In our new series, World War II's greatest battles, we chart five pivotal moments that shaped the course of the conflict,

with military historian James Holland. New episodes drop every Thursday on the History Extra podcast.

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This is a history extra production. In 1942, the forces of Nazi Germany and its allies came head to head with those of the Soviet Union at a city on the Volga River.

The Battle of Stalingrad was to become one of the grimest on the Eastern Front, as infantry troops slogged it out in bombed out cellars and

freezing conditions. In the second episode of our series on World War II's

greatest battles I spoke to the military historian James Holland to

find out more about Stalingrad. James is the author of several books on the

Second World War and also the co-founder of the Chalk History Festival, which runs from the 24th to the 30th of June this year.

We're offering an exclusive 15% off Chalk Festival day tickets

when you become a subscriber to either History Extra or BBC History magazine.

Check out these offers and other benefits at History Extra.com forward slash pod.

Thanks for joining us again, James. Let's start with a basic question.

Why did you nominate the Battle of Stalingrad as being one of the greatest battles of World War II.

Well it's just such a big turning point not just in the war on the Eastern

front but in the Second World War as a whole certainly the Second World War

against Nazi Germany. I mean Barbara Ross, the invasion of Soviet Union has already fallen short so the German is already in trouble in the Soviet Union although you know on paper it looks like it's very much sort of one-way traffic still and although the Red Army has had a few little successes

...