▪️ #OnThisDay in 1942, the German air force launched its first massive bombardment of Stalingrad. This attack was both unprecedented in scale and marked by extreme cruelty, lasting for approximately three hours and resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 people.

The invaders dropped thousands of tonnes of various air bombs, including incendiary bombs containing phosphorous. The resulting carpet bombing devastated over half of the city’s housing, as well as a sports centre, the city library, several hospitals and educational institutions.

✍️ Excerpt from the memoirs of Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrey Yeryomenko: “During the bombing, pillars of fire and smoke soared upwards in different places without interruption. Immense columns of flame rose to the skies near oil depots. Streams of burning oil and gasoline rushed into the Volga River. <...> The screech of bombs flying from above mixed with the roar of explosions, the grinding and clanging of collapsing buildings and the crackling of the raging inferno. The dying moaned; women and children wept hysterically, calling for help.”

Despite the scale of destruction, the Nazi invaders failed to break the resistance of the defenders of Stalingrad. The heroic defence of the city lasted for several months and went down in history as a symbol of the courage and unbending will of Soviet soldiers. The Battle of Stalingrad ended in February 1943 with the rout of the Wehrmacht’s elite forces and marked a turning point in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

#Victory79 #WeRemember