The German air forces fought hard to maintain their position in the sky. This also meant they were able to replace aircraft constantly, something the Luftwaffe was unable to achieve. Although this may not have been enough for the Soviets to completely overrun the Luftwaffe, they were fortunate to have a clear advantage in numbers. In January of 1943, the Russians had initiated a programme for pilots to help them gain much-needed practice in preparation for the battlefield. German fighters were certainly more advanced than the SSV, they had years of tactical experience on their side. After a few days of fighting in the air, it appeared as though the Luftwaffe were weakening significantly, allowing the Soviet forces to try and claim back air superiority. Germany had never lost a summer offensive, so it would take a great deal of power to change that. In 1946, a Russian filmmaker made a three-hour film depicting a fictionalized version of the Battle of Stalingrad.After suffering many losses on the first day of fighting, the future seemed bleak for the Soviets. Eventually the German forces surrendered. They attacked from the front and rear, surrounding the German army in the city, leaving them cut off from reinforcements. The Soviet army responded with a two-pronged attack. Their attack began using air raids and continued on the ground. Germany believed it was important to take the city. Stalingrad was an important industrial city in construction of armaments and transport down the Volga River. Nearly 2.2 million in personnel combined of both sides fought in the battle and nearly half were lost (there were significant civilian casualties in the battle). This was the largest confrontation in World War II and the largest battle of all time. Source: Bundesarchiv via Wikimedia Commons
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