In the winter of 1942, the armies of Hitler and Stalin went head to head in the bloodiest battle of the Second World War.

Fought over five months through the bitter Russian Winter, the Battle for Stalingrad would serve as a turning point in the course of the Second World War and would mark a drastic change in the fortunes of the two dictators and the men who fought for them.

But how did an industrial city on the banks of the Volga come to play such a decisive role in the course of the Second World War?

In this series (‘Hitler vs Stalin’), historians James Holland, Guy Walters, author of The Lighthouse of Stalingrad Iain MacGregor and Research Fellow Sarah Ashbridge explore the personalities behind the battle to uncover the key moments, decisions and motivations that lead to this decisive moment.

In this episode 1, we uncover the personalities and psychology of the two Tyrants, Hitler and Stalin and their Generals Paulus and Zhukov as they enter a new season of campaigning against the backdrop of a global war.

In episode 2, after four months of heavy fighting, German commander Paulus and his troops had succeeded in pushing the Soviet's from out of the centre of the city and to within 800 metres of the Volga.

Victory seemed within their grasp, but what Paulus and Hitler didn't know was that Zhukov and Stalin were planning something that would change the battle, and the war - Operation Uranus.

Re-join our team of experts James Holland, Guy Walters, Iain MacGregor and Sarah Ashbridge as they continue to explore the personalities behind the battle and uncover the key moments & decisions that led to Stalin's ultimate victory over Hitler.

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