What was WWII Operation Blue during the Battle of Stalingrad?

Question by 1.618: What was Operation Blue during the Battle of Stalingrad?

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Answer by suro25
Stalingrad Operation Blue
Their plan, Operation Blue, split Army Group South into two groups. Army Group A consisted of two armies, commanded by Erich von Manstein and von Kleist, who were to attack south towards Rostov, and then fan out through the Transcaucasus heading for the Caspian Sea while taking the oil-fields at Maikop. Army Group B included Friedrich von Paulus’s 6th Army and Hoth’s 4th Panzer Army, who would sweep through the corridor between the Don and Volga rivers to arrive on the Volga just north of Stalingrad (known today as Volgograd). Their primary task was to provide a strong northern flank along the Don, while cutting the vital Soviet freight traffic on the Volga.

While the plans were finalized, there remained a threat from a significant Soviet presence at Sevastopol in the Crimean. The siege of this important city had been dragging on for four months at this point, and the Soviets still had 150,000 men in and around the city. Eventually Operation Blue was suspended to provide more troops for the siege, and the original launch date in May was cancelled. Manstein was sent south with a number of fresh German and Romanian units under Operation Sturgeon, and were battle ready by early June. By the end of the month the siege was over, the Soviets losing all 150,000, although the German/Romanian side suffered 35,000 casualties as well. The battle was largely over by the 25th, and Operation Blue was implemented.

Commencing on June 28, 1942, the attack started off well. So well in fact that Hitler felt that the 4th Panzer Army was not needed with Army Group B, and sent them south to join Army Group A. By this point they had passed the 6th Army (as was expected, they were motorized) and had to cross the 6th’s path and march on their way south. The resulting traffic jam took several days to clear. This confusion, along with provisions originally intended for the 6th being given to the 4th instead, slowed the advance towards Stalingrad by almost two weeks. With the advance now delayed, Hitler then changed his mind again and ordered the 4th to rejoin the original line of march.

This delay would prove critical. The slow advance made the target of Army Group B clear to the Soviets, and gave Red Army General Andrei Yeremenko time to consolidate what forces he had into a new line on the eastern bank of the Volga to block them. He ordered the troops reeling back from the Germans on the western side to head for Stalingrad, leaving the field to the Germans. This did not go unnoticed, as von Weichs, in overall command of Army Group B, realised that the Soviets had figured out what was going on. Hitler instead chose to consider the same reports as proof of absolute victory.

By the end of August, Army Group B had finally reached the Volga to the north of Stalingrad, before many of the Red Army troops to their south had. General von Paulus asked for permission to turn south and take the city as soon as possible, but Hitler refused to allow this until his infantry had caught up to form a defensive line. This delay would also prove critical, as it allowed the Soviet forces to pour into the city over the next few days, strengthening its defences.

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