Battle of Stalingrad

Stalingrad, Battle of, decisive engagement in World War II, fought in the vicinity of Stalingrad (since 1961, Volgograd) from Aug. 1942 to Feb. 1943. The 500,000-man German 6th army surrounded the city on Sept. 14, 1942, but was itself encircled early in 1943 by a Russian army, and forced to surrender. The battle wrested the psychological initiative from the Nazis for the remainder of the war.

See also: World War II.