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The flag depicts Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin
Previously known as Tsaritsyn, the city of Stalingrad was named after Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. The city had a population of 500,000 and spread out 20 miles along the banks of Volga. This city had many vital factories, steel works, and was a major transport city. The Germans were advancing deep into Russia with the goal of taking the city and the vital factories inside it to use to their advantage. Leading up to the battle, the Allies had already successfully defended against the German Afrikan Korps in North Africa, protecting the important Suez Canal. The Nazis thought that Stalingrad would fall in less than a day because the Russian force was half their size.