Operation Uranus begins

Soviet forces launched a counteroffensive that pushed German troops away from Moscow. The victory halted Germany’s immediate advance on the capital but came after enormous military and civilian losses...

The treaty formalized Allied military presence and promised respect for Iranian sovereignty. Iran’s territory and transport routes were strategically vital to supplying the Soviet war effort, while...

The Red Army launched an offensive that was encircled and defeated by German forces. The failure cost lives and equipment and left a large area of Ukraine exposed to occupation and further atrocities.

The order imposed severe discipline, established penal units, and authorized blocking detachments. It reflected the military crisis of 1942 and the state’s use of coercion to prevent retreat;...

A major German air raid destroyed much of the city and killed civilians. The battle that followed transformed an urban industrial center into a battlefield and became a turning point in the war.

The breakthrough partially relieved the siege by restoring a narrow land connection. It did not immediately end starvation or bombardment, and civilian survival remained shaped by rationing,...

The encircled German Sixth Army surrendered, ending the battle. Soviet victory shifted the military balance, but the city and surrounding communities had suffered extraordinary destruction and loss of...

Germany launched a major offensive against the Soviet salient at Kursk. Soviet defenses and counterattacks stopped the advance and helped secure the strategic initiative, at immense human and material...

Soviet forces recaptured Kyiv after German occupation and mass murder, including the destruction of much of its Jewish community. The city’s liberation did not erase the trauma of occupation or the...

Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met to coordinate military strategy and discuss the postwar order. Iran hosted the conference while under Allied occupation, underscoring how global planning...