If my memory is correct, Army Group A was supposed to attack Stalingrad (if I remember it right the initial plan was not exactly to control the city itself, right?), and Army Group B take control of the oil fields in the Caucasus, right? But in the meantime it was reinforced by both the 62nd and the 64th Armies retreating from the Don, right? Well, this happened because of the resistance offered by both the 62nd and the 64th Armies while retreating to Stalingrad, right? Apart Kiev there were quite a few other pockets delaying the German advance. And Leningrad was never taken, as well as Moscow, keeping quite a lot of divisions busy in those fronts, which might have been useful somewhere else... Personally I consider Stalingrad as the real turning point, and Kursk the final and decisive start of the Red Army victory. It's incredibly well done!
The main objective being the oil fields of course, which Hitler desperately needed not only for the supply of his own Armies but also to avoid the Soviets to use it.
Some authors say that it wouldn't work anyway, for a few reasons: the Red Army would completely destroy them before withdrawing; even if the Germans could repair them that would take quite some time; and anyway if they could use them again the Allied air bombardments would destroy them again and again...
"On August 23 in Stalingrad, in military strength was almost nil, the 10th NKVD Division was the strongest unit in overall manpower, but it had no organic Anti-tank or Artillery elements."
"Well in my opinion the Red Army encirclement at Stalingrad; happen because the German lines sat stagnant for about 70 days, which go against the basic principals of blitzkrieg."
"I think the German first major loss (Historically, called a victory) was the 6-8 weeks reducing the Kiev pocket in 1941, again another successful operation that in the later half of the battle goes against the basic principals of blitzkrieg."
Btw, do you guys know this site?
Dolf
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