Had Hitler not split the 1942 offensive into two prongs, and sent 6.armee south under Manstein to take the Caucasus oilfields, perhaps they would have been able to hold them, and transport the oil back for distribution to all the fronts. Then perhaps Germany could have won a negotiated settlement to get out of the war. Although the Achilles Heel of this scenario are the death camps. Regardless of what Stalin might have been willing to negotiate for, by the end of 1942 Washington knew what was being done for the Final Solution, so the Western Allies may very well have finished the job against the Axis without the Russians pounding Germany from the east...
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