German losses were extremely heavy in the Soviet Union. One hundred sixty thousand German troops died at Stalingrad, and more than one hundred ten thousand surrendered.
At the same time, in nineteen forty-four, the Soviets were attacking Germany from the east. Earlier, Soviet forces had succeeded in breaking German attacks at Stalingrad, Moscow and Leningrad.
The German attack on Stalingrad, now known as Volgograd because Stalin sucks, was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of war, with more than two million dead.
However, by late 1942, the war was beginning to shift in the Allies' favour as the German advance stalled at Stalingrad while the British seized the upper hand in North Africa.
With several books already under his belt, Mr Beevor became known in 1998 for his epic account of the siege of Stalingrad, and went on to produce accounts of D-Day and the fall of Berlin.
Okay, we’re going to skip most of the big battles of 1942 - like the Battle of Midway, which effectively ended Japan’s chance of winning the war - and focus on the Battle of Stalingrad.