Projected German Advances Late 1941–1943

As the war progressed, the Nazi war machine was in need of oil, yet no area under Axis power had sufficient supplies. The oil-rich Middle East was a logical target for the Nazis, yet to succeed they would need to take the Suez Canal. From there, they could sweep through Transjordan and into the oil fields of Iraq. Cyprus could be taken, allowing an amphibious attack on Syria, along with a push through Turkey by troops assembled in Bulgaria. To the north, the oil of the Caucuses could be utilized, en route to forces joining up at Mosul. The failure of Operation Barbarossa and the invasion of Russia, along with Allied victory at El Alamein, all prevented Hitler from accessing these rich, crucial resources. Many historians have debated how the outcome of World War II would have been very different had these advances into the Middle East ever taken place.