Now, for the first time, the epic battle for Stalingrad is depicted in all its electrifying excitement and savage horror. Acclaimed historian Edwin P. Hoyt, relying on newly released documents from Moscow and American archives - as well as first-person testimonials from Stalingrad's heroic survivors - puts the readers there, amid the shellfire and the slaughter. With the dramatic power of a first-rate storyteller Hoyt recreates the words and deeds of the battle's chief participants - its ruthless warlords, Hitler and Stalin; its fabled generals, von Paulus and Marshal Zhukov; its soldiers end civilians who fought, bled and died. More than the bloodiest battle in history - a spectacular conflict costing three million lives - Stalingrad was the hinge of history. Had the Red Army fallen, the Nazi juggernaut would have rolled over Russia. Had von Paulus not held out those last agonizing months, Stalin would have painted Europe red.On the fiftieth anniversary of Stalingrad's fall, the real story is finally told.