At the end of the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II, Soviet soldiers charged the German army in an offensive in February 1943. On the way to the assault, the bodies of Soviet soldiers were strewn about.

　　 At the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet soldiers launched an offensive assault on German troops in February 1943. On the way to the assault, the bodies of Soviet soldiers were strewn about. In the background, railroad buildings lay in ruins. Tank shells rang out and artillery blasted. Soldiers from both armies were killed and wounded in the brutal urban warfare in the ruined city of Stalingrad. The fortified city was of great importance in the defense and was a major obstacle to attack.

　On the Eastern Front of World War II, German forces declared war on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, and invaded Soviet territory at breakneck speed. German forces attacked Stalingrad beginning on August 23, 1942, and on September 12 German troops raided the city of Stalingrad. It was accompanied by heavy casualties, with about 60% of both German and Soviet generals killed in action. Stalin issued Order No. 227 to the Soviet forces on July 28, ordering them "not to retreat a single step," and warning that any troops who retreated would be shot dead. Despite the German raid, Soviet Stalingrad did not fall. On the contrary, the Soviets began a reverse siege of the German city on November 19; the Germans surrendered on February 2, 1943, and the Soviets retook Stalingrad, taking nearly 100,000 German soldiers as prisoners of war. Only about 6,000 POWs survived to return to their native Germany.

　Both armies fought at close quarters with over one million men, and the Axis forces (German, Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian) suffered about 800,000 casualties, while the Red Army suffered about one million. An important factor in the Soviet victory was the cold winter. The Battle of Stalingrad almost assured that Germany was on the road to defeat on the Eastern Front.