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It appears that even today that there are only 3 good roads across the Caucasus.
1) The Black Sea coastal higway (easily blocked by demolitions, bomabarded by black sea fleet)
2) The Georgian Military road from Mozdok to Tiflis (demolitions were prepared if the Germans got too far)
3) Along the Caspian sea from Makhachkala to Batum (this is present day higway, don't think this existed as an improved road in 1942, could be swept by Caspian Sea gun boats)
With 3 narrow paths, easily blocked, guarded by a limited number of Soviet troops or exposed to naval fire, it appears the Germans would never have been able to take Batum or Baku, even if not tied down at Stalingrad????
Anybody know about this campaign and why the Germans thought they would be able to pull this off????
B.T.W. There is an interesting article about it in life magazine from the period: