Comments by "David Himmelsbach" (@davidhimmelsbach557) on "Why was The Battle of Stalingrad so Deadly?" video.

  1. Irony: snow reflects so much light that such things as Snow Burn and blindness often occur. Snow blindness is why skiers usually wear dark goggles... not clear lenses.
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  2. The "tractor works" was all metal and essentially fire proof. It was so large that divisions fought tank battles INSIDE it. The German propaganda rag "Signal" featured a photo of the tractor works. The building is so huge -- it's scary. It was no ordinary building -- and scaled up towards the size of the American Pentagon. (!) (Just about as tall, too.) The Russians did roll out turret-less T-34s at one point... but just a few. The work force dropped their tools and picked up rifles -- mostly.
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  3. What are you 'on' about? Stalin forbad ANY order of retreat. PERIOD. And there was/is no practical way to retreat across the Volga in the first place. BTW, his order really only had effect -- tactically and strategically at the LAND BRIDGE between the Don and the Volga. There soldiers really could retreat. But Order 227 specified anyone attempting it would be shot on the spot.
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  4.  @ivokantarski6220  Those lands don't export food. The top food exporting nations are: USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, France and Argentina. Iran, India, Thailand, Iraq and many more -- export only novelty crops such as dates, pistachios, unique rice types. Ukraine used to be a huge exporter, bet the Soviets and Nazis stopped all of that. Today the USA and Europe have to teach the Ukrainians how to grow food. (!)
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  5. Per se, it WASN'T. The vast, vast, bulk of the fighting and dying occurred at the land-bridge between the two major rivers: the Volga and the Don. It did NOT occur immediately in and around Stalingrad, the city, I don't care how many times you've seen that repeated -- in print and film and (so-called) documentaries. No less than FIVE Soviet armies squared off against the Germans at the land-bridge only ONE Soviet army was in the city proper. To get troops into the city was a nightmare, as they had to be ferried in, often under artillery fire. Whereas, the FIVE other armies were on a DIRECT rail line shooting down from Moscow. The final rail line ran just west of the Volga, reaching Saratov, where the rail net crossed the river to the East side. Logistically, both sides were greatly hampered by the location, with the Germans in an even worse position than the Reds. All of the human wave attacks occurred at the land bridge -- not in and around Stalingrad. It was at the land bridge that Stalin sent in cannon fodder -- guys without rifles. It was there that the Germans became demoralized as they saw, day after day, corpses pile up to the height of a man. The stench of decay drove many Germans crazy. It didn't bother Red soldiers -- because they were dead. On some days, the Germans recorded three-divisions attacking in succession, all to be destroyed. When the envelopment came, the 6th Army just starved to death. They didn't give up until so weak that they couldn't make it to the railhead on the way to the GULAG. (!)
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