Join hosts Peter and Dan Snow for an unprecedented look at the decisive conflicts of the 20th century. This new landmark series reveals the intricacies of these crucial battles -- the strategies, the weapons, the tactics and their impact. Unique CGI brings to life the vast landscapes of modern warfare and an extraordinary overview of the major actions, while the dramatized testimony of ordinary soldiers brings the experience of combat into sharp relief.
Episode 3: 1942 Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad is one of the most epic and tragic battles of World War II. Two armies fought a battle to the death amidst a city whose name has became synonymous with slaughter on a massive scale.
The German 6th Army had nearly secured control of this prize desperately sought by Hitler when in an extraordinary reversal of fortunes, the attackers were themselves surrounded by a massive Soviet counter-attack. Trapped on the Russian steppe in brutal winter conditions, thousands of the Wehrmacht's best men were left to starve or freeze to death. Capture was no escape the horror. Of approximately 90,000 German soldiers taken prisoner only about 5,000 ever returned home.
Peter and Dan travel to Stalingrad -- modern-day Volgograd -- now largely rebuilt but still carrying the scars of the terrible battle. This is the first time a foreign film crew has been allowed inside the Tractor Factory, scene of one of the extraordinary battles that flared up in over 5 months of fighting. Dan goes down into the sewers where many Soviets were forced to take cover. Together, the Snows go on a training operation with the British Army and are taught how snipers would have operated around the city.
