Case Blue

Case Blue (German: Fall Blau), later renamed Operation Braunschweig, was the Wehrmacht's name for its plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942.

A continuation of the previous year's Operation Barbarossa and intended to finally knock the Soviet Union out of the war, the operation involved a two-pronged attack against the rich oilfields of Baku as well as an advance in the direction of Stalingrad along the Volga River, to cover the flanks of the advance towards Baku.

Initially, the German offensive saw spectacular gains with a rapid advance into the Caucasus capturing vast areas of land and several oil fields. However, the Red Army decisively defeated the Germans at Stalingrad, following Operations Uranus and Little Saturn. This defeat forced the Axis to retreat from the Caucasus in fear of becoming trapped. Only the city of Kursk and the Kuban region remained tentatively occupied by Axis troops.

Case Blue in Days of Infamy
When Case Blue was launched in 1942, it was given much coverage in the Japanese run press in Hawaii. Many in the Naval High Command were annoyed that the Army High Command was too busy following that campaigns progress than worrying about the Americans.

Case Blue eventually came to it's bloody climax in the winter of 1942 and 43 at Stalingrad, which ended in a German defeat. Although they lost at Stalingrad, and pushed back, the Germans were able to re-establish their position and even regain some ground, resulting in a stalemate in Russia.

The Japanese Army, which had been waiting to pounce on Russia after their fall was shocked by the defeat.