Reply To: Russian Tensions
Yes, Stalingrad had horrendous casualty rates (and the defenders lost more men than the attacker. As, it seems Paulus told Hitler: “18,000 wounded without the slightest aid of bandages and medicines.” the loss of supply would be critical to high fatalities. Both sides had over a million men in that theatre alone (and, of course, the Axis had men from several countries).
And, importantly, the Germans ended up being encircled, which will have led to a great many more deaths than otherwise (this perhaps explains why Bakhmut has taken longer to fall than Stalingrad, the lessons have been learned).
Perhaps Stalingrad is a poor example, and Bakhmut is about to join Ypres as a long lasting bulge in the line.