As the Germans pressed forward into Stalingrad, the Red Army resisted them furiously.

No one on the German side suspected that the strong Soviet defense was not only about holding a city,

it was also about drawing their enemy into a trap.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Welcome. Thank you. I'm going to be. I'm going to I'm Episode 380, Operation Uranus.

We pick up today with the battle for Stalingrad.

The last time I talked about this battle, which was three weeks back,

I described to you the grinding misery endured by both armies

as they fought each other viciously over every meter of ground.

The Germans were inching forward, building by building, sometimes floor by floor within a building. The Germans were inching forward, building by building, sometimes floor by floor within a building.

But although they were slowly moving forward, by October, German morale was sinking.

Conditions on the front lines were harsh and dangerous, and the Germans were all too conscious of the fact that in a few weeks

another frigid Russian winter would begin.

Some soldiers were looking forward to it.

They figured cold weather would reduce the intensity of the combat, as both sides would be forced into winter quarters.

Although the Red Army was slowly losing ground, their morale was rising.

Soviet soldiers who had known nothing but defeat after humiliating defeat

since the war began 16 months ago,

now found themselves not only holding their own against the

full might of the Vermacht, which was now focused on Stalingrad, but inflicting heavy losses

on the world's most feared military. I already described to you the emergence of skillful and motivated snipers among the Red Army,

who competed with each other for the greatest number of kills.

...