Operation Ring
고리 작전
Operation Ring was the Don Front's Soviet offensive from 10 January to 2 February 1943 to destroy the German and other Axis forces encircled at Stalingrad. It began with pressure from the west, drove the pocket toward the city, and then divided and defeated the remaining groups, forming the final phase of the Battle of Stalingrad.
In depth
Course of the operation
The Don Front opened the offensive against the pocket from the west. Soviet forces entered Stalingrad from the west on 25 January, and on 26 January joined the 62nd Army advancing from the east near Mamayev Kurgan, splitting the German Sixth Army into northern and southern groups. The southern group surrendered on 31 January, and the northern group capitulated on 2 February.
Historical significance
Operation Ring reduced the Stalingrad pocket and ended its organised resistance after the failure of the Axis relief attempt. Its conclusion ended the Battle of Stalingrad, and the large-scale surrender marked a major shift of strategic initiative on the Eastern Front toward the Soviet Union.