On This Day

On This Day - 1942 - The Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was determined to liberate the city named after him and in November he ordered massive reinforcements to the area. On 19 November, General Zhuklov launched a Soviet counteroffensive out of the rubble of Stalingrad. German command underestimated the scale of the counterattack and the 6th Army was quickly overwhelmed by the offensive which involved 500,000 Soviet troops, 900 tanks and 1400 aircraft. Within 3 days the entire German force of more than 200,000 men was encircled.