Why did Hitler split his forces into two before Rostov and Stalingrad?

Surely with the Volga under the Germans full control, the Russian forces at Rostov would have withered away because they would have been isolated/cut off from main land Russia.. Hitler should of sent the entire army to win at Stalingrad to secure a certain victory, the Oil fields to the south would have swiftly followedWhy did Hitler split his forces into two before Rostov and Stalingrad?
Hitler's ideals did not follow common sense. At the time he found himself to be invincible, and he would not allow someone to tell him he was wrong. He was not a competent military leader, and he didn't see the importance of keeping his army together. You are right about him capturing the oil feilds, but the invasion of russia was his downfall. Even if it had somewhat succeded, it would have weakened him enough for Britain and the U.S. to finish the job. Hitler really didn't have as much power as he thought he had.Why did Hitler split his forces into two before Rostov and Stalingrad?
Stalingrad was the political prize because of the name -- Stalin. Time was also vital because Hitler declared war on the USA in Dec. 1941, the German High Command was very aware they needed results before America got deeply involved in the war by summer of 1942.





Three objectives then for the German army: Moscow, Caucasis Region and Stalingrad. Because of the success of the Germans in the summer of 1941 in the Caucasians, Hitler ignored his generals advice to go for Moscow and instead split the army to merge with mechanized units. Mechanized would prove worthless at Stalingrad in hindsight anyway, but the advantage of a combined army to meet up in the Caucasians was lost in traffic jams on the few and primitive roads.





Hitler also saw the Russians were pulling in personnel from as far away as the Eastern Siberia coast with all this offense activity. Adolf's appeals to the Japanese to start a Russian invasion were unheeded. By 1943, the Japanese wouldn't have the petroleum reserves to project their forces on broad fronts.
I don't think hitlers main objective was to capture Russia. I believe he was just giving russia a warning or something or probably sizing them up. He was fixated on capturing Britain. I think if his navy was stronger he would have succeded in owning Britain and France. Also, if he had captured Britain it would have been much harder for USA to join the fight.
His initial intention was to caputure the Caucuses for the oil and resources after the defeat of Moscow. On the way he believed he could take Stalingrad with a small diversion. Of course it soon became clear that the Wehrmacht were bogged down in fierce fighting. It was pure arrogance.
Hitler split his troops because he really wanted to take the oil fields in the Caucasus region. He sent half his force south to take it, and Paulus was left with a force to weak to accomplish his objectives.
Hitler was a competent officer, not a great commander. And he was somewhat nuts.
1) First of all, he needed the oil to run his army's machinery. The British had been effective in locking Germany out of the middle eastern oil fields, even after Germany captured Greece.


(capturing Greece should have given Germany control of the eastern mediterranian basin and allowed them to launch an invasion through Palestine and Jordan into Iraq)


In their drive for Arab and Persian oil fields the only allies the Nazis had were the Zionists in Palestine.


They had to capture the Balkan oil fields or they were doomed to be defeated by a lack of fuel.





2) If he didn't lock up the north the Russians would have encircled and trapped his armies in the south.





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It is not as simple as just choosing one battle to fight.


Stalingrad was the major manufacturing centre for Russian tanks and was the controlling point for the route into Moscow.


It controlled roads, railways and water.





The Germans were in the position that they had two goals that were critical and which were dependant on each other.


When Hitlers armies bogged down in the Ukraine he tried to get through Stalingrad and on to Moscow before he ran out of precious oil.


He also hoped that attacking towards Moscow (through Stalingrad would force Russia to pull troops away from defending their oil supplies.


Hitler at this point still believed in the Blitzkrieg style of war.