I've read elsewhere on this forum (viewtopic.php?t=78524) that Romania exported less than half of its own oil production to Germany. So it seems that if oil really was essential to Germany's war effort, the smart thing to do would have been to take 100% of Romania's oil by force.ljadw wrote: ↑27 Nov 2019 13:58
German oil production
1940 : 4.8 million ton
1941 : 5,7 million ton
1942 : 6,6 million ton
1943 : 7,6 million ton
1944 : 5,6 million ton
Imports not included
And now Romania :Source : Krieg um Öl (Eichholtz )
1940 :6,6 million
1941 :5,8 million
1952 : 5.6 million
1943 :5,3 million
1944 : 3,5 million
German total : 30,3 million
Romanian total :26,8 million
Germany was the second oil producer in Europe,behind the SU and before Romania .
What else was there in the ME that could interest Germany ?
That would have made a lot more sense than driving into the Caucasus.