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(Tuesday, February 2, 1943, 9:20 a.m. STAT; during the Battle of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front of World War II) — The remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad — what is now known as the city of Volgograd, Russia — surrendered this morning in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II.

By early this morning, XI Corps commander General Karl Strecker was informed that one of his officers had gone to negotiate surrender terms with the Soviets. He then decided to put an end to the fighting (Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus had already surrendered on Jan. 31, 1943).

At 7:00 a.m., Strecker sent a radio message to subordinate units: “All fighting will cease; weapons will be destroyed; expect the Russians in about an hour.”

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A final message was transmitted to Army Group Don at 8:00 a.m.: “The XI Army Corps, consisting of 6 divisions, has fulfilled its duty by the heaviest fighting to the very last. Hail to the Fuhrer! Hail to Germany!”

A further incomplete message was picked up at 9:20 a.m.: “The Russians are penetrating … fighting … Tractor Works …” After which no more messages were sent. Organized Axis resistance in the city then ended.

The Battle of Stalingrad, marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, was the deadliest battle to take place during the Second World War and is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties.

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Today, the Battle of Stalingrad is universally regarded as the turning point in the European Theatre of war, as it forced the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German High Command) to withdraw considerable military forces from other areas in occupied Europe to replace German losses on the Eastern Front, ending with the rout of the six field armies of Army Group B, including the destruction of Nazi Germany’s 6th Army and an entire corps of its 4th Panzer Army.

Around 91,000 exhausted, ill, wounded, and starving prisoners were taken. The prisoners included 22 generals.

The victory at Stalingrad was a pivotal victory for the Soviets who, after two years of being pushed back by Nazi forces, turned the tide of the war and began advancing toward Germany later in the year.