Battle of Stalingrad of January 1943, though positive media reports had stopped in the weeks before the announcement. Stalingrad marked the first time that the Nazi government publicly acknowledged a failure in its war effort. On 31 January, regular programmes on German state radio were replaced by a broadcast of the somber Adagio movement from Anton Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, followed by the announcement of the defeat at Stalingrad. On 18 February, Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels gave the famous "Sportpalast" speech in Berlin, encouraging the Germans to accept a total war that would claim all resources and efforts from the entire population. Based
Stalingrad (Paris Métro) de la Villette a short distance away in the "Boulevard de la Villette" and named after it. In 1942, the two stations combined to form "Aubervilliers – Boulevard de la Villette". The line 5 opened its corresponding station on 12 October 1942 as part of its extension from Gare du Nord to Église de Pantin. In 1946, the section of the "Boulevard de la Villette" near the station was named the Place de Stalingrad in honour of the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad and the station's name was changed to "Stalingrad" at the same time. Nearby are the