Part 6/16:
Initial assumptions: The campaign would be swift and decisive, leveraging the German army’s mobility and initiative, with the belief that the Soviet Union’s defenses would crumble under the weight of the German assault.
The Flawed Planning and Logistical Nightmare
Several critical issues plagued Blau from its inception:
Overextension and Unrealistic Distances
Blau involved pushing German forces some 800 kilometers further into Soviet territory, crossing a total front of roughly 4,100 km. For context, previous logistical predictions—dating back to 1940—indicated that German supply lines would fail beyond 500-800 km. They had already stretched supply lines dangerously thin in 1941, and now aimed for even greater distances.