The Fighting in Europe - 1942
By early 1942, the Germans were able to stabilize their lines on the Eastern Front, following the Red Army counteroffensive of early December 1941. In anticipation of better weather and the reorganization and resupply of the three armies facing the Soviets, Hitler and the German High Command planned for a new offensive in the south to destroy the Red Army in the field and capture Soviet oil reserves and production in the Caucasus. The war on the high seas continued to rage, and the British and Germans/Italians faced off in the North African desert. By the end of the year, US forces were on the ground and engaged with the Axis forces in French Morocco and Algeria.