Battle of Stalingrad

battle_name=Battle of Stalingrad

Operation Blau

Army Group South was selected for a sprint forward through the southern Russian steppes into the Caucasus to capture vital Soviet oil fields. This 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 in the area of the planned offensive.

Related Topics:
Army Group South - Caucasus - 6th - Ukraine

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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.

Related Topics:
Hitler - Erich von Manstein - Ewald von Kleist - Friedrich Paulus - Hermann Hoth - River Volga - Stalingrad

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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.

Related Topics:
Caspian Sea - Joseph Stalin

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