Were the Objectives of the Case Blue Flawed?

thank you!
Hiwi losses are ususally left out of analysis since the records were, at the best,locally kept. The Soviwets tend to ignore Hiwis- no Russian ever changes sides, right?

Chechen oil deposits are very shallow & could be extracted with rudmentary equipment. Cherchens still refine 'backyard gasoline & deisel'-qualitiy err, variable. Locally refined fuel could be 'backhauled', saving the long haul out of Germany to the eastern front.

Once you Capture the Caspian shoreline you can inderdict Baku & the south Caucasis without capturing them. In effect, a defensive 'hole up'
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
a possible game changer- i fy ou stay out of Stalingrad

 

Wounded is not the same as lost. Many of those wounded were returned to combat. If you had said casualties that would be fine, lost implies that they were dead or captured. As far as the Caspain, the Germans had difficulties supplying Stalingrad, adding hundred more miles of roadless and trainless terrain is adding an almost impossible burden due to the lack of trucks. Also there is another port on the Caspian in the northeast that the tankers coming out of Baku can used. If the Germans do not capture Stalingrad then you are making the exact same mistake and leaving a bridgehead that the Soviets can use.

 

These are generalizations . Do you have any sourcing to back your claims?

 

In July 1942, however , Hitler committed a major mistake that had dire consequences both for the army and for Richthofen´s air fleet. Encouraged by his troops´rapid seizure of vast areas and misreading the significance of their relatively small prison haul, he deviated from Blau´s original conception of striking to the Volga, securing the northern flank, and then plunging into the Caucasus. Instead, he divided the campaign into two simultaneous offensives; against Stalingrad and against the Caucasus. This dissipated army and air force strength, opened a large and vulnerable gap between his two army groups, created major logistical difficulties for both groups, and expanded Luftlotte 4´s combat zone to an unmanageable size.

Stopped at Stalingrad
Hayward

 

The Caspian shoreline was not so easily captured. As discovered by the Germans historically.

1) They did not have enough POL to get themselves to Baku, without sacrificing vehicles. Seriously, they were abandoning tanks as they were driving towards Baku, because they did not have enough gas to keep them all moving.

2) They couldn't even secure the Eastern coast of the Black Sea.

The Germans were vastly overstretched. Fall Blau was a disaster from the get go. Dithering, Dallying, hithering and froing. Trying to catch a dream.