WW2's Turning Point: Marking 81 Years Since Stalingrad's Liberation

The Battle of Stalingrad, which commenced on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943, was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of mankind and determined the course of the Great Patriotic War.

The battle, characterized by intense urban warfare, resulted in the complete annihilation of the German 6th Army, ultimately leading to the Soviet advance towards Berlin and the eventual defeat of Hitler's Germany. This triumph not only played a significant role in changing the course of the war, but also symbolized the resilience and determination of the Soviet people in their fight against Nazism.

Explore Sputnik's gallery, showcasing the liberation of Stalingrad in pictures:

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Red Army soldiers during street fighting in Stalingrad.

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Russian troops clearing snow from a road to help their unit advance, northwest of Stalingrad.

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Soviet Il-2 warplanes on a mission near Stalingrad.

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Portrait of Nastya, a Red army partisan, taken by war photographer Boris Yaroslavtsev, in 1943, during the Battle of Stalingrad.

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Alexander Rodimtsev, Major General, Hero of the Soviet Union (3rd right), Commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Division.

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A servicewoman in a communications center.

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The war-torn city center at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad.

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One of the numerous hollows in the plains around Stalingrad.

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Photo showing the massive amount of tanks abandoned by Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht after their devastating loss at the Battle of Stalingrad.

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The ruins of Stalingrad.

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A school building destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad.

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Residents seek refuge from the destruction unleashed by a massive Nazi air raid.

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Musician in the streets of battle-scarred Stalingrad.

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Endless, snake-like column of German POWs captured during the Battle of Stalingrad.

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German soldiers captured at Stalingrad, Russia, huddle against sharp winds.

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Two surrendering Axis troops, holding their hands up, are marched out of a war-ravaged building by one of their Russian captors as the Third Reich's soldiers face defeat in Stalingrad.

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Soviet soldiers are welcomed as liberators by the people of Stalingrad.

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At the cost of millions of Soviet troops' lives, the Nazi forces were stopped and the Red Army's counteroffensive commenced.