1. Arguably the largest, bloodiest, and most desperate battle of World War II. Occured in 1942-1943 when A Nazi German Army Group South, initially 500,000 men strong, had pushed south of Moscow into the Caucasus, fighting their way to the city of Stalingrad (former Tsaritsyn and modern-day Volgograd), where they were intercepted by the re-organized Soviet armies, about 1,000,000 men (and women) strong.
Both sides failed to claim a decisive victory; the German forces occupied 90% of the city at their peak, but never managed to completely eliminate resistance, while the Soviet armies kept sending reinforcements. Both sides indiscriminately air-bombed and howitzer-shelled the city; in fact, despite the freezing temperature of -30 centigrade, air within the city was hot from the constant gunpowder explosions. Eventually, the fighting degenerated into a bloody meatgrinding house-to-house warfare, dubbed by the Germans as rat-war.
The Soviet reserves eventually broke through the outer defences, and encircled the city, trapping the Germans in a pocket. The German commander, von Paulus, repeately argued before Hitler that a breakthrough retreat was vital to the German survival, but the madman Hitler prohibited retreat, which eventually caused the entire German army group to collapse.
At over a million casualties from each side, the battle of Stalingrad was perhaps the bloodiest battle of the war. It was especially devastating to the Germans, however, as they lost their best equipment, and unlike the Soviets, did not have the reserve manpower to replace the terrible losses. The battle of Stalingrad is considered the most important turning point on the Eastern front, and quite possibly the single most important battle of the war.
Both sides failed to claim a decisive victory; the German forces occupied 90% of the city at their peak, but never managed to completely eliminate resistance, while the Soviet armies kept sending reinforcements. Both sides indiscriminately air-bombed and howitzer-shelled the city; in fact, despite the freezing temperature of -30 centigrade, air within the city was hot from the constant gunpowder explosions. Eventually, the fighting degenerated into a bloody meatgrinding house-to-house warfare, dubbed by the Germans as rat-war.
The Soviet reserves eventually broke through the outer defences, and encircled the city, trapping the Germans in a pocket. The German commander, von Paulus, repeately argued before Hitler that a breakthrough retreat was vital to the German survival, but the madman Hitler prohibited retreat, which eventually caused the entire German army group to collapse.
At over a million casualties from each side, the battle of Stalingrad was perhaps the bloodiest battle of the war. It was especially devastating to the Germans, however, as they lost their best equipment, and unlike the Soviets, did not have the reserve manpower to replace the terrible losses. The battle of Stalingrad is considered the most important turning point on the Eastern front, and quite possibly the single most important battle of the war.
The movie "Enemy at the Gates", although way over-romanticized and hollywoodised, nevertheless manages to show a small glimpse of what fighting in Stalingrad was like.
by Elvarg October 3, 2005
Get the Stalingrad mug.A long spindly rock formation, found in caves, that protrudes from the cave wall in a horizontal fashion. This formation is similar in appearance to a stalactite or stalagmite but much less common.
Mark: Oh my god, come check out this stalagtron.
Will: You have got to be kidding.
Mark: No way, check it out, it's at least 13 feet long and completely horizontal.
Will: Get the hammer, we're never going to have to work another day in our lives.
Will: You have got to be kidding.
Mark: No way, check it out, it's at least 13 feet long and completely horizontal.
Will: Get the hammer, we're never going to have to work another day in our lives.
by goodmango April 18, 2009
Get the stalagtron mug.Related Words
stalan
• stalance
• stalandra
• Stalanx
• Stalin
• Stalinium
• Stalingrad
• Stalactite
• Stalagmite
• shalanda
Dried nasal mucus on the bottom of your nose. Similar to a stalagmite from the bottom of caves, the booger is on the bottom of your nasal cave.
by datoneperson December 6, 2010
Get the Stalagmooger mug.Born Iosif Visarionovich Dzhugashvili in 1879. His birthplace was a town called Gori in Georgia. Born into crushing poverty, and beaten by his drunken father, he was steered with the help of his stern mother into education at a Seminary during his teens.
Here he disovered literature (then banned) by Karl Marx and became influenced by a small group who met secretly to discuss his concepts. From these experiences, being exposed to Marxist ideology, he rejected his religious education and became an atheist and professional revolutionary.
Firstly adopting the pseudonym Koba, a romantic fictional character of Georgian novels he read, he became obsessed with Lenin and the revolutionary movement occurring against the Tsars in Russia.
A bank robber, and ruthless agitator, he spent alot of time in Siberian exile, earning himself a reputation as a committed revolutionary.
Later he changed his pseudonym to Stalin, meaning Man Of Steel, and rose through the ranks of the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Workers Party, although he was not able to fully penetrate the inner intellectual circles of the movement until the Bolsheviks took full power in 1917.
He was never considered a theorist or fellow intellectual by members of the top ranks in the movement, but his genius was demonstrated in the loyalty and influence he had garnered when orgainsing the rank and file of the revolutionary movement. His power base lay firmly in the grass roots. He used this to gain control of the Party and rid the revolution of his Nemesis, Leon Trotsky.
His second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva became his lover while he fought against Tsarist forces during the Russian civil war following the revolution. She shot herself dead in despair during the 1930's, during the time of the Ukrainian famine, a result of Stalin's polices of forced collectivisation. And, vindictive subjugation of those who opposed him.
When he took power, Stalin then ruled with ruthless disregard for human life for nearly quarter of a century until 1953. The revolution was turned into his own tool of revenge and narrowmindedness, the state reorganised into his own personality cult.
Killing millions with his polices of modernisation and collectivisation, he transformed the Soviet Union into a major world power, and at one time the second largest industrial giant (America being No 1). But the human cost leaves his achievments tainted permanently.
The Soviet Union's role in the Second World War was instrumental in defeating the Nazis, and this is sorely and disrespectfully not recognized.
A great man, no doubt, but great for too many wrong reasons. A Modernizer, and mass murderer.
He had the affectionate name Uncle Joe attached to him by American propagandists who wanted to create an image of the man in which the American people could trust, while the anti-communist USA was allied with the USSR during WWII.
Here he disovered literature (then banned) by Karl Marx and became influenced by a small group who met secretly to discuss his concepts. From these experiences, being exposed to Marxist ideology, he rejected his religious education and became an atheist and professional revolutionary.
Firstly adopting the pseudonym Koba, a romantic fictional character of Georgian novels he read, he became obsessed with Lenin and the revolutionary movement occurring against the Tsars in Russia.
A bank robber, and ruthless agitator, he spent alot of time in Siberian exile, earning himself a reputation as a committed revolutionary.
Later he changed his pseudonym to Stalin, meaning Man Of Steel, and rose through the ranks of the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Workers Party, although he was not able to fully penetrate the inner intellectual circles of the movement until the Bolsheviks took full power in 1917.
He was never considered a theorist or fellow intellectual by members of the top ranks in the movement, but his genius was demonstrated in the loyalty and influence he had garnered when orgainsing the rank and file of the revolutionary movement. His power base lay firmly in the grass roots. He used this to gain control of the Party and rid the revolution of his Nemesis, Leon Trotsky.
His second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva became his lover while he fought against Tsarist forces during the Russian civil war following the revolution. She shot herself dead in despair during the 1930's, during the time of the Ukrainian famine, a result of Stalin's polices of forced collectivisation. And, vindictive subjugation of those who opposed him.
When he took power, Stalin then ruled with ruthless disregard for human life for nearly quarter of a century until 1953. The revolution was turned into his own tool of revenge and narrowmindedness, the state reorganised into his own personality cult.
Killing millions with his polices of modernisation and collectivisation, he transformed the Soviet Union into a major world power, and at one time the second largest industrial giant (America being No 1). But the human cost leaves his achievments tainted permanently.
The Soviet Union's role in the Second World War was instrumental in defeating the Nazis, and this is sorely and disrespectfully not recognized.
A great man, no doubt, but great for too many wrong reasons. A Modernizer, and mass murderer.
He had the affectionate name Uncle Joe attached to him by American propagandists who wanted to create an image of the man in which the American people could trust, while the anti-communist USA was allied with the USSR during WWII.
"Lenin left the people a great legacy, and we his heirs have fucked it up"
Stalin upon hearing of the Nazi invasion of the USSR- 1941.
Stalin upon hearing of the Nazi invasion of the USSR- 1941.
by Jim Jammy December 31, 2004
Get the stalin mug.Evil commie dick head, helped murder more people than Hitler. Estimated 20 million dead mostly Jews and political rivals.
by Too lazy for details November 15, 2007
Get the joseph stalin mug.The man responsible for the most deaths caused worldwide. This is hardly recognized, and those he killed were his own people, and those from small, helpless countries he prior infested with communism.
by Caius Justinas June 27, 2005
Get the stalin mug.A very tall, smart, beautiful and sexy chic that you can bring home to mom. She's a Libra and the most realest person ever ,because of her inability to lie or be fake everyone wants to be around her. She knows more rap verses than your closest boy, and has sicker shoe game than most broads with much smaller feet. And she has an IQ of 139 and a smart ass mouth. She can also whup your ass in Teken. Also goes by Sha (not pronounced "shay") and Lana
If I ever settle down with one person or get married I pray to God its with Shalana or someone just like her, because she is perfect!
by Sha Goody September 10, 2011
Get the Shalana mug.