Urban Warfare at Stalingrad

Urban warfare is a

different style of warfare because an enemy could be hiding anywhere,

each house must be cleared out individually, and no powerful weapons

may be used out of fear for collateral damage. However, it is

disadvantageous to use because of the danger it puts your own civilians

in. Despite this, however, many weaker enemies resort to urban warfare

in order to combat a powerful enemy. For this reason, the US has

developed MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) training.

The

Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43) in WWII is a prime example of urban

warfare. It was initiated due to Operation Barbarossa, the German push

eastward towards Moscow. Stalingrad was a key target due to its

symbolic name and its industrial capacity. Initially, the Russians

under Zhukov were almost completely pushed out of the city by Paulus's

Sixth Army. However, powerful Russian tank, skilled Russian snipers,

and masses of Russian soldiers (whose life expectancy was less than 24

hours) fought back and even surrounded the Germans in Operation Uranus.

Eventually, after a failed rescue attempt by Manstein's German Army,

Paulus surrendered and the Russians won the battle.

Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine

For more information, read:

The Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler

The Guinness Book of Military Blunders: Operation Barbarossa by Geoffrey Regan

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/stalingrad/default.aspx