Stalingrad was a Russian city in the Soviet Union. It was later known as Volgograd. (PROSE: Happy Endings [+]Paul Cornell, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)
History[]
During World War II, after the Germans suffered a setback on the Eastern Front when the winter halted Operation Barbarossa, (PROSE: Just War [+]Lance Parkin, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).) they began reorganising their forces at the beginning of 1942 and began amassing a huge army north of Stalingrad. The Night Witches attempted to resist their advance towards the city. (AUDIO: The Night Witches [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) Mikhail Popov lived in Stalingrad at one point, but left it for London in 1942 at the Doctor's insistence. (PROSE: Happy Endings [+]Paul Cornell, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)
In the autumn of 1942, the Germans launched the attack on the city. The besieged civilians (on Stalin's orders) were not permitted to escape across the Volga, so they had to endure starvation, bombardment from the Luftwaffe, and freezing to death when the winter arrived. Erimem and Andy Hansen travelled to besieged Stalingrad in late 1942 where they encountered the Drofen. (PROSE: The Beast of Stalingrad [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)
One million Russians died defending the city (PROSE: Happy Endings [+]Paul Cornell, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).) The Sixth Doctor told Hitler that the events at Stalingrad were "key" to victory in the war. The victorious Red Army gained valuable experience from Stalingrad which was put to use when they invaded Berlin in 1945. (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass [+]Justin Richards and Stephen Cole, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2001).)
Debbie Castle saw a picture of the Eighth Doctor in Stalingrad from 1951. (PROSE: Endgame [+]Terrance Dicks, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2000).)