In honor of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, the Russian Embassy in New Delhi will honor former chief minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik on Victory Day. Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov invited Naveen Patnaik to the event, which would be attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as the main guest. Biju Patnaik is known for his assistance to the Red Army during World War II and his involvement in the Stalingrad Operation.
A memorial plaque honoring the late Biju Patnaik was unveiled at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday by Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Biju Patnaik’s contribution to the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the most significant Allied triumphs against Nazi Germany during World War II, is commemorated by the plaque. Patnaik had flown several flights delivering supplies to the Red Army under siege in Stalingrad while serving with the Royal Indian Air Force at the time.
The Stalingrad Battle :
The Wehrmacht, which at the time controlled practically all of western Europe, launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, on June 22, 1941. By the spring of 1942, the Nazis controlled a large portion of what is now Ukraine and Belarus. The Wehrmacht turned its attention south after the Red Army successfully repelled German attacks on Moscow. Stalingrad was also selected as a primary target. Stalingrad, which was renamed Volgorad in 1961, was a significant industrial hub on the Volga and the location of the Red Army’s artillery manufacturing facility. One of the most crucial shipping lanes in the USSR was the Volga River, which connected western Russia to the Caspian Sea and the vast eastward region of the nation. More significantly, the city was a target of significant symbolic importance because it was named after Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
On August 23, 1942, Gen. Friedrich Paulus led the Wehrmacht’s 6th Army in the attack on Stalingrad. The conflict immediately became very bloody. The German march into the city was slowed down by the Red Army, which was severely damaged. However, it was unable to halt it. Stalingrad was reduced to a heap of rubble by the fall of 1942 as a result of the Luftwaffe’s relentless artillery shelling and bombing. Additionally, nearly 90% of the city was under German authority. Despite Stalin’s orders to “not one step back,” the Russians continued to fight.
When the Soviets launched Operation Uranus, a counterattack, in November, the battle’s momentum shifted. The Red Army successfully established a defensive circle around the city by assembling all of the forces in the area, trapping the almost 300,000 Axis soldiers. Then came the Russian winter.
Red Army forces surrounded the Germans, who were gradually beaten into submission because their supply lines were cut off and they were ill-prepared for a long winter conflict. Additionally, despite having “controlled” the majority of the city, Russian resistance at Stalingrad—now a legend—continued to cause significant casualties. The surrender of Gen. Paulus took place on January 30, 1943. Nearly 100,000 German soldiers were captured when the Red Army retook Stalingrad in February. The Allies’ chances of winning World War II were virtually ruined by the loss at Stalingrad. The Wehrmacht never made it any farther east after losing all of its momentum.
In contrast, the Red Army was inspired. It battled its way into Germany over the course of two and a half years, reaching Berlin on May 2, 1945. On May 9, which is now celebrated as Victory Day in Russia, the Germans formally submitted.
Biju’s courage :
As Biju Patnaik previously recalled in an interview, “Flying is my first love and though it has dimmed with age, it still remains so.” The man who would go on to become the Chief Minister of Orissa was born in Cuttack in 1916 and had always had a fascination with aviation. In 1936, Patnaik enlisted in the Royal Indian Air Force, mostly flying supply and transport aircraft like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, also referred to as the “Dakota.”
Biju flew multiple flights to rescue British diplomats and their families as Imperial Japan pushed through Southeast Asia as World War II intensified. He played a crucial role in the British officials’ departure from Rangoon. Additionally, Patnaik conducted supply sorties to support Chiang Kai-Shek of China.
He would do Stalingrad the same way. “Among the heroes we pay tribute to is your late father, Honourable Shri Biju Patnaik ji, a towering personality and a valiant pilot of the Indian National Airways, who had participated in the Stalingrad Operation, supplying weapons to the besieged Red Army,” the Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov wrote to Naveen Patnaik.