Comments by "Aleksa Žunjić" (@aleksazunjic9672) on "Why didn't Germany just attack the Caucasus by Sea to get the oil?" video.

  1. Germans actually attempted to cut off Soviet coastal forces, but mountains are mountains ... Fighting was fierce, they even captured Elbrus but could not go further.
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  2. Germans at that point did not have a fleet to sail into Black Sea, even if Turkey allowed them. Italians could, but they were afraid to sail because of Royal Navy. Overall, moot proposition from the start.
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  3.  @charlottewolery558  LOL There were not amphibious forces, and sending airborne troops into teeth of air defense and local coastal infantry is just ludicrous. Besides, destroying port is not and easy task (lots of explosives and expertise needed) , and none of this ports was actually strategic for Soviet war effort.
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  4.  @charlottewolery558  After the loss of Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, main base of Black Sea Fleet became Poti (Georgia). This port was too far for any hypothetical German advance in 1942. Instead, Germans attempted to attack Tuapse , not because that port was of much importance, but in an attempt to cut off Soviet Coastal Army. In any case, Germans were running out of both time and oil. Historically, Soviet Union was mobilizing anyone they could, and was building an army that would overwhelm Germans. German only hope was to get the oil, thus be able to field more mechanized forces, and at the same time deny it to Soviets, which would complicate matters for them. Trying to establish dominance in Black Sea would not solve the problem of Soviet winter offensive that would come hard and fast on overextended Axis lines.
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  5. They actually did try to land paratroopers and connect with local insurgents against Soviet power (mostly Chechens) but that ended up badly, i.e. NKVD would wipe them out with relative ease.
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  6. No, because Azov flotilla was mostly small craft and historically they scuttled them anyway . But Novorossiysk was never fully captured, i.e. Soviets remained on surrounding hills. Main threat for Axis shipping were Soviet submarines and partially torpedo boats, which were plentiful. Axis mostly used small coastal ships during their time there.
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  7.  @adamserbakowski2341  Actually it did :D Axis had trouble supplying Rommel from second half of 1942, and this was just a small run from Italy to Libya . Check the map ;)
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  8.  @adamserbakowski2341  Axis were supplying Crimea from Romania, when it was cut off. But, it was hazardous route and ships were lost. Going from Constanza to Rostov in late 1942 was possible but it was not "profitable" , i.e. many goods would be lost. Instead, there was a railway line to Rostov, and some goods were transported to Crimea and then over Kerch strait via ferries . There was an attempt to build a bridge but it was not fully completed.
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  9.  @adamserbakowski2341  Germans did "supplement" as much as they could with smaller vessels. But moving supplies to the Rostov was relatively easy. Moving supplies upwards Don was not. They could sail approximately to the Great Bend of Don with boats they captured and that is about it.
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  10. Soviet Black Sea fleet actually had 47 submarines and 34 torpedo boats before the war. This is rarely mentioned, but it was the main reason why Germans and Italians could not operate large vessels there (other being Royal Navy in Mediterranean ) . Turks could be persuaded to abandon neutrality, but disparity in naval power was simply too great.
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  11. Germans actually did attempt to encircle Moscow.
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  12.  @BelleDividends  Well, historically, Germans did attempt to go both north and south before Moscow..
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  13. No, they could not because Soviets were counter-attacking in the South since November of 1941.
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