New Stalingrad Movie

[Richie61]

Without going into a long discussion.

Stalingrad was one of the largest industrial centers.

Positioned on Volga River, which made it a key route between the Caspian Sea and northern Russia. Its capture would disrupt commercial river traffic of war commodities and "Lend Lease" materials.

Ego:
Plus sides thought it had propaganda value based on it bearing the name of the leader of the Soviet Union.

That being said.
General Paulus could have broken out of this trap in the first stages of attack but was forbidden from doing so by Hitler and thus doomed the Sixth Army and it's 250,000 to 300,000 men.