Stalingrad
Jun 23, 2026 · 40 min · 17 segments
In 1942, Hitlers launches his second offensive in the Soviet Union: Operation Blue. Quickly becoming impatient, Hitler splits his force in an attempt to capture both the Caucasus oil fields and…
Jun 23, 2026 · 40 min · 17 segments
In 1942, Hitlers launches his second offensive in the Soviet Union: Operation Blue. Quickly becoming impatient, Hitler splits his force in an attempt to capture both the Caucasus oil fields and…
June, 1942, Adolf Hitler travels to Finland to meet with Finnish military leader Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.
The Germans are about to launch another major offensive against the Soviet Union.
But to do so, the Wehrmacht needs access to more oil.
The amount of fuel the Air Force alone is consuming, the amount our tank divisions are consuming, is something quite monstrous.
Hitler's main supply of oil is from his ally, Romania, but he confesses to Mannerheim how dependent Germany is on that one source of fuel.
And without the influx of four to five million tons of Romanian petroleum, we would not be able to wage the war.
[suspenseful music]
Hitler's also concerned the Romanian oil fields are vulnerable to Allied air attacks.
Oil is always a problem for Hitler.
Unlike the United States or Russia, Germany doesn't have an internal source of oil or petroleum that it can tap into.
It must go get it from somewhere else.
The Caucasus, a mountainous region of the Soviet Union southwest, contains some of the richest oil fields in the world.
If the Germans can seize them, the Wehrmacht will have all the oil it needs, as well as depriving the Soviets access.
The Caucasus is a vast mountain range that spans Europe and Asia 750 miles.
This is going to be a serious obstacle for any army that tries to traverse it.
Hitler and his generals prepare a plan to conquer the Caucasus, Operation Blue.
The Southern Army Group first head towards the Volga River to secure this vital supply route and prevent the Soviets from moving in reinforcements.
Next, capture the fields.
[explosion]
Can they get there? If they could, could they go ahead and pull all that oil out of there? Do they have the logistical means necessary to get it back to Germany? This is Hitler's idea.
It has to be successful.
[explosion]
Until now, Hitler's campaign against the Soviet Union has proven to be far more difficult than he and the German high command anticipated.
In June of 1941, the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the biggest military operation of all time.
Hitler's banking on a quick win.
June, 1942, Adolf Hitler travels to Finland to meet with Finnish military leader Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.
The Germans are about to launch another major offensive against the Soviet Union.
But to do so, the Wehrmacht needs access to more oil.
The amount of fuel the Air Force alone is consuming, the amount our tank divisions are consuming, is something quite monstrous.
Hitler's main supply of oil is from his ally, Romania, but he confesses to Mannerheim how dependent Germany is on that one source of fuel.
And without the influx of four to five million tons of Romanian petroleum, we would not be able to wage the war.
[suspenseful music]
Hitler's also concerned the Romanian oil fields are vulnerable to Allied air attacks.
Oil is always a problem for Hitler.
Unlike the United States or Russia, Germany doesn't have an internal source of oil or petroleum that it can tap into.
It must go get it from somewhere else.
The Caucasus, a mountainous region of the Soviet Union southwest, contains some of the richest oil fields in the world.
If the Germans can seize them, the Wehrmacht will have all the oil it needs, as well as depriving the Soviets access.
The Caucasus is a vast mountain range that spans Europe and Asia 750 miles.
This is going to be a serious obstacle for any army that tries to traverse it.
Hitler and his generals prepare a plan to conquer the Caucasus, Operation Blue.
The Southern Army Group first head towards the Volga River to secure this vital supply route and prevent the Soviets from moving in reinforcements.
Next, capture the fields.
[explosion]
Can they get there? If they could, could they go ahead and pull all that oil out of there? Do they have the logistical means necessary to get it back to Germany? This is Hitler's idea.
It has to be successful.
[explosion]
Until now, Hitler's campaign against the Soviet Union has proven to be far more difficult than he and the German high command anticipated.
In June of 1941, the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the biggest military operation of all time.
Hitler's banking on a quick win.
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