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[[File: Stalingrad one.jpg|thumbnail|350px|left|Fighting at Stalingrad]]
The Battle of Stalingrad, fought by the Soviet Union and German forces, was a decisive victory for the USSR that turned the tide of war in the Allies favor. Germany's defeat at Stalingrad was not only a catastrophic German loss but put Germany on the defensive for the rest of the war. Stalingrad halted the German invasion of Russia and turned the tide of World War Two in Europe.
Why were the Germans defeated and how did the Soviet Union manage to win the Battle of Stalingrad? The German army was hobbled by Hitler's micromanaging and tactics, his intransigence, and poor German battlefield leadership. The Soviet's benefitted from superior Soviet leadership, numbers, and tactics.
====Stalingrad Halted the German Invasion of Russia====
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In February 1943, Von Paulus surrendered the remaining starving and ragged German forces in Stalingrad. Finally, he had defied Hitler’s orders to fight to the last man and bullet. The German defeat had been devastating. They had lost half a million, either killed or captured. The Germans after the Soviet victory lost a significant amount of territory in the south of Russia.<ref> Hoyt, p. 211</ref> Stalingrad halted Germany's invasion into Russia. Instead of advancing, the German army engaged in a long slow retreat.
Furthermore, he compounded his initial errors, by refusing to allow Paulus to force a way out of Stalingrad his General could have saved some of the German forces and mitigated the consequences of Hitler’s mistakes. Hitler’ meddling, misguided strategy, and poor tactics meant that the 6th army was doomed to defeat at Stalingrad.
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