TheBattleofStalingradwasthebloodiestbattleinhistory.AstheGermansadvancedonthecityinJuly1942,StalinpreventedciviliansfromleavingStalingrad.Civilians,includingwomenandchildren,wereputtoworkbuildingfortifications.AmassiveGermanairbombardmenton23Augustcausedafirestorm,killingthousands.
Stalinalsodecreedthatnocommandersshouldorderunauthorisedretreats,ortheywouldbecourt-martialled.Asaresult,theGermanspushingforwardintoStalingradsufferedheavycasualties.FightingonMamayevKurganwasparticularlymerciless.In1944twobodieswereexhumedatopthehill,oneGeman,oneSoviet,whohadapparentlykilledeachotherbysimultaneousbayonetimpalementthroughthechests,andwhohadatthatmomentbeenburiedbyanexplodingartilleryshell.
斯大林格勒之役，是歷史上最血腥的戰役。一九四二年七月，德軍向斯大林格勒挺進，斯大林不許城中百姓離去，要他們修築防禦工事，連婦孺都要動手。八月二十三日，德軍大舉空襲，造成一片火海，死者以千計。
斯大林還規定，軍隊指揮官不得擅自下令撤退，否則須受軍事審判。因此，入侵斯大林格勒的德軍死傷枕藉。馬馬耶夫岡上的戰鬥尤其殘酷。一九四四年，岡上掘出兩具屍體，一是德國士兵，一是蘇聯士兵。兩人顯然同時用刺刀插穿對方胸膛，而在同歸於盡的一剎那，一枚砲彈爆炸，揚起沙泥，把他們埋葬了。
【附注】馬馬耶夫岡上今天立着一個右手舉劍的女像，高八十五公尺，紀念戰死的蘇軍。