Stalingrad: The Last Letters, a History Hit Original feature-length documentary, revealing newly translated, never-before heard accounts that shed light on the agonising final moments of the men trapped in the ruins of Stalingrad during the Second World War. Discovered and translated by renowned German historian These deeply personal writings, penned in the face of inevitable defeat, offer a raw glimpse into the horrors of the Eastern Front and unique insights into the lives of the men that fought and died for Hitler 1941 was a failure for Nazi Germany. After invading the Soviet Union in June, they had expected to defeat the Red Army in 6 weeks. But by December, German forces had been thrown back by the Soviet winter counter-offensive. And there were even bigger problems. Germany had previously relied on the Soviets themselves for supplies of raw materials. But now, at war with their former ally, those supplies were running short. For Hitler the extensive oilfields of the southern Caucasus were the key to victory, without them the war could not be won. The campaign to capture that oil would culminate in the bloodiest battle of the Second World War, the Battle of Stalingrad. 00:00:00 INTRO 00:01:57 1943 AND RECAP OF 1942 00:03:30 OBJECTIVES OF FALL BLAU 00:07:18 LAUNCH OF FALL BLAU 00:13:15 FURHER DIRECTIVE no 45 00:14:51 ADVANCE TOWARDS STALINGRAD 00:26:00 CROSSING THE VOLGA 00:26:30 AERIAL ASSAULT ON STALINGRAD 00:30:45 GERMAN TROOPS ENTER STALINGRAD 00:42:22 LOSSES 00:45:37 HITLERS SPEECH 30TH SEPTEMBER 1943 00:50:09 OPERATION HUBERTUS & SECOND HITLER SPEECH 8TH NOVEMBER 1943 00:57:49 SOVIETS LAUNCH OPERATION URANUS 01:01:38 ENCIRCLEMENT COMPLETE 01:07:18 SUPPLY BY AIR 01:11:55 EVERY SEVEN SECONDS A GERMAN SOLDIER DIES 01:14:00 WINTER STORM 01:28:58 CHRISTMAS IN STALINGRAD 01:34:30 SOVIET ATTACKS RESUME 01:36:10 GERMAN AIRFIELDS FALL 01:41:20 GOERING SPEECH INFORMING GERMAN PUBLIC OF DEFEAT 01:48:05 SURRENDER Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android. We're offering a special discount to History Hit for our subscribers, get 50% off your first 3 months with code YOUTUBE: https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=YouTube2024 #stalingrad #ww2documentary #ww2history