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Operation Uranus Begins at Stalingrad

Soviet forces launched Operation Uranus on November 19, 1942, opening a major counteroffensive around Stalingrad.

Published · Updated · 1 min read

The Event

Soviet forces launched Operation Uranus on November 19, 1942, opening a major counteroffensive around Stalingrad.

The Wider Story

The attack struck Axis forces on the flanks of the German army. The encirclement developed over subsequent days, changing the strategic situation.

Putting the Event in Perspective

The operation's opening was not the surrender of the German Sixth Army, which came in 1943.

Reading the Historical Record

Distinguishing attack, encirclement and surrender prevents several months of fighting from collapsing into one anniversary.

About the Historical Recreation

The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a wide winter landscape near Stalingrad with distant Soviet vehicles moving across snow, no combat. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.

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