The final struggle for Stalingrad during World War Two. Christmastime, 1942 in Moscow. Russian civilians obtaining fir trees for Christmas celebrations. A large beautifully decorated Christmas tree set up in the Hall of Pillars, in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. Men and women couples dancing in the hall to music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. Smiling Russian children at play indoors, on slides, on a carousel ride, and playing hand games with one another. New Year's eve is different. World War 2 Soviet war production workers in a munitions factory greet each other but continue working without stopping. On the Stalingrad front lines, the Soviet Army marks the New Year, 1943, by launching artillery barrages, through the night and continuing unabated well into the next day. Russian Sukhoi Su-2 light bombers drop incendiaries on German positions. Brief partial glimpse of a Russian Sherman tank. Soviet Army soldiers using flame throwers. Soviet troops moving across ice and snow on armed Aerosan ice gliders. Batteries of Soviet Katusha rockets fire barrages. Soviet infantry and tanks advance across vast barren snow-covered terrain. Animated map depicts Nazi German military forces being pounded on several fronts. A solitary horse standing in midst of Stalingrad destruction and ruins. Scene from February 2, 1943 as Soviet soldiers, symbolically, fire the last shot in the Battle of Stalingrad. A smiling Soviet soldier then places a cover over the muzzle of the field artillery piece. Scenes of the battle's aftermath. Russian officers hug one another. The Soviet Union flag is hung from a city building. Numerous German soldiers surrender under a white flag of truce. Many surrendering German Generals are seen.
Battle scenes outside the snow covered city of Stalingrad, Russia, Soviet Union, as Soviet forces attack German forces that had encircled the city. Aerial view of Soviet Sukhoi Su-2 light bomber aircraft as it releases bombs on Nazi German positions. Soviet soldiers on the ground using flame throwers against German positions. Three Soviet RF-8 (GAZ-98) Aerosled (aircraft engine powered ice sled) are seen racing by camera position over snow covered terrain. Large batteries of Katyusha rocket launchers fire rockets toward German positions. Soviet soldiers advancing across open fields. Map depicting how Axis power was squeezed in early 1943 and defeated by the Soviet forces that had encircled it during Operation Uranus in late November 1942. Scenes of ruined city of Stalingrad from bombing in World War 2. A soviet soldier covers an artillery gun barrel after it fires a last shot in February 1943. Powerful sceneshowing bombed out Stalingrad buildings and one large building on fire, with a lifesize outdoor art sculpture of happy Soviet children playing in a circle in the foreground. Soviet civilians greet and embrace the defending Soviet soldiers and fly a Soviet flag. Group of German soldiers waving a white flag emerge from a blockhouse and surrender as prisoners of war to Soviet soldiers. Contingent of senior German generals and officers under Friedrich Paulus are seen during surrender, including General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach. General Arthur Schmidt, General Maximilian von Daniels, and General Edler von Daniel.
Italian troops outside Stalingrad, Russia, Soviet Union, during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. General Galbiati accompanied by General Viktor Lutze, Sturmabteilung ("SA") Chief, arrives at airfield near the front where he meets General Gariboldi, Commander in Chief of the Italian Expeditionary Force. General Galbiati in inspection of the troops. Italian officers inspect trenches and walk in them, and review Italian soldiers and artillery equipment.
World War 2 Battle of Stalingrad, Russia, Soviet Union. German tanks and armored vehicles advance on Russian front just outside Stalingrad. German tanks firing. German soldiers advancing through towns and into industrial outskirts of the city, near railroad marshaling yards and industrial plants. German soldiers firing rifles from bomb craters and embankments. Scenes of devastated buildings. Smoke rises in air. Soldiers cross railroad tracks. Shirtless German soldier loading artillery shell that is fired at Stalingrad. Elevated views of city of Stalingrad during battle, as explosions and fire are seen in buildings in the distance. Aerial views from German Luftwaffe bomber aircraft as they bomb the city of Stalingrad. Stuka dive bombers accompany them and are seen diving during battle.
Activities of German pilots and generals in Europe during World War II. German Luftwaffe pilots gathered. A pilot holds a bouquet of flowers and a sign commending him for 100 missions against England, United Kingdom. A pilot receives an award from an officer. German Pilots engaged in pre-flight or post-flight briefings. German officer talks on a phone. Pilots stand beside a map and talk. They discuss about mission and battles at a fighter squadron headquarters. Next: German Chancellor Adolf Hitler at the Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) Fuhrer's Headquarters (FHQ) for the eastern front near Rastenburg (now Ketrzyn Poland). He receives generals who fought at Kharkov, Russia, Soviet Union. Generals give a Nazi salute. Adolf Hitler decorates Schutzstaffel soldiers. Gen.Lt. Theobald Lieb is greeted and awarded by Hitler. Next, SS-Hpstuf. Léon Degrelle and SS-Gruf. Herbert Otto Gille are greeted by Hitler and receive decorations from him. Hitler and officers, including the award recipients, seated at a conference table talking.
Bombed out Soviet city seen in snow during World War 2. Map depicting U.S. and British forces landing and advancing in North Africa, and far North, the Soviet Army launching counteroffensive to push back the German Army advances in the Soviet Union. Animated map depicting Soviet forces pushing back on German forces and recapturing Schlusselburg, breaking the Axis ring around Leningrad. Map showing Russian forces bypassing German forces at Rzhev and recapturing Velikie Luki. Another Soviet advance was in the Voronezh area, pushing back German forces there and back over the Don River. Map shows Germans falling back from Grozny. Fresh reserve Soviet cavalry soldiers arriving on horseback from Siberia, riding horses on snow covered terrain. Views of reserve Soviet tanks and soldiers on foot arriving to assist at Stalingrad. Closeup views of reserve Soviet soldiers entering destroyed city of Stalingrad. Soviet Russian military officers Marshal Voronoff, Col. General Kosakoff, Lt. General Rakossovskvy, meeting to plan Operation Uranus strategy. Map depicts the result of their plans as two simultaneous attacks were launched; one encircling from the north of Stalingrad, counterclockwise, and the other from the South of Stalingrad, to perform a larger encircling around the encircled German forces. Footage (reenactment) shows Soviet soldiers from the north and south groups meeting on a snow covered field (in Kalach) as they complete the operation encircling the Germans in November 1942. The Soviet soldiers embrace and celebrate. Scenes of Soviet civilians celebrating Christmas in 1942. Civilians choosing a evergreen tree to serve as a Christmas tree. Soviet civilians riding in a truck on snow covered road. A Soviet child carrying a Christmas tree over his shoulder. Soviet children at an indoor Christmas celebration with dancing around a giant Christmas tree, an indoor slide, and a carousel. A small dog in a costume dances and twirls on its hind legs entertaining a group of smiling Russian children. Two Russian boys playing a game where each has to guess which hand is holding an item. The losing boy receives a finger flick against his nose by the winner. Carousel filled with children rotates around the Christmas tree. Scenes in Soviet ballistic and munitions factory as war production workers, both men and women, manufacture shells for the war effort. Young workers exchange greetings of Happy New Year as they work past midnight. Soviet soldier viewing war front through binoculars. Closeup view of wrist watch showing 12 o'clock midnight. A fellow Soviet soldier yells a new year greeting, followed by "Fire" as Soviet artillery open fire against German positions during night battle. Daytime views of snow covered battlefield show Soviet soldiers operating a long line of artillery as they blast German positions.