Soviet soldiers defended Stalingrad near the outskirts of the city.
Once officially involved in the war, the United States quickly expanded its military. The U.S. sent more weapons and equipment to Britain, with the first U.S. troops arriving there in January 1942. The following summer U.S. air crews took part in air raids against the German military. American military vehicles and equipment also went to the Soviet Union to help in the fight against Germany.
The Soviets continued to bear the brunt of German aggression in Europe. The German army launched a new offensive, planning to capture the oil-producing areas in the Caucasus region. One roadblock to their plans was the city of Stalingrad, an important industrial and transportation center on the Volga River.
STALINGRAD
The Battle of Stalingrad began August 23, 1942, and was one of the bloodiest in history. As many as 2 million soldiers and civilians were killed, wounded, or captured during the five-month battle. German and Soviet soldiers sometimes fought hand-to-hand with daggers and bayonets as they tried to gain control of city streets. Soviet soldiers lived in bombed-out basements and set booby traps for the Germans in abandoned buildings. The Germans captured most of the city, but they often couldn’t hold on to their gains. Areas captured by German soldiers in daylight were usually retaken by the Soviets during the night.
By December the German soldiers were surrounded. They were cold and running short of supplies, even shooting and eating their horses for food. On January 8, 1943, Soviet General Konstantin Rokossovsky demanded surrender in this message to the German army: “The situation of your troops is desperate. They are suffering from hunger, sickness, and cold. The cruel Russian winter has scarcely yet begun. Hard frosts, cold winds and blizzards still lie ahead. … Your situation is hopeless, and any further resistance senseless.”7
The Germans rejected Rokossovsky’s demand but couldn’t hold out much longer. By February 2 all German leaders at Stalingrad had surrendered. More than 90,000 soldiers were taken prisoner, and many died as they marched in the subzero weather to Soviet prison camps. Only 5,000 would survive the war.
Stalingrad was the turning point in the war on the Eastern Front. The Germans would never have another significant victory in the East. Also, in summer 1943, the Soviets decisively beat the Germans at the Battle of Kursk.
THE ALLIES FIGHT BACK
The British and American air forces had begun their bombing campaign against Germany, but they were also determined to strike a blow in North Africa. In November 1942 the British scored a decisive victory over the Germans at El Alamein in Egypt. The battle was the Allies’ first successful large-scale offensive against the Germans. Churchill wrote later, “It may almost be said, ‘Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.’ ”8
At the other end of North Africa, the Allies landed in Morocco and Algeria in early November 1942, attacking the Germans from two directions. The war in North Africa ended with the German and Italian surrender in May 1943, which allowed the Allies to threaten Italy from the south. In July 1943 the Allies invaded Sicily and then crossed into mainland Italy. The Italian government surrendered at the beginning of September. But the Allies still faced stiff resistance from German troops sent to Italy to stop the Allied advance.
FIGHTING IN THE PACIFIC
In Asia the Allies endured several Japanese attacks. The British colonies of Malaya and Singapore fell in early 1942, as did the American-held Philippines. The Dutch East Indies also fell to the Japanese, and with the attack on Burma, even British-held India was vulnerable.
The Allies’ situation in the Pacific began to improve in May 1942, when they forced Japan to retreat after the Battle of the Coral Sea. But it was the Battle of Midway in June that proved a real turning point. American forces destroyed about 300 Japanese aircraft and sank four aircraft carriers during the victory. Japan couldn’t easily replace its lost aircraft and ships, which weakened its position in the war.
Allied forces also began a counterattack with a victory over the Japanese on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Other Allied attacks throughout 1943 captured some Japanese-held islands, while bypassing others. The Americans called this strategy “island hopping.”
