From July 1942 to February 1943, Soviet forces defended the city of Stalingrad from Nazi attack. The battle began during the summer offensive of 1942, Nazi Army Groups A and B had already pushed beyond Stalingrad to capture oil fields in southwestern Russia, when Hitler ordered Stalingrad to be attacked (Trueman, n.d.) . “Some historians believe that Hitler ordered the capture of Stalingrad simply because of the city's name and Hitler's hatred of Joseph Stalin. For the same reason Stalin ordered that the city should be saved” (Trueman, n.d.). Stalingrad was also the center of Soviet communications and production in the south. Because Stalingrad was of such importance to the Soviet war effort and because the Soviets could not allow the Nazis to control the oil fields in southwestern Russia, Stalin issued the “Not One Step Back” order (Trueman, n.d.). The battle eventually turned into one of the bloodiest of World War II, with enormous civilian and military casualties. At the beginning of the battle, General Friedrich Paulus commanded the attacking Nazi forces. His army consisted of “250,000 men, 740 tanks, 1,200 aircraft, and 7,900 guns and mortars” (Luther, 2004). Paulus was known as efficient but lacking decisiveness (Luther, 2004). General Georgy Zhukov commanded the Soviet defense of Stalingrad. His army consisted of “187,000 men, 360 tanks, 337 aircraft, and 7,500 guns and mortars” (Luther, 2004). Zhukov was an adaptive leader well known for assessing the battlefield and adapting his tactics as the situation changed (Luther, 2004). The Nazi forces had an advantage in personnel, tanks and aircraft, while the Soviets had an advantage in leadership. During the Battle of Stalingrad, Nazi forces were finally cut off. during the Battle of Stalingrad have been documented and repeated throughout history. The lessons are simple but difficult to implement due to a myriad of reasons. Difficulties should not prevent leaders from putting into practice the lessons learned from this battle, ultimately it is up to individual leaders to decide whether they want to follow in Paulus's footsteps or Zhukov's. Works Cited Beevor, A (1998), Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943, New York, NY, Viking PenquinLuther, T. (2004), The Strategic Implications of the Battle of Stalingrad, Retrieved from: http://www. dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD= ADA424054The Eastern Front, (nd), Operation Uranus, Excerpt from http://www.theeasternfront.co.uk/battles/functionuranus.htmTrueman, C (n.d.), The Battle of Stalingrad, Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_stalingrad.htm