Stalingrad Author:Theodore Plievier An invincible German Army of 330,000 stood before the shattered gates of Stalingrad. On November 19, 1942, the Russians launched their great counter-attack. The Germans were face-to-face with their worst military disaster in Europe--the decisive battle of World War II. Adolf Hitler commanded that not a step backward could be taken--that every po... more »sition must be defended to the last man. The Germans suffered unbelievable agonies in the savage Russian winter--tens of thousands froze to death; food and medical supplies gave out; ammunition became non-existent. Within 10 weeks the Germans had lost a quarter of a million men--the greatest death-toll in any battle in the entire war.« less