Much has been written of the titanic clashes between the Wehrmacht and
the Red Army at Stalingrad, but this volume tells the other, equally
important half of the story of Fall Blau (Case Blue). Learning from
their experiences during the sweeping advances of Operation Barbarossa a
year before, Wehrmacht commanders knew that Nazi Germany's lack of oil
was a huge strategic problem. Seizure of the Caucasus oilfields, which
were responsible for 82% of the Soviet Union's crude oil, would
simultaneously alleviate the German army's oil shortages whilst denying
vital fuel resources to the Red Army. While Army Group B advanced along
the Volga towards Stalingrad, Army Group A, spearheaded by Ewald von
Kleist's elite Panzerarmee 1 was to advance into the Caucasus to seize
the oilfields of Maikop, Grozny and Baku. Featuring full-color artwork,
archival photos and detailed analysis, this book follows the vicious,
intense fighting that characterized one of the most important campaigns
of World War II.