Editing Case Blue (section)

==Planning==

===Axis forces===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Altstadt-055-12, Russland, SS-Division Wiking beim Vormarsch.jpg|thumb|[[Waffen-SS]] infantry and armor advancing, Summer 1942]]
The German plan involved a three-staged attack:<ref name=A3132/>{{sfn|Glantz|1995|p=110}}{{sfn|Hayward|2001|p=131}}
* '''''Blau I''''': Fourth Panzer Army, commanded by [[Hermann Hoth]] (transferred from [[Army Group Centre]]) and the Second Army, supported by the Second Hungarian Army, would attack from [[Kursk]] to [[Voronezh]] and continue the advance, anchoring the northern flank of the offensive towards the Volga.
* '''''Blau II''''': Sixth Army, commanded by [[Friedrich Paulus]], would attack from [[Kharkov]] and move in parallel with Fourth Panzer Army, to reach the Volga at Stalingrad (whose capture was not deemed necessary).
* '''''Blau III''''': First Panzer Army would then strike south towards the lower [[Don River (Russia)|Don River]], with Seventeenth Army on the western flank and Fourth Romanian Army on the eastern flank.

The strategic objectives of the operation were the oilfields at Maykop, Grozny and Baku. As in Barbarossa, these movements were expected to result in a series of grand encirclements of Soviet troops.<ref name=A3132>{{harvnb|Antill|2007|pp=31–32}}.</ref>

The offensive was to be conducted across the southern Russian (Kuban) [[Kuban|steppe]] utilizing the following Army Group units:<ref name="g111-113">{{harvnb|Glantz|1995|pp=111–113}}.</ref>

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 | width = 150
 | header = Army Group B<br>commander
 | image1 = Maximillian_von_Weichs.jpg
 | caption1 = Maximillian von Weichs
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{{multiple image
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 | total_width = 240
 | header = Luftwaffe commanders
 | image1 = Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1969-041-30%2C_Alexander_L%C3%B6hr.jpg
 | caption1 = Alexander Löhr
 | image2 = Porträt Generalmajor Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, sitzend Bild 183-J1005-0502-001 (cropped).jpg
 | caption2 = Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
}}
'''Northern Sector (Volga campaign)'''{{sfnp|Forczyk|2021|pp=26–27}}
: '''[[Army Group B]]'''
: Generalfeldmarschall '''[[Maximilian von Weichs]]'''{{ref label|C|c|c|{{sfnp|Forczyk|2021|p=49}}}}
:: '''[[2nd Army (Wehrmacht)|Second Army]]''' (General [[Hans von Salmuth]]){{ref label|D|d|d|{{sfnp|Forczyk|2021|p=49}}}}
::: [[LV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LV Army Corps]] ([[Rudolf Freiherr von Roman|R. von Roman]])
:: '''[[4th Panzer Army|Fourth Panzer Army]]''' (Generaloberst [[Hermann Hoth]])
::: [[XXIV Panzer Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXIV Panzer Corps]] ([[Willibald von Langermann und Erlencamp|W. Langermann und Erlenkamp]]){{ref label|E|e|e|}}
::: [[XXXXVIII Panzer Corps]] ([[Werner Kempf|W. Kempf]])
::: [[XIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XIII Army Corps]] ([[Erich Straube|E. Straube]])
:: '''[[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixth Army]]''' (General der Panzertruppe [[Friedrich Paulus]]){{ref label|F|f|f}}
::: [[XXXX Panzer Corps]] ([[Georg Stumme|G. Stumme]]){{ref label|G|g|g}}
::: [[LI Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|LI Army Corps]] ([[Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach|W. von Seydlitz-Kurzbach]])
::: [[VIII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|VIII Army Corps]] ([[Walter Heitz|W. Heitz]]){{ref label|H|h|h}}
::: [[XVII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XVII Army Corps]] ([[Karl Hollidt|K. Hollidt]])
::: [[XXIX Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXIX Army Corps]] ([[Hans von Obstfelder|H. von Obstfelder]])
:: '''[[Hungarian Second Army]]''' (Colonel-General [[Gusztáv Jány|Vitéz Gusztáv Jány]]){{ref label|I|i|i}} 
::: III Corps (G. Rakovsky)
::: VII Army Corps (Wehrmacht) ([[Ernst-Eberhard Hell|E.-E. Hell]])
::: ''Arrived 21–25 July:''
:::: IV Corps ([[Lajos Csatay|L. Csatay]]){{ref label|J|j|j}}
:::: VII Corps (E. Gyimesi)
:: '''[[Fourth Army (Romania)|Romanian Fourth Army]]''' 
::
:: '''[[Italian Army in Russia|Italian Eighth Army]]''' (''Arrived 11–15 August'') (General [[Italo Gariboldi]])
::: II Corps (G. Zanghieri)
::: XXXV Corps ([[Giovanni Messe|G. Messe]])
::: Alpini Corps ([[Gabriele Nasci|G. Nasci]])
: '''''[[Luftflotte 4]]'''''
: Generaloberst '''[[Alexander Löhr]]'''{{ref label|K|k|k}} (thru 20 July)
: Generalfeldmarschall '''[[Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen]]'''{{ref label|L|l|l}} (from 20 July)
:: [[8th Air Corps (Germany)|8th Air Corps]]
:: [[4th Air Corps (Germany)|4th Air Corps]]
: German air strength in the east numbered 2,644 aircraft on 20&nbsp;June 1942, over 20% more than a month earlier. Whereas in 1941 most units fought on the central front supporting [[Army Group Centre]], 1,610 aircraft (61%), supported Army Group South.<ref name=H129>{{harvnb|Hayward|2001|p=129}}.</ref>

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 | image1 = Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S36487%2C_Wilhelm_List.jpg
 | caption1 = Wilhelm List
}}

'''Southern Sector (Caucasus campaign)'''
: '''[[Army Group A]]'''
: Generalfeldmarschall '''[[Wilhelm List]]'''
:: [[1st Panzer Army|First Panzer Army]]
:: [[17th Army (Wehrmacht)|Seventeenth Army]]
:: [[Third Army (Romania)|Third Romanian Army]]{{ref label|M|m|m}}
:: [[11th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eleventh Army]]{{ref label|N|n|n}}

===Soviet forces===
The Soviet army command (''[[Stavka]]'') failed to discern the direction of the main German strategic offensive anticipated in 1942, even though they were in possession of the German plans. On 19&nbsp;June, the chief of operations of the [[23rd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|23rd Panzer Division]], Major Joachim Reichel, was shot down over Soviet-held territory while flying an observation aircraft over the front near Kharkov. The Soviets recovered maps from his aircraft detailing the exact German plans for Case Blue. The plans were handed over to ''Stavka'', in Moscow.{{sfn|Wegner|1990|pp=868–869}}

[[Joseph Stalin]], however, believed it to be a German ruse,{{sfn|Bellamy|2007|p=498}} remaining convinced that the primary German strategic goal in 1942 would be Moscow, in part due to [[Operation Kremlin]] (''Fall Kreml''), a German deception plan aimed at the city. As a result, the majority of Red Army troops were deployed there, although the direction from which the Case Blue offensive would come was still defended by the [[Bryansk Front|Bryansk]], [[Southwestern Front (Soviet Union)|Southwestern]], [[Southern Front (Soviet Union)|Southern]] and [[North Caucasian Front]]s. With about 1 million soldiers at the front line and another 1.7&nbsp;million in reserve armies, their forces accounted for about one quarter of all Soviet troops.<ref name=A29>{{harvnb|Antill|2007|p=29}}.</ref>{{sfn|Glantz|1995|p=301}} Following the disastrous start of Case Blue for the Soviets, they reorganized their frontlines several times. Over the course of the campaign, the Soviets also fielded the [[Voronezh Front]], [[Don Front]], [[Stalingrad Front]], [[Transcaucasian Front]], and the [[Caucasian Front (Soviet Union)|Caucasian Front]], though not all existed at the same time.<ref name="g111-113"/>

With the German thrust expected in the north, ''Stavka'' planned several local offensives in the south to weaken the Germans. The most important of these was aimed at the city of Kharkov and would be conducted mainly by the Southwestern Front under [[Semyon Timoshenko]], supported by the Southern Front commanded by [[Rodion Malinovsky]]. The operation was scheduled for 12&nbsp;May, just prior to a planned German offensive in the area.{{sfn|Antill|2007|p=34}} The ensuing [[Second Battle of Kharkov]] ended in disaster for the Soviets, severely weakening their mobile forces.<ref name=A37>{{harvnb|Antill|2007|p=37}}.</ref> At the same time, the Axis [[Battle of the Kerch Peninsula|clearing of the Kerch Peninsula]] together with the [[Battle of Sevastopol]], which lasted until July, weakened the Soviets further and allowed the Germans to supply Army Group A across the [[Kerch Peninsula]] through the Kuban.<ref name=A37/><ref name=A49>{{harvnb|Antill|2007|p=49}}.</ref>

The Red Army order of battle at the start of the campaign was as follows:

'''Northern Sector (Volga campaign)'''{{sfnp|Forczyk|2021|pp=24–26}}<br>
''Armies deployed north to south:''
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 300
 | header = Bryansk Front ground and<br>aviation commanders
 | image1 = Генерал-лейтенант_Ф.И._Голиков.jpg
 | caption1 = Filipp I. Golikov
 | image2 = Stepan_Krasovsky.jpg
 | caption2 = Stepan Y. Krasovsky
}}
: '''[[Bryansk Front]]'''
: Generalleutnant '''[[Filipp Golikov|Filipp I. Golikov]]'''{{ref label|O|o|o}}
:: '''[[48th Army (Soviet Union)|48th Army]]''' (G.A. Khaliuzin)
::: 4 rifle divisions (1 Guards), 2 rifle brigades, 2 tank brigades, 1 cavalry division
:: '''[[13th Army (Soviet Union)|13th Army]]''' ([[Nikolai Pukhov|N.P. Pukhov]])
::: 5 rifle divisions, 1 rifle brigade, 1 tank brigade
:: '''[[5th Tank Army]]''' ([[Alexander Lizyukov|A.I. Liziukov]]) (KIA 23 July)
::: 7 tank brigades
:: '''[[3rd Army (Soviet Union)|3rd Army]]''' (P.P. Korzun)
::: 6 rifle divisions, 2 rifle brigades, 2 tank brigades
:: '''[[40th Army (Soviet Union)|40th Army]]''' ([[Mikhail Parsegov|M.A. Parsegov]])
::: 6 rifle divisions, 3 rifle brigades, 2 tank brigades
:: '''Front forces'''
::: 2 rifle divisions (1 Guards), 1 rifle brigade, 20 tank brigades (2 Guards), 6 cavalry divisions
: '''[[2nd Air Army|Second Air Army]]'''
: Generalmajor '''[[Stepan Krasovsky|Stepan Y. Krasovsky]]'''
:: Aviation divisions: 3 fighter, 4 ground attack, 2 bomber, 1 night bomber
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 300
 | header = Southwestern Front ground and<br>aviation commanders
 | image1 = Маршал_Советского_Союза_Герой_Советского_Союза_Семён_Константинович_Тимошенко.jpg
 | caption1 = Semyon K. Timoshenko
 | image2 = Timofey_Khryukin_1945.jpg
 | caption2 = Timofei T. Khriukin
}}
: '''[[Southwestern Front (Soviet Union)|Southwestern Front]]'''
: Marshal '''[[Semyon Timoshenko|Semyon K. Timoshenko]]'''{{ref label|P|p|p}}
:: '''[[28th Army (Soviet Union)|28th Army]]''' ([[Dmitry Ryabyshev|D.I. Riabyshev]])
::: 7 rifle divisions (1 Guards), 5 tank brigades (1 Guards)
:: '''[[38th Army (Soviet Union)|38th Army]]''' ([[Kirill Moskalenko|K.S. Moskalenko]])
::: 8 rifle divisions, 7 tank brigades, 1 independent tank battalion
:: '''[[9th Army (Soviet Union)|9th Army]]''' ([[Feofan Parkhomenko|F.A. Parkhomenko]])
::: 8 rifle divisions, 1 tank brigade, 3 cavalry divisions
:: '''[[21st Army (Soviet Union)|21st Army]]''' (A.I. Danilov)
::: 5 rifle divisions, 1 [[NKVD]] motorized rifle division, 3 tank brigades
:: '''Front forces'''
::: 8 tank brigades, 2 independent tank battalions, 3 cavalry divisions
: '''[[8th Air Army|Eighth Air Army]]'''
: Generalmajor '''[[Timofey Khryukin|Timofei T. Khriukin]]'''
:: Aviation divisions: 5 fighter, 2 ground attack, 2 bomber, 2 night bomber