65th Great Victory Anniversary: Feb.2 – Day of Nazis’ complete defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad

Russia celebrates the Day of Rout of Nazis’ troops by the Soviet Army in the Battle of Stalingrad. It came to an end 67 years ago, on February, 2 1943 with a decisive victory of Soviet forces.

This Day of Military glory, fixed in the Federal Law from February, 10 and in the decree of the President of the Russian Federation from March, 13 1995, gave a start to series of national and military celebrations, memorial dates of the military history. The Day of complete defeat of Nazis’ troops by the Soviet Army in the Battle of Stalingrad is among the first ten Days of Military Glory, set up in the contemporary Russia, which has been celebrated from 1996.

The Rosvoencentr (Russian State Centre of Military History and Culture under the Government of the Russian Federation) informs that among the key dates in February are the 65^th anniversary of Budapest liberation by the troops of 2^nd and 3^rd Ukrainian troops (February, 13), the Remembrance Day of servicemen-internationalists (February, 15) and the Fatherland Defenders’ Day (February, 23), equated to the Day of Military Glory

Historians estimate that the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted for 200 days and nights, was the longest and the most grueling in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Liberation of Stalingrad became the turning point of the war. In the battles the Nazis lost about 1,5 million men killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Over 2,000 tanks, 10,000 artillery guns and mortars, and 3,000 airplanes of the enemy were destroyed. 112 Soviet soldiers – participants of the Battle of Stalingrad have been given the title Hero of the Soviet Union.