A-A line
Encyclopedia
The Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line, or A-A line for short, was the military goal of Operation Barbarossa
. It is also known as the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, as well as (more rarely) the Volga-Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. It was first mentioned on 18 December 1940 in Führer Directive 21 (Fall Barbarossa) which enunciated the set goals and conditions of the German invasion of the Soviet Union
, describing the attainment of the "general line Volga-Archangelsk" as its overall military objective.
It had its origins in an earlier military study carried out by Erich Marcks
called the Operation Draft East, but also known as the Marcks Plan. This report advocated the occupation of 'Russia' (as it insisted on calling the Soviet Union) up to the line "Arkhangelsk-Gorky
-Rostov
" in order to prevent it from being a threat to Germany in the future and protect it from enemy bombers.
The hypothetical A-A line was to stretch from the port city of Arkhangelsk
on the White Sea
in northern Russia along the confluence of the Volga river
to the port city of Astrakhan
at the mouth of the Volga on the Caspian Sea
. Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union failed to secure either of the two Russian cities.
The majority of the Red Army
was to be defeated in a quick military campaign
before the onset of winter to the west of the line. The German Wehrmacht
assumed that the majority of the Soviet military supplies and the main part of the food
and population potential
of the Soviet Union existed in the lands that laid to the west of the proposed A-A line. If the line were reached, it would also be deprived of around 86% of its petroleum
requirements (oil territories in the Caucasus
). The demarcation of the A-A line as the end-goal of military hostilities was specifically chosen by the military planners because a complete destruction of the entire Soviet Union in a single military campaign was considered an operational impossibility in view of its geographic dimensions. The remaining Soviet industrial centers further eastward were to be destroyed by aerial bombardment, for which an entire Luftflotte air group was to be assigned.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. It is also known as the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, as well as (more rarely) the Volga-Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line. It was first mentioned on 18 December 1940 in Führer Directive 21 (Fall Barbarossa) which enunciated the set goals and conditions of the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, describing the attainment of the "general line Volga-Archangelsk" as its overall military objective.
It had its origins in an earlier military study carried out by Erich Marcks
Erich Marcks
Erich Marcks was a German general of artillery in World War II.-Biography:Born in Schöneberg, Marcks was the son of the German historian Erich Marcks. He began advanced studies in philosophy in Freiburg in 1909. He broke off his studies after only three semesters and became a career officer of...
called the Operation Draft East, but also known as the Marcks Plan. This report advocated the occupation of 'Russia' (as it insisted on calling the Soviet Union) up to the line "Arkhangelsk-Gorky
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
-Rostov
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
" in order to prevent it from being a threat to Germany in the future and protect it from enemy bombers.
The hypothetical A-A line was to stretch from the port city of Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
on the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
in northern Russia along the confluence of the Volga river
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
to the port city of Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
at the mouth of the Volga on the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union failed to secure either of the two Russian cities.
The majority of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
was to be defeated in a quick military campaign
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
before the onset of winter to the west of the line. The German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
assumed that the majority of the Soviet military supplies and the main part of the food
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
and population potential
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
of the Soviet Union existed in the lands that laid to the west of the proposed A-A line. If the line were reached, it would also be deprived of around 86% of its petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
requirements (oil territories in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
). The demarcation of the A-A line as the end-goal of military hostilities was specifically chosen by the military planners because a complete destruction of the entire Soviet Union in a single military campaign was considered an operational impossibility in view of its geographic dimensions. The remaining Soviet industrial centers further eastward were to be destroyed by aerial bombardment, for which an entire Luftflotte air group was to be assigned.
See also
- Operation BarbarossaOperation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
- The Ural mountains in Nazi planningThe Ural mountains in Nazi planningThe Ural mountains played a prominent role in Nazi planning. Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Nazi German leadership made many references to them as a strategic objective of the Third Reich, in the event that it decisively won the battle on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.-As a...
- Axis power negotiations on the division of Asia during World War IIAxis power negotiations on the division of Asia during World War IIAs the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan cemented their joint military alliance by mutually declaring war against the United States by December 11, 1941, the Japanese proposed a clear territorial arrangement with the two main European Axis powers concerning the Asian continent...