The surrender of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus at Stalingrad marked a pivotal moment in World War II. The battle itself, which began in the summer of 1942, was characterized by fierce urban warfare and was fought between the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Stalingrad, a major industrial city on the Volga River, was of strategic importance to both sides. The Germans aimed to capture it to secure their flank and seize control of the oil fields in southern Russia. The Soviet forces, however, were determined to defend the city at all costs.

As winter set in, the situation for the Sixth Army became dire. Soviet counteroffensives encircled the German troops, cutting off their supply lines and diminishing their resources. By late January, the situation had become untenable. On January 31, 1943, Paulus, compelled by the lack of food, ammunition, and the relentless advance of Soviet troops, ordered his forces to surrender. This marked the first time in the war that a German field marshal surrendered with an entire army.

Two days later, the remnants of the Sixth Army, approximately 90,000 men, capitulated, leading to one of the most significant defeats for Germany during the war. The battle resulted in an estimated 1.2 million casualties combined for both sides, fundamentally changing the course of the conflict on the Eastern Front and boosting Soviet morale, while severely affecting German capabilities to launch further offensives.