The Siege to Victory
Sounds of gunshots roar through the air as hundreds of soldiers are shot by the minute in one of the bloodiest battles during World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad. Two powerful nations, the Soviet Union and Germany, struggle to obtain the ultimate power, no side willing to surrender. With Hitler’s motivation to dominate the city of Stalingrad, and Stalin’s determination to prevent his enemy from taking control, this battle is crucial in both German and Russian history. In Orwell’s allegorical novella, Animal Farm, the Battle of Stalingrad corresponds to the Battle of Windmill, where both the animals and the Soviet Union experience a decisive victory against their enemy, making this battle an essential role in the book…show more content… In June of 1942, Hitler launched Operation Blue, one of his keen attack plans in order to control the major cities of Russia in the shortest amount of time possible. Originally, Germany planned on advancing into Caucasus and taking over the vital oil fields, however, “Hitler intervened and [ordered] the Army Group to split in two, [forcing] Army Group South (B) to move east towards the Volga and the city of Stalingrad” (“World War II” 2). With Hitler’s strategic plan, Germany had no trouble in defeating Russia’s weak defense, making their way up the Volga River and into the city of Stalingrad in no time. In just a few days, violent bombings and aggressive attacks from Germany dismantled the city, allowing them to successfully capture Stalingrad. Although Hitler may have seemed in control, Stalin was forming his own plan, known as Operation Uranus, where they would attack Germany’s most vulnerable area. The Red Army’s plan was to first eradicate the weakly defended German flanks and then pin the other troops down in Stalingrad, surrounding them inside the city (“World War II” 4). From this strategy, the Red Army was able to successfully assemble strong defensive fronts around the city, known as the Stalingrad Pocket, not giving any Germans the
