[Marty62]

Thank You.
I have not read about the India Plan. Was this to have a foothold to consolidate with Japan assuming total control of the entire Euro/Asian Continent? Stalin and Hitler good grief. Talk about two insane Dictators going head to head.

[SolidWood]

The plan to invade India by land route trough Iran is as old as Napoleon... if one doesn't go back to Alexander. The plan by Jodl and Niedermeyer of the OKH wasn't very advanced yet, and the literature I got this from was more concerned with the Mid-East theatre, but it's overall aim was destroying the British Empire overseas and eventually teaming up with Japan.

The German Generals advocating sucha joint German-Soviet offensive in the Mid-East were partly those Reichswehr officers who in the 1920's and 30's were training secretly with the Soviets, and partly those (Niedermayer) who had WW1 experience with expeditions in Iran and Afghanistan.

The most important immediate gain however was the control of the oil of the Persian Gulf.

In his negotiations with the Soviets, Hitler granted them the "general direction towards the Persian Gulf", in other words Iran and it's oil.

A very "generous" offer by the Germans, but Stalin was just as insatiable as Hitler.