The battle of Stalingrad finished 75 years ago this month. In its aftermath one Red Army veteran wrote:
‘Stalingrad is free! We first arrived in the city at a time of terrible combat. As we approached, we saw smoke and fire and everything burning. Today there is silence. Only the ruins remind us of the severity of the fighting. With a feeling of real pride we can say that we, the defenders of Stalingrad, changed the fate of our Motherland and saved our people from Fascist slavery.’