WW2 expert reveals man who ‘saw Hitler’s plan coming’
Following the conclusion of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939, Britain and France became increasingly concerned that Joseph Stalin would supply Adolf Hitler with oil – a vital product to fuel the six-year conflict. . They quickly discovered over 90% of its oil extraction, and 80% of the refining was along the Caucasus – an area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. War planners in London and Paris determined that “the disruption of oil supplies on any scale” would have “far-reaching consequences” and could even lead to “the collapse of all military, industrial and agricultural systems in Canada. Russia”.
Therefore, it would also have caused chaos in Nazi Germany.
Historian Sean McMeekin detailed in his new book “Stalin’s War” how the British War Cabinet discussed the bombing of this “vulnerable” region and a month later the discussions of Allied plans to wage war. from the Soviet Union were taken over in Moscow.
He told Express.co.uk: “I think they were vulnerable in March and early April 1940 when the British got serious about it – they monitored and studied the photographs.
“They were talking about the proximity to each other of many oil derricks along the coast near Baku.
Hitler could have been crushed in 1940 (Image: GETTY)
Soviet oil fields were considered vulnerable at the time (Image: WIKI)
“I think the Soviets were aware of this and not only did Stalin have information about Allied plans at the time, but a lot of documents were published by the Germans after their conquest of France.
“I think that summer the Soviets had started to strengthen – it would have been much more difficult after the installation of anti-aircraft batteries for the Allies to operate there.”
Express.co.uk has recreated the incredible map from Mr. McMeekin’s book which shows how it unfolded after the end of the Winter War in March 1940.
Using specially modified and unmarked Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra aircraft, the Secret Intelligence Service launched high altitude reconnaissance flights from RAF Habbaniya, a Royal Air Force station in Iraq.
After identifying their targets, plans were drawn up for the bombers to be launched from bases in Iran, Turkey and Syria as part of “Western Air Plan 106”, which was dubbed “Operation Pike”.
READ MORE: Hitler’s horrific nuclear weapons plan exposed – and Britain’s ‘huge role’ in stopping it
He came before the invasion of France (Image: GETTY)
These would have wiped out many targets set up between Batoumi and Baku.
Mr McMeekin detailed: “The Soviets were concerned after learning that the UK had played war against the possibility of bombing these oil facilities as part of Operation Pike.
“The following summer they actually discussed the possibility of demolition crews coming to destroy these facilities to prevent the Germans from conquering them.
“Stalin responded by signing an early peace treaty with Finland on March 12, surprising everyone.
“Could that have ended the war in the spring of 1940?” It would have seriously damaged the capabilities of Stalin and Hitler and their war machines.
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Hitler relied on Soviet oil at the time (Image: DX)
The expert told Express.co.uk how the raid could have left Hitler suffocated before the invasion of France – a pivotal moment in WWII.
He said: “Oil from Baku accounted for three quarters of oil production in the USSR.
“For the Germans it wasn’t quite so much, a lot of them came from Romania.
“But it was still something like a third of the oil available to Germany after the British blockade.
“I think that would have seriously hampered operations like the invasion of France.”
As the war unfolded, Operation Pike was pushed to the bottom of the pile as more pressing issues unfolded.
The Soviets continued to work with the Allies in the fight against Hitler (Image: GETTY)
Hitler would continue to cause untold horror for years to come (Image: GETTY)
After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Pike was revived as a contingency plan to be invoked if German forces occupied the Caucasus oil fields.
Mr McMeeken added: “What determined things, in the end, was the superior German initiative.
“If Britain and France had been faster and carried out these operations, it would have raised all kinds of problems with Soviet sabotage and other serious risks.
“They didn’t think they could cut off all the oil, but that would have been enough to make Hitler think twice about some of his offensive operations.
“It’s interesting, but it revolves around the fact that Hitler and Stalin were more proactive.”
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This notice was published: 2021-05-08 12:12:00
