of the motherland.