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«Stalingradskaya bitva» — pamyati zaschitnikov Stalingrada.

In the summer of 1942, a battle of unprecedented significance, scope and tension began on the approaches to the Don and Volga. For 200 days and nights, the Red Army was grinding the perfect formations of Germany and its allies. The Battle of Stalingrad, which changed history and turned the tide of the entire World War II, lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 and ended with the complete victory of the Soviet troops. The defensive phase of the operation continued until November 18, 1942, and on November 19, the offensive phase began.

The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is a general turning point in the course of the entire Second World War. The enemy lost hundreds of thousands of experienced soldiers and officers, was forced to retreat from the North Caucasus, leave Stavropol, Kuban, Rostov-on-Don. In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken. In March 1943, under the influence of defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans cleared the territory of the Rzhev-Vyazemsky ledge and never again threatened the security of Moscow. Now it has become clear to the whole world that the USSR will not lose the war to Nazi Germany, but will continue to advance until the complete defeat of the Nazi bloc.

The word "Stalingrad" has become synonymous with victory. The battle on the Volga inspired millions of people in the occupied countries to powerful resistance. At the same time, the allies of the USSR began to think more and more about the need to open a second front in Europe, since the Red Army proved that it alone could defeat Nazi Germany.

In 1965, Stalingrad became a hero city. The medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" was awarded to more than 700 thousand participants in this grandiose battle. February 2 - the day the Soviet troops defeated the Nazi troops in the Battle of Stalingrad - is today the Day of Russia's military glory.