Special: Operation Uranus

Pilots,

The defeat at Stalingrad is by many accounts one of the biggest reasons for the ultimate downfall of the Axis forces during their Eastern campaign in WWII. However, before the Soviets ground the German armies into surrender, another big battle had to be won to lay the foundation for that upcoming victory. This battle was the result of Operation Uranus, a Soviet military operation of epic proportions which happened right around this time of the year in 1942. Today we want to tell you the backstory to this massive engagement and offer you some nice treats in-game to go along with it. Take a look! 

In-Game Offers

Double Crew XP

A pilot can never have enough experience. Just imagine all the cool skills you can unlock!

50% discount on consumables

Want to make extra sure that you’ve got all you need in battle? Stock up on consumables and feel your confidence rising immediately!

50% discount on the following planes:

				Messerschmitt Bf 109 B
				Heinkel He 112
				Messerschmitt Bf 109 E Emil
				Focke-Wulf Fw 190 V
				Polikarpov I-16 (late mod.)
				Ilyushin BSh-2
				Lavochkin LaGG-3
				Ilyushin IL-2

Get the best planes of both sides at 50% off this weekend!

30% discount on the following planes

				Messerschmitt Bf 109 F Friedrich
				Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5
				Lavochkin La-5
				Ilyushin IL-2 two-seat

The German Luftwaffe collided with the Soviet air force during Operation Uranus. You can make them collide in-game by picking up any of these discounted planes!

Special Missions

Pick a side and wreak havoc on the opposing forces to be rewarded with extra consumables this weekend!

History Flashback

In the summer of 1942, German forces had made significant advances on the Eastern front to penetrate deep into Soviet territory. Although they were fighting on a wide front, starting on 23 August 1942 they committed the majority of their forces to the Battle of Stalingrad which became an important strategic target. Although the battle advanced rapidly in the beginning, the fight in the city soon came to a stand-still and degenerated into building-to-building engagements. By mid-November, the Axis forces had managed to push the Soviet defenders back towards the banks of the Volga river, but at the cost of overstretching their own troops. Protection of the flanks therefore had to be carried out by the less well-equipped Romanian, Italian and Hungarian forces, which fought in the conflict alongside the Germans as allies.

It is precisely here that the Soviets decided to launch their attack, code-named Operation Uranus, on 19 November 1942. They amassed a huge army of more than 1.1 million soldiers, nearly a thousand tanks and 1,500 aircraft, and ploughed into the underprepared Axis defences. Thanks to their superior numbers, and the fact that Germany’s 6^th Army decided not to withdraw any troops from their embattled positions in Stalingrad, the Soviets managed to trap between 250,000 and 300,000 men and cut them off from the rest of their forces. The spoils included around 100 tanks, 2,000 artillery weapons and more than 10,000 trucks.

The remaining Axis soldiers had no choice but to retreat hastily back to Stalingrad, where they now found themselves encircled on all sides by the advancing Soviet armies.  Instead of attempting to break out of the encirclement, Hitler decided to keep Axis forces in the city and resupply them by air – an undertaking which became increasingly difficult to accomplish because of the resurgence of the revived Red Air Force, which now posed a serious threat to German support and attack aircraft. In the end, the Operation Uranus encirclement led to the downfall of the Axis forces in Stalingrad, who couldn’t cope with the impeding winter and surrendered a couple of months later.

Play on Eastern Front and relive Operation Uranus in-game, pilots!