HITLER REFUSES TO SURRENDER AT STALINGRAD
Stalingrad, USSR (JFK+50) On January 24, 1943, General Friedrich Paulus*, commander of the German Sixth Army here in Stalingrad, "urgently" requested permission of Adolf Hitler to surrender his forces.
The Battle of Stalingrad had begun in the summer of 1942 with Nazi forces besieging the city. The Germans were unable to break the Soviet defense line and winter set in. 65,000 Nazi soldiers were taken prisoner.
Through it all, Hitler refused to surrender. He said...
"The 6th Army will hold its positions to the last man and the last round."
Paulus had no choice but to surrender on January 31, 1943. It was a disaster for the German army.
*Friedrich Wilhelm Paulus (1890-1957) was born in Guxhagen, Germany & served in the Imperial German Army 1910-1945 & 1953-1956, FWP served in WWI & WWII & was critical of the Nazi regime after capture by the Soviets. He lived in East Germany after WWII.
SOURCE
"General Paulus to Hitler: Let Us Surrender!," History.com, November 16, 2009, www.history.com/
