Bombing of Stalingrad

The ruins of Stalingrad on 2 October 1942.

Stalingrad, a Soviet city and industrial centre on the river Volga, was bombed heavily by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. German land forces comprising the 6th Army had advanced to the suburbs of Stalingrad by August 1942. The city was firebombed with 1,000 tons of high explosives and incendiaries in 1,600 sorties on 23 August. The aerial assault on Stalingrad was the most concentrated on the Ostfront according to Beevor,[1] and was the single most intense aerial bombardment on the Eastern Front at that point.[2] The destruction was monumental and complete, turning Stalingrad into a sea of fire and killing thousands of civilians and soldiers. At least 90% of the housing stock was obliterated during the first week of the bombing,[3] with estimations of some 40,000 killed,[1] possibly as many as 70,000 killed,[3] though these may be exaggerations.[4] Also estimated is 150,000 wounded.[5] Further fire-attacks were mounted against the ruined city for the next two days, enveloping it in dense volcano-like black smoke clouds that stretched 3.5 kilometers into the sky.

In accordance with Adolf Hitler's demand to exterminate all traces of Soviet resistance, Soviet forces hiding in the rubble were subjected to nonstop German airstrikes until the Soviet counteroffensive in late November 1942. Luftflotte 4 flew 1,000 sorties per day on average from 23 August to 22 November, the bulk of which were directed at Stalingrad.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Rees, Laurence (1999). The War of the Century: When Hitler Fought Stalin. BBC Books. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-563-38477-9.
  3. ^ a b "Unsung Witnesses of the Battle of Stalingrad". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 2022-09-09. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bellamy 2007, p. 507