70 years of victory in the Battle of Stalingrad

On February 2, Russia celebrates the 70th anniversary of the defeat of German troops in the Battle of Stalingrad.

According to various sources, 2 million people took part in the battle, which lasted almost 200 days. Significantly inferior in numbers and armament to the German army, the Soviet troops, after three months of defensive battles, managed to go on the offensive. On December 22, 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was established. It was awarded to more than 750 thousand defenders of the city.

The battle ended in complete victory for the Soviet troops. But the city itself lay in ruins. 43 thousand people died during German air raids and artillery shelling, 50 thousand people were wounded.

The Battle of Stalingrad and the defeat of German troops in the southern Soviet Union changed the course of World War II. In addition to the strategic military victory, the Soviet Union also won an important moral victory. Germany's authority in the eyes of its allies - the Axis countries - began to gradually weaken. In Germany, after the defeat at Stalingrad, national mourning was declared.

The Western allies also admired the victory of the Soviet troops in Stalingrad. “To the citizens of Stalingrad, strong as steel, from King George VI as a sign of the deep admiration of the British people” was engraved on the blade of the dedicatory sword that the British king sent to Stalin. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the victory at Stalingrad “amazing.” American President Franklin Roosevelt considered the Battle of Stalingrad "the turning point of the war of the allied nations against the forces of aggression." And in the Paris metro there is still a station "Stalingrad", named in honor of the great victory.