Stalingrad: The Last Letters

Nazis’ Last Stand: The Brutal Final Days of Stalingrad

Directed by Joe Greenway (2024)

Film Review

This film concerns the Nazi siege of Stalingrad in 1942-43 that ultimately turned the tide of World War II. It focuses on the poignant letters members of Hitler’s infamous Sixth Army, on the verge of surrender, sent home to their loved ones.

Hitler commenced Operation Barbarosa (his invasion of the Soviet Union) in June 1941. By spring 1942, his forces had killed three million Soviet troops and civilian. Frustrated by the Soviet strategy of strategic retreat, Hitler shifted strategy. Instead of continuing his push towards Moscow, he veered south to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad and the Caucasus oilfields.

Dividing his Sixth Army (joined by Hungarian, Italian and Romanian troops) into four contingents, he partially encircled the Soviet troops defending north Stalingrad. Ignoring his generals, on July 7, 1942 Hitler decided the Soviet troops were done for and ordered the Axis troops to march on Stalingrad.

By the end of July, he had lost one million men and 90% of his tanks. Nevertheless on July 29th, he ordered his forces to split and simultaneously attack Stalingrad and the Caucasus.

By August 1, 40,000 Stalingrad residents had been killed in Luftwaffe raids. By August 23, all but 75,000 survivors had been evacuated. Despite heavy Soviet resistance, Nazi troops invaded the city via the rail line.

A German soldier’s letter from September 13th describes the city as “completely destroyed,” with Nazi and Soviet troops fighting at point blank range for city blocks or individual buildings. Another letter indicates the Russians are better supplied and outnumber the Germans.

By mid-November the ground is covered with snow and there  is heavy hand to hand combat as Germany ammunition begins to run out. Of 3,000 German troops deployed to Stalingrad, 1000 have been killed and even more wounded.

By November 19, Stalingrad is 90% controlled by Germans, when the Soviets orchestrate a pincer movement to the north and south of Stalingrad trapping 260,000 German in a 60 by 40 kilometer with a handful of tanks and (due to bad weather), limited ammunition and fuel.

Hitler refuses a request by officers on the ground to withdraw from Stalingrad. Another German letter home reveals all the officers have been killed and describes going without water and eight days and nights without sleep.

A second letter describes the Sixth Army remaining in “hedgehog” position because only three days in December were clear enough for the Luftwaffe to airdrop food. A third describes being taunted by Soviet propaganda over loud speakers with claims of another German soldier dropping dead every seven seconds, accompanied by sickening tango music.

A fourth, complaining of no rations for three days, describes German forces trying to stay as close to Russian lines as possible so “they can’t shell us without hurting themselves.”

A fifth describes sleeping in a hole in the ground.

In mid-December Hitler orders a panzer group to break the Soviet circle and create a life line to rescue the trapped German forces. However of three panzer divisions, only one is fully operational.

Shortly after Christmas, the Soviets shut down the German airfields along the Volga and the airdrops cease. Starving Germn troops search the Russian dead for bread crust and for some pea flour they boil in water. They have already eaten all their horses and now they eat their dogs, which have been feeding on rats and corpses.

On January 10, the great Soviet offensive begins. By January 22, German ammunition is gone and his generals request permission to surrender. Hitler refuses. By January 25, some infantry are beginning to surrender. On January 28, Hermann Goehring informs the German pubic the Sixth Army has been defeated in Stalingrad. Field Marshall Paulus disobeys Hitler’s order and directs his generals to negotiate a surrender.

Ending the myth of German invincibility, 100,000 German troops marched into captivity in Russia with only 6,000 returning home.