Photo, left:  Photo, left:  Text – August 1942. Fiece battles are taking place at the southwestern outskirts of Stalingrad and at the villages of Abganerovo and Tinguta. 
Stretching about 30 miles (50 km) along the banks of the Volga River, Stalingrad was a large industrial city producing armaments and tractors and was an important prize in itself for the invading German army. Capturing the city would cut Soviet transport links with southern Russia, and Stalingrad would then serve to anchor the northern flank of the larger German drive into the oil fields of the Caucasus. In addition, seizing the city that bore the name of the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, would serve as a great personal and propagandistic victory for Adolf Hitler. German war planners hoped to achieve that end with Fall Blau (“Operation Blue”), a proposal that Hitler assessed and summarized in Führer Directive No. 41 on April 5, 1942. Hitler’s goal was to eliminate Soviet forces in the south, secure the region’s economic resources, and then wheel his armies either north to Moscow or south to conquer the remainder of the Caucasus. The offensive would be undertaken by Army Group South under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock. On June 28, 1942, operations began with significant German victories.
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 1, Block A: The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France, by Seth Meyerowitz and Peter Stevens (1 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 1, Block B:  The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France, by Seth Meyerowitz and Peter Stevens (2 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 1, Block C: Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan, by David Sears (1 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 1, Block D:  Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan, by David Sears (2 of 2)
 
Hour Two
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 2, Block A:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (1 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 2, Block B:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (2 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 2, Block C:   Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (3 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 2, Block D:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (4 of 8)
 
 
Hour Three
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 3, Block A:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (5 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 3, Block B:   Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (6 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 3, Block C:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (7 of 8)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 3, Block D:  Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich, by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen (8 of 8)
 
 
Hour Four
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 4, Block A:  The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France, by Seth Meyerowitz and Peter Stevens (1 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 4, Block B:  The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France, by Seth Meyerowitz and Peter Stevens (2 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 4, Block C:  Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan, by David Sears (1 of 2)
Saturday 9 April 2016 / Hour 4, Block D:   Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan, by David Sears (2 of 2)