The heroic victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi invaders in the Battle of Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but in the Second World War in general. Stalingrad became an insurmountable obstacle to the advance of the Germans in the south direction and dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Wehrmacht, just as in 1812 the Battle of Borodino dispelled the legend of the invincibility of Napoleon’s army. History repeats itself…
It is known that Hitler ordered to take Stalingrad at any cost – not only because of its strategic position: he saw a special symbolic meaning in capturing the city that bore the name of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. But the Nazi troops and air force suffered a catastrophic defeat, from which they could never recover. The German diplomat Ulrich von Hassel had to state: ‘A crisis has hit all of Germany. It is symbolized by one word – Stalingrad.’
The crushing defeat of the Nazis on the Volga River gave a powerful impetus to the fight against Nazism in European countries and forced Japan and Turkey to abandon their plans to attack the Soviet Union.
The Publishing House “Russian Mind” expresses gratitude to the Foundation for Supporting and Protecting the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad for the support and financial aid provided to the “Russian Mind” magazine for the purpose of the Special Issue, to mark the Battle of Stalingrad.
