A significant day in the history of the Red Army

On this day, December, 16, 1942 the Red Army launched Operation Little Saturn in the last weeks of the battle at Stalingrad.

It was an attempt to break through the German Army on the River Don. In the initial stages the Soviet attack failed. The German Army was made up mainly of Italians and were outnumbered nine to one. Three days later, December 19 the Red Army broke through.

Less than two months later, February 1943 Friedrich Paulus’ Sixth Army surrendered to Georgy Zhukov on the River Volga. Paulus was the first ever German field marshal to surrender.