Allies (Soviet Union)Objective
The Soviet objective was to hold the city, wear down the attackers, and prepare a wider encirclement of the German flanks.
StalingradAlliesTanks
The Battle of Stalingrad raged from 1942 into early 1943 as German forces tried to seize the Volga city.
Axis (German Army)Objective
The German objective was to capture Stalingrad, cut Volga traffic, and protect the wider drive toward the Caucasus oil fields.
Operation Uranus encircled and destroyed the German Sixth Army, making Stalingrad a decisive turning point of the war.