Deleted member 1487
I know this is an issue that has been discussed repeatedly here on the forum, myself included. But I wanted to gain a fresh perspective on this from the community.
What if the Germans did not make the Caucasian oil a priority in 1942 and simply used the campaign season to finish taking all of the Ukraine and grabbing Stalingrad, perhaps keeping it or just wrecking the city/industry before retreating to defensible river lines? I know that the idea behind the campaign was to cripple Soviet industry, but what if Hitler + the German General Staff realize that the logistics are just not there for a campaign down into the Caucasus? Combined with another campaign to reach defensible boundaries in Russia while chewing up Russian forces in limited battles, this could preserve their strength for a more decisive campaign in 1943 while not allowing the Russians any opportunities for a riposte.
Perhaps then in 1943 a strike into the Caucasus once logistics have been improved would have been feasible, once the Russians had tried their Mars and a different Uranus offensives. Thoughts?
What if the Germans did not make the Caucasian oil a priority in 1942 and simply used the campaign season to finish taking all of the Ukraine and grabbing Stalingrad, perhaps keeping it or just wrecking the city/industry before retreating to defensible river lines? I know that the idea behind the campaign was to cripple Soviet industry, but what if Hitler + the German General Staff realize that the logistics are just not there for a campaign down into the Caucasus? Combined with another campaign to reach defensible boundaries in Russia while chewing up Russian forces in limited battles, this could preserve their strength for a more decisive campaign in 1943 while not allowing the Russians any opportunities for a riposte.
Perhaps then in 1943 a strike into the Caucasus once logistics have been improved would have been feasible, once the Russians had tried their Mars and a different Uranus offensives. Thoughts?