The city was practically totally destroyed. Without infrastructure wouldn’t it have just been some pile of rocks on the Volga? Why did the axis not just set up shop a few miles down the river after destroying the city?
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The city sat on a North-South Railway that was critical to Soviet defense plans. That railway was a vital supply line for Soviet troops further south in the Caucuses region. If the Germans could cut off that supply line, and then secure their front against the Volga River, they might turn their attention south and mop up the Soviet armies in the Caucuses. For that reason, in addition to the city’s name and Stalin’s infamous no step back order, the city could not be allowed to fall into German hands. And if it did, then all efforts had to be made to avoid the impending disaster in the south.
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