Why did the German Army lose the Battle of Stalingrad?

Question

Why do you think the German Army lost the Battle of Stalingrad?

Answer 1

Because they were outnumbered over a huge front. The German Army just couldn't advance along such a large front, both towards Stalingrad and the Volga, and towards the Oil Fields and the Caucasus region at the same time. They just didn't have enough troops to support a double advance. This, and that the Soviets had learned the lessons of modern warfare and were waiting for the Germans to aproach Stalingrad, hold them stuck in there and then attack massively their flanks, poorly guarded by very much outnumbered Romanian, Hungarian and Italian armies who were overwhelmed. The VI German Army got surrounded, and that was it. And as a consequence, all the German armies that were advancing through the Caucasus in a relatively easy way, had to withdraw in a hurry.

Answer 2

The Sixth German army was cut off from the rest of the front and the German 4th Panzer Army were unable to relieve it . The Luftwaffe tried top resupply the sixth army but didn't have enough planes to do it. The German Sixth army fought for about four months before it was forced to surrender.

The Reasons for the lost were,in my opinion, lack of clear sight for the situation by Hitler and the failure of the German General Staff to stand up to the little paperhanger even though they had no confidence in him.

Answer 3

Very short: Hilter did not plan to gain Stalingrad in the start at all, the oil fields were the main goal. Then he changed his mind and thought that capturing Stalingrad could be also done in weeks. German troops were not equipped for winter at all. Once it became obvious that the battle will continue into the winter, Goering promised air-lifts to bring in enough supplies. He failed. Germans starved and died of cold.

Answer 4

The same reason that Napoleon was defeated. Their two Generals: General January and General February. The Germans didn't know how to cope with the cold. While the Russians had boots made of felt the Germans had ordinary boots and got frost bite. Their vehicles wouldn't work as the diesel and oil froze and the tyres cracked and their weapons seized up. Also their supply line was very long. This isn't such a problem in a hot country (it didn't worry the Japanese) but where you need to take all you food and lots of warm tents etc it is a problem.

Answer 5

To begin with there are several good answers already here, but perhaps I can embelish.
Hitler at the time he launched the push into Russia, "operation Barbarossa" was already fighting on his western front. His sucesses in the Blitzkrieg (lighting} attacks in western Europe were tremendous. He actually thought with the battle going so wonderfully in the North Atlantic and Great Brittan's loses in the air over Europe that her surrender was immeniant. His inital assualt into Russia was not only unexpected due to the non-aggresion pact signed with Stalin, but his troops and equipment were superior.
However, when the Russian winter came it killed by the thousands. Germany learned Napolean's mistakes. The wehrmacht troops of Deutchland had no cold weater gear to survive the cold, machines froze up and were abandoned, and then...........the russians came. They came by the hundreds of thousands from accross the steppes. Superior German firepower mowed the russians down....but still they came. The germans fired until they were overrun or out of ammunition. The russian factories kept pumping out arms. What the germans lost by attriction were men and equipment they could not replace. And still more russians came.
Lastly, Der Fueher executed so many of his staff officers that pleaded with him to retreat and regroup, it left the high command with mostly yes men who were afraid to stop his maddness. Look at Rommel.

Answer 6

Pure and simple, Hitler's arrogance, stupidity and intransience. Left to their own devices and strategies, Hitler's 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army would not have fought an urban battle....

Answer 7

Supply lines of Nazi Germany were too long and often sabotages by guerrilla warfare. The Russians/Soviets knew the area better then the Germans (and knew were and when to act), and people who defend their country fight better then the invaders, at least at a certain point.

Answer 8

The German Supply lines were too long, and the weather demoralized the Germans.

Answer 9

The russian climate was bad. It was too cold .It was beyond their confines. The had To battle Britain, france, and had sent many troop to attack other ally countries

Answer 10

supply lines were overextended, troops unprepared for an extended campaign and inability to adjust to changes because of interference from Hitler