Battle of Stalingrad
1943 CE · Soviet Union (Russia)
The Battle of Stalingrad was fought in 1943 CE in Soviet Union (Russia) between Soviet Union vs Germany and Axis allies (Romania, Italy, Hungary and Croatia); decisive Soviet victory; the German Sixth Army was encircled and surrendered.
Battle of Stalingrad: quick facts
- Date
- 1943 CE
- Location
- Soviet Union (Russia)
- Belligerents
- Soviet Union vs Germany and Axis allies (Romania, Italy, Hungary and Croatia)
- Commanders
- Georgy Zhukov and Vasily Chuikov vs Friedrich Paulus and Erich von Manstein
- Result
- decisive Soviet victory; the German Sixth Army was encircled and surrendered.
- Casualties
- estimates approach two million killed, wounded, captured or missing on both sides
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- easy
What happened at the Battle of Stalingrad?
The five-month siege of Stalingrad resulted in nearly 2 million casualties, making it the deadliest battle in human history. Soviet defenders fought building by building, sometimes room by room, in brutal urban combat. The German 6th Army's surrender in February 1943 marked a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front and the beginning of Germany's long retreat.
Did you know?
At Stalingrad, the average life expectancy of a newly arrived Soviet soldier was less than 24 hours. Snipers on both sides became legendary, with Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev credited with over 200 kills.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Stalingrad on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.