Background:  In 1942, after the failed summer offensive, Hitler redirected his efforts south, to try and capture the vast oilfields of the Caucasian mountains.  The Panzers moved with their usual speed, and within weeks, stood at the gates of Stalingrad, the industrial city named after the Russian leader, Josef Stalin.  The propaganda significance of this city was recognized by Hitler, who ordered that it be taken at all costs.  This was a major tactical error…the Panzers were soon caught up in bitter street fighting, where they could come under attack from any building, sewer, or pile of rubble.  The speed of the Panzers counted to absolutely zero, and they were vulnerable to grenades, molotov cocktails, and explosive charges…

Worse was to happen to the German forces.  After fighting all the way into the town, the Germans were encircled by Russians attacks from the north and south, cutting them off from supply.  This was the beginning of a nightmare for the trapped Germans of Stalingrad.  Despite desperate attempts by the Luftwaffe to resupply from the air, the Germans were soon starving and running out of ammo, as the Russians slowly tightened their grip, pushing them further back into the centre of the city, away from their forces outside.  The Germans, knowing their fate if captured by the Soviets, fought them for every street and building, even retreating into the sewers, with the Soviet hunters hot on their heels…