German Chancellor Angela Merkel on June 19 looked ahead to next week’s 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, calling it “an occasion for shame.”
Deutsche Welle: Merkel marks 80 years since Nazi invasion of Soviet Union
German soldiers pictured between September 1942 and February 1943 during the battle of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point in World War II, and is considered the bloodiest battle in human history. The battle was marked by the brutality and disregard for civilian casualties on both sides. The battle is taken to include the German siege of the southern Russian city of Stalingrad (today Volgograd), the battle inside the city, and the Soviet counter-offensive which eventually trapped and destroyed the German and other Axis forces in and around the city. Total casualties are estimated at between 1 and 2 million. The Axis powers lost about a quarter of their total manpower on the Eastern Front, and never recovered from the defeat. For the Soviets, who lost well over one million soldiers and civilians during the battle, the victory at Stalingrad marked the start of the liberation of the Soviet Union, leading to victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
