Battle of Stalingrad: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Stalingrad - Operation Blau

Battle of Stalingrad - Operation Blau

   to 7 July 1942

   to 22 July 1942

   to 1 August 1942

   to 18 November 1942

Army Group South was selected for a sprint forward through the southern Russian steppes into the Caucasus to capture vital Soviet oil fields. The summer offensive was code-named Fall Blau ("Case Blue"). It was to include the 6th and 17th Armies and the 4th and 1st Panzer Armies. In 1941, Army Group South had conquered Ukraine, and was positioned at the area of the planned offensive.

Hitler intervened however, in the strategic planning, ordering the Army Group to be split in two. Army Group South (A), under the command of Erich von Manstein and Ewald von Kleist, was to continue advancing south towards the Caucasus as planned. Army Group South (B), including Friedrich Paulus's 6th Army and Hermann Hoth's 4th Panzer Army, was to move east towards the river Volga and the city of Stalingrad.

The capture of Stalingrad was important to Hitler for several reasons. It was a major industrial city on the banks of the river Volga (a vital transport route between the Caspian Sea and northern Russia). Its capture would secure the left flank of the German armies as they advanced into the Caucasus. Finally, the fact that the city bore the name of Hitler's arch enemy, Joseph Stalin, made the city's capture an ideological and propaganda coup. Stalin also had an ideological and propaganda interest in defending the city which bore his name.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Operation Blau", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki