Reading David Glantz's Stalingrad: Part Two
Note: A continuation of the previous post... “Stalingrad, a city that barely figured in the original German plan for Operation Blau , quickly became the psychological and emotional center of both sides’ military efforts. Admittedly, the city had significant military value due to the weapons factories as well as its location on the remaining water and rail communications that connected Moscow with the Caucasus. Yet, to the German leadership, the very name Stalingrad, identifying the city with the Soviet dictator and the beleaguered communist regime, seemed to give it a psychological and political significance with its actual military worth. German propaganda centered more and more on the titanic struggle for Stalin’s namesake city. As Army Group A’s advance into the Caucasus ground to a halt during the autumn, Stalingrad and the Volga River bend increasingly seemed to be the logical place to conclude Operation Blau with at least the appearance of success.” (page 166) So it was