Background
Adolf HitlerSo far in the war, the Axis Powers were the dominating force of the war. At this time German troops were advancing into the Soviet Union. Because of this Russia began to build up its defensive line. This battle was actually not even necessary in the war because the German troops actually didn't need to take over Stalingrad to gain control of the Soviet Union. It's said that the battle was mainly fought because of the name. The city Stalingrad (now called Volgograd) was named after the dictator of Russia at the time, Joseph Stalin. Hitler wanted Stalingrad because of this and for the same reason the Russians wanted to protect it. Another reason was that Stalingrad was an important industrial and transportation city.