Russians refer to their defeat of the Nazi’s at Stalingrad (August 1942 – February 1943) as the second “Great Patriotic War,” marking their defeat of the Nazis in WWII. The first “Great Patriotic War” in Russia (1812) was when they were able to defeat Napoleon and his army. Historically, Russia has been able to defend themselves against many invaders by expertly leveraging their climate and size. These victories have been a source of national pride. In fact, many historians argue that the Soviets really won WWII, as they were able to resist Nazi occupation and go on to become a great world superpower, expanding their communist footprint.

World War II (1939–1945) was a conflict between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Russia temporarily) and the Allied Powers (Britain, France, the United States, and eventually Russia), with the Allies eventually winning. Russia began World War II allied with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis but switched sides when Hitler broke their Non-Aggression Pact (also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). This uneasy marriage ended on June 22nd, 1941, in divorce, when Hitler broke their agreement and attacked the Soviet Union, sending in three million Nazi soldiers.

Russia’s first “Great Patriotic War” was when the Russians defeated Napoleon in 1812, and the second “Great Patriotic War” was when the Russians defeated the Nazis at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. Both wars have been a source of great national pride; hence the name. Stalingrad became notorious as one of the longest and bloodiest battles in modern history. Over two million troops fought, and nearly two million people were killed and injured. The Russians were able to use their icy climate and home-turf advantage to skillfully engineer their defeat of the Nazis, effectively turning the tide of World War II for the Allies.

Stalingrad was an important industrial center in Russia and thus was a perfect target for an invasion. Hitler also chose the city because it bore Stalin’s name and was a geographically strategic location. With the Volga River running through the town, controlling the city would allow access to key shipping routes. Hitler knew taking Stalingrad would be powerful propaganda for his campaign and give the Nazis a leg up. On August 23, Hitler sent in the Wehrmacht (the army, navy, and air force), using his usual “blitz” style.

After slowing the Wehrmacht somewhat, Hitler’s troops decimated the city with continued airstrikes, rendering the Volga impassable. As the Luftwaffe (the Nazi air force) continued to drop bombs, the civilians of Stalingrad became increasingly frightened. Even though the Russians suffered heavy losses, they refused to surrender to the Nazis. They fought on. Then the Russian winter came.

As the frigid Russian winter swept in, Soviet generals knew that the time had come to use their climate and terrain to their advantage—just as they had done in 1812 against Napoleon’s army. They began encircling Stalingrad and choking off German forces from much-needed resources, like food and ammunition (Operation Little Saturn). With Italian forces unable to get supplies to their fascist friends, German troops were essentially trapped in Stalingrad, starving and freezing to death.

In February 1943, the battle had come to an end. Russian troops had imprisoned 100,000 German troops, and many more had died. Hitler publicly acknowledged the loss, humiliating the Axis powers. The Nazis continued to fight on the eastern front, but they would be defeated in two years’ time.

Many historians argue that the Soviets really won WWII, because they were able to resist Nazi occupation and go on to become a great world superpower, expanding their communist footprint. After World War II, Stalin would promise up and down at meetings with Allied leaders (Yalta and Potsdam) that he had no intentions of expanding his empire and spreading communism. Although Allied leaders like Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt did not necessarily believe him, they hoped that he would be a man of his word. However, by 1946, Stalin had draped the “Iron Curtain” across Europe, creating many communist satellite states and turning the Soviet Union into a world superpower that all would come to fear.