Operation Braunschweig (Operation Brunswick) was the German military offensive that began on the 23rd July 1942. The operation was the second phase of the German offensive into Russia during Case Blue and it preceded the Battle of Stalingrad.[1]
In Fuhrer Directive 45, dated July 23, 1942, Adolf Hitler[2] outlined the goals for Operation Braunschweig. The German forces were to advance towards the Caucasus (Operation Edelweiss) and Stalingrad (Operation Braunschweig).[3].
This combined operation was known as Plan Blue, but from June 30 1942 onwards it was known as Operation Braunschweig. The plans following the original Plan Blue (originally named Blue II and Blue II) were renamed to Operation Clausewitz (1942) and Operation Dampfhammer. Clausewitz detailed the beginning of the operations of Army Group A in July 1942, Dampfhammer the follow-up operations in July 1942.[4]
Hitler had personally intervened in the plans for this operation, and ordered a split in Army Group South. This division of Army Group South had caused alarm in the General Staff, and Hitler was warned repeatedly about the dangers this division entailed. Later studies confirmed this split to be one of the main causes for the eventual demise of the German 6th Army in Stalingrad. Hitler persisted in this division of Army Group South for strategic reasons: acquiring the oilfields in the Kaukasus and cutting Soviet supply transports along the Volga through Stalingrad.
References
- ^ Axis Operations, WW2 Database, Accessed 14-06-08
- ^ Schramm, 1942, Teilband 1, S. 520
- ^ Schramm, 1942, Teilband 2, S. 1420
- ^ Schramm, 1942, Teilband 2, S. 1330
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