Operation Barbarossa, the German blitzkrieg attack on Russia in the summer of 1941, had carried all before it, and soon Moscow was under attack. It was here, in the winter of 1941-2, at the gates of the capital city, that the Soviet fight-back began. But then came a second German onslaught in the summer of 1942, with great advances in southern Russia and the Ukraine, as Hitler strove to capture the oil fields of the Caucasus. The Germans made considerable gains here, until the offensive again ground to a halt at Stalingrad, Stalin’s namesake city. It was here, on the banks of the Volga, that the titanic Battle of Stalingrad was fought, marking a turning point of the war.

In a remarkable change of fortunes, the German attackers at Stalingrad were first surrounded and then destroyed in the ruined city, as the Red Army commenced its drive westwards. Stalingrad was, without doubt, one of the most pivotal events in the Second World War (or the Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia). It is hard for us to imagine, nearly 70 years’ later, just the intensity of the fighting in this largely destroyed city. As one Red Army soldier stated simply ‘After Stalingrad, I am no longer afraid’. To understand this extraordinary battle, we will visit its key landmarks, for example, Mamaev Kurgan, the hill that dominated the city, so heavily bombed and shelled that it would literally change shape before the defenders’ eyes.

Your guide for this tour will be Dr Mike Jones, who has written widely about the Eastern Front, and is the author of Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed. We will begin and end our tour in Moscow, taking an internal flight to Volgograd (Stalingrad) to examine the battle there in detail. We will enjoy Full Board throughout our stay, and will also have time for visits in Moscow. On the last day of the tour, we will also have a chance to meet some of the veterans of this terrible conflict on the Eastern Front, a campaign that turned the course of the Second World War and shaped the future of Europe for a generation.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Saturday): Fly London Heathrow-Moscow and check into our hotel for one night.
Day 2: Tour of central Moscow – including the Lubyanka, Red Square and Lenin’s tomb - followed by visit to the massive tank museum at Kubinka, with its huge collection of World War Two armoured vehicles (only recently opened to westerners). We take a late evening flight to Volgograd (Stalingrad) and check into our hotel for four nights.
Day 3: Drive to the River Don, and visit the ‘meeting of the armies’ memorial near Kalach. Return to Volgograd mid-afternoon, continuing our tour of the city, to include the Grain Elevator, scene of desperate fighting in the southern part of Stalingrad.
Day 4: Full exploratory tour of the Stalingrad battlefield, including the Mamaev Kurgan, the Factory District, ‘Lyudnikov’s Island’, Pavlov’s House and the Stalingrad Panorama Museum.
Day 5: We take a boat trip up the Volga past the giant Mother Russia monument and up towards the Factory District. There will be an opportunity for some free time before our return flight to Moscow. Check into our Moscow hotel for one night.
Day 6: On the final day of our tour, we visit the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, followed by lunch when we will have an opportunity to meet with war veterans. We depart Moscow late afternoon for the return flight to London Heathrow.