Army Group South 1942

On its way east, what was the original plan.?
Was it always to split into 'A' and 'B' or was that decided later.
What was the original destination of Group South.
Was it The Caspian Sea oil fields.?

Thank You

 

Have a read of Stalingrad by Antony Beevor.
It will explain everything and more

 

The plan for “Operation Blue”calls for “destroying the Soviet troop concentrations east of the Don, in order to subsequently capture the oil fields in the Caucasus region and secure the passage through the Caucasus itself.”
As an intermediate step, Stalingrad on the Volga is to be neutralized as an “armaments and transportation hub.”

With a final victory over the Soviet Union and the seizure of its oil and other raw material reserves, Hitler also hoped to secure “the strategic and economic foundations for Germany’s unlimited war-time endurance” in the fight against the Western Allies.

Fun fact: As early as 1918, Ludendorff planned to capture Baku with two divisions from Tiflis.
German Caucasus expedition - Wikipedia
Even if the operation had succeeded, it was already clear that there were no logistical capabilities whatsoever to transport the oil from Baku to Germany.
In 1942, the situation was no better, especially since the Soviets had also rendered all accessible oil wells unusable.

 

Wow, did The Forum have some kind of major Internet problem.?

Anyway.............. thanks for the replies.
I had no idea about the WW1 "precursor" to the whole Stalingrad/Baku scenario of WW2
Interesting.

 

Not to overlook the confusing times of Dunsterforce which reached Baku. See as a "taster": Dunsterforce - Wikipedia

 

On the significance of Stalingrad behind the scenes - in a nutshell:
In 1921, during the Russo-Polish War, Iosif Vissianorovich Dzhugashvili’s high-handedness had helped make the miracle on the Vistula possible
Yet by successfully defending what was then Tsaritsyn, he effectively broke the ‘Whites’ back and redeemed himself
This marked the birth of the Tsaritsyn clique: Stalin, Voroshilov and Budyonny

The latter was a consummate cavalryman and brought with him various protégés from the Leningrad Higher Cavalry School, class of 1925, including such illustrious names as Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Konev – all of whom survived the notorious purges and were later instrumental in defeating the Nazis

absolvents of the Leningrad Higher Cavalry School 1924/25

In the third row (right to left): 1. Zhukov, 5. Rokossovsky, 8. Ivan Konev. Standing in the fourth row (right to left): 2. Semyon Timoshenko

Put very simply, Stalingrad can be summed up in a single sentence: the vanity of the leaders justifies any sacrifice

 

Wow.............. little did they know what was coming.

 

Update to Post 5. In late 2025 a new book on Baku was published: 'Maverick Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One' by Nick Higham; costs £10-24 (on Amazon).

The "blurb":

From: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mavericks-Empire-Revolution-Forgotten-Battle/dp/1526677016

 

I heard that the plan of operation Blue was to cut the Southern region off from Moscow and capture the oilwells in the caucauses. The Germans needed the oil as they were short of it themselves. Though I also heard even if they had captured the caucauses it would have been 1944 before they got any significant amount of oil.

 

The NAM is hosting Nick Higham (Post 8 refers) on 22/5/26 12AM as he tells the story of an eccentric group of men tasked with an impossible mission in a forgotten theatre of the First World War.
Details and booking: Mavericks | National Army Museum