 The city was firebombed with 1,000 tons of high explosives and incendiaries in 1,600 sorties on 23 August.The destruction was monumental and complete, turning Stalingrad into a sea of fire and killing thousands of civilians and soldiers.Further fire-attacks were mounted against the ruined city for the next two days, enveloping it in dense volcano-like black smoke clouds that stretched 3.5 kilometers into the sky.