The period of the battle for the Caucasus. The defeat of the German group during the counteroffensive

A difficult situation developed in the fall of 1942 in the area of ​​Nalchik and Mozdok. The enemy came very close to the oil-bearing areas of Grozny. Despite the fact that the German command had already changed plans and decided to attack Ordzhonikidze from Nalchik, the command of the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front developed an offensive plan in the Mozdok-Malgobek direction. According to plans, it was supposed to begin on November 3. This direction was not chosen by chance. Our troops with with varying success Throughout October they fought in the sector of the 44th Army, diverting the enemy’s attention from the planned offensive in the Mozdok-Malgobek direction. In addition, a large gap opened up between the German units operating in Transcaucasia and the German units advancing in the Stalingrad direction. In fact, the left flank of the German 1st tank army was open. It was there that it was planned to strike in order to go behind enemy lines.

However, while implementing these plans, the command of the Northern Group of Forces left the weak 37th Army against the Nalchik enemy group. Despite the instructions of the front commander to strengthen the defense at this line, no measures were taken. The Nazis did not wait for our offensive and on October 25 launched a powerful air strike on the headquarters and troops of the 37th Army, as a result of which the headquarters lost contact with the troops. On the morning of the same day, German-Romanian troops went on the offensive. Pressed repeatedly superior forces The enemy's 295th and 392nd rifle divisions were retreating. After 3 days, Nalchik was in the hands of the enemy. South-west of the city, units of the 37th Army, which had lost its command, retreated to the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range.

Having learned about the position of our troops in the Nalchik direction, front commander Tyulenev hastily transferred rifle, artillery and tank units there. The pace of the enemy’s offensive slowed down, but already on the morning of November 2, German tanks broke through the outer perimeter of the Ordzhonikidze fortified area and advanced units reached the suburbs. However, powerful resistance Soviet troops and the threat of a strike on the flank and rear of the 1st German Tank Army in the area of ​​​​the village of Gizel forced the Nazi command to stop the attack on Ordzhonikidze. On November 6, the Red Army launched a counterattack and practically closed the ring around the German group. Bloody battles broke out in the area of ​​the Suar Gorge, along which the enemy could not only bring up fresh forces to support the encircled units, but also disrupt our supply along the Georgian Military Road. But the 3 km corridor was too narrow, so the Germans tried to expand it by starting a battle in the area of ​​the mountain village of Mayramadag, which was defended by the Marines. The balance of forces was in favor of the enemy. There were 10 Germans against one of our soldiers. But the Nazis failed to penetrate the gorge and occupy Mayramadag.

Contrary to the instructions of the command of the Transcaucasian Front and the Northern Group of Forces, the corridor was not blocked, and the Germans were able to withdraw from the encirclement most of their troops and take more successful defensive lines. On November 11, the soldiers of our 9th Army knocked out the remnants of enemy units from Gisel and pushed the Nazis back to the western bank of the Fiag-Don River. After this, the advance of the Soviet units was stopped and after several unsuccessful attacks on our side, the front stabilized on December 4. The results of this operation turned out to be extremely contradictory. On the one hand, the enemy failed to break through to Grozny, but at the same time, the front line in this sector moved to the east. Our troops lost Nalchik, and more than once there was a real threat of a breakthrough of the Soviet defense.

Completed at these milestones defensive stage battle for the Caucasus. The relative calm lasted until the beginning of 1943. By that time, the situation had changed dramatically not in favor of the German forces. Having managed to win a victory at Stalingrad, and thereby eliminating the possibility of Turkey entering the war on the side of the Reich, Soviet troops were able to move on to offensive operations in the northern Caucasus. Favorable factor For our counterattack, it was also the fact that the German southern front, torn in two, was left without the resources of Transcaucasia. In addition, the Wehrmacht troops were exhausted by endless marches and tied up in local battles.

According to the plan of the Headquarters, during the offensive it was supposed to use coordinated attacks from the northeast of the troops of the Southern Front and from the southeast of the troops of the Transcaucasian and North Caucasian fronts to dismember and defeat the main forces of Army Group A, preventing their withdrawal from the North Caucasus. At the same time, the strike should be delivered from “Malaya Zemlya”. For better coordination, the troops of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasian fronts were combined into two groups: the Black Sea and Server. Our troops were opposed by Army Group A, reinforced by Task Force Hollidt and the 4th Panzer Army. The upcoming campaign was given the code name "Don", and overall coordination was entrusted to the Marshal Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky.

On the night of January 1, 1943, German troops, fearing a cauldron, began withdrawing troops from the Mozdok area. Then the troops of the Northern Group began pursuing them. This date is considered to be the beginning of the North Caucasus offensive operation. The Germans retreated skillfully, to previously prepared lines, hiding behind strong rearguards. For the first 3 days, all attempts by our troops to cut up the enemy group were unsuccessful. Stalin and General Headquarters were well aware of what this could mean in the future.

On January 4, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief personally issued a directive directly pointing out the miscalculations that had been made: “First. The enemy is retreating from the North Caucasus, burning warehouses and blowing up roads. Northern group Maslennikova turns into a reserve group with easy task pursuit of the enemy. It is not profitable for us to push the enemy out of the North Caucasus. It is more profitable for us to detain him in order to encircle him with a blow from the Black Sea group. Because of this, the center of gravity of the operations of the Transcaucasian Front is moving to the area of ​​the Black Sea Group, which neither Maslennikov nor Petrov understands.

Second. Immediately embark the 3rd Rifle Corps from the Northern Group area and at an accelerated pace move to the Black Sea group area. Maslennikov can put into action the 58th Army, which is hanging out in his reserve and which, in the context of our successful offensive, could be of great benefit. The first task of the Black Sea group is to reach Tikhoretskaya and thus prevent the enemy from taking their equipment to the west. In this matter you will be assisted by the 51st Army and, possibly, the 28th Army. Your second and main task is to select a powerful column of troops from the Black Sea group, occupy Bataysk and Azov, enter Rostov from the east and thus block the enemy’s North Caucasian group with the goal of capturing or destroying it. In this matter, you will be assisted by the left flank of the Southern Front - Eremenko, who has the task of reaching north of Rostov.

Third. Order Petrov to begin his offensive on time, without delaying this matter for an hour, without waiting for all reserves to arrive. Petrov was on the defensive all the time, and he doesn’t have much offensive experience. Explain to him that he should cherish every day, every hour.” As can be seen from the directive, at this stage Stalin took control of the operation. Although Malgobek, Mozdok and Nalchik were liberated by January 6, 1943, no fundamental change occurred. The German forces still calmly retreated, and the Soviet troops were unable to break through the Nazi rearguards. But there were also positive points: commanders are no longer afraid to take the initiative. The units created mounted and mechanized groups, which, bypassing enemy strongholds, struck at the main group, but without serious artillery support this was not enough.

On January 8, the enemy retreated to a previously prepared line along the Kuma River. After 2 days, our main forces also went there. The vanguards thrown forward were able to overtake the German group and liberate Kislovodsk, thus depriving the German command of the opportunity to follow their planned plan and try to gain a foothold along the Kuma River. The Wehrmacht command began planning the withdrawal of troops beyond the Kuban and Don rivers. Continuing the pursuit, Soviet troops liberated Budennovsk, Georgievsk, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki by January 15, 1943. But then the offensive slowed down. Having taken up defensive positions along the Kalausi and Cherkessk rivers, German troops put up stubborn resistance. At the same time, the armies of the Southern Front advanced to the area north of Rostov-on-Don.

On January 17, the Nazis resumed their retreat in the hope of saving troops. Despite the circumstances, Hitler did not abandon plans to seize the Caucasus, considering the actions a tactical retreat. That is why the Soviet troops were faced with the task of not just ousting the enemy, but completely depriving him of the opportunity to resume offensive operations. Continuing the pursuit, units of the Red Army liberated Cherkessk and the Kursavka railway station.

The pace of the offensive increased slightly. By January 20, Nevinnomyssk was cleared of invaders, and a day later, Voroshilovsk (Stavropol). The capital of Stavropol was liberated thanks to the brave actions of the soldiers of Colonel N.I. Seliverstov. Even before the main troops of the army arrived, his detachment burst into the city and imposed a battle on the garrison guarding the city, preventing its withdrawal. Selivestrov's fighters held out until the main forces arrived, after which the city was completely cleared of the Nazis. Continuing the pursuit, Soviet troops liberated Budennovsk, Georgievsk, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki by January 15, 1943. But then the offensive slowed down. Having taken up defensive positions along the Kalausi and Cherkessk rivers, German troops put up stubborn resistance.

The most difficult situation the Black Sea group had. The enormous length of the front and the almost complete absence of roads greatly complicated preparations for the offensive. Emerging circumstances required the group to begin active hostilities earlier than the date planned by Headquarters. According to the “Mountains” plan, the Black Sea group was supposed to launch an offensive on January 12-15, but in fact the fighting in the Maikop direction began already on the 11th. Operating in three directions at once and without aviation support due to difficult weather conditions, the group’s troops were able to break through the enemy’s defenses only by January 23, but by that time the situation in the Caucasus had already changed, and the main forces of the group were transferred to Taman and near Novorossiysk. The rest of the troops continued to advance towards Maykop.

Meanwhile, the armies of the North Caucasus Front, having liberated Stavropol, moved to the next line of German defense, Armavir. Here the German command hoped, if not to stop, then at least to delay the Soviet offensive. But these plans were not destined to come true. The cavalry-mechanized group of General N.Ya. Kirichenko, having made a throw of almost 250 kilometers, bypassed the city and connected with units of the Southern Front. On the same day, fighting for the city began. On January 24, 1943, after fierce street fighting, the city was completely cleared of the enemy. On January 29, Maykop was liberated.

At the same time, the enemy was forced to withdraw from the passes of the Caucasus Mountain Range. Almost immediately an order was received from the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, Army General I.V. Tyulenev, to reset german flags from the mountain peaks and plant the state flags of the Soviet Union there. To accomplish this task, a group of climbers of 20 people was formed: A.M. Gusev (senior), E.A. Beletsky, N.A. Petrosov, V.D. Lubenets, B.V. Grachev, N.A. Gusak , N.P.Persiyaninov, L.G.Korotaeva, E.V.Smirnov, A.V.Bagrov, L.P.Kels, G.V.Sulakvelidze, N.P.Marinets, A.I.Gryaznov, A .I.Sidorenko, V.P.Kukhtin, G.V.Odnoblyudov, A.A.Nemchinov, G.V.Khergiani, B.V.Khergiani. In three detachments the group set off on a difficult journey.

A.M. Gusev subsequently spoke about his ascent: “This was the first mass ascent to this peak in the conditions of a war winter. We knew what lay in wait for us: except for me and Honored Master of Sports Nikolai Gusak, no one climbed Elbrus in winter, we did not know the location of the minefields, and what did homemade climbing equipment cost?! A large load of weapons, a minimum of food, an unclear situation...” On February 13, 1943, a group of 6 military climbers under the command of Nikolai Gusak dropped German flags from the western peak of Elbrus (5,642 m). On February 17, 1943, fourteen climbers of the second group under the command of Alexander Gusev climbed the eastern peak (5,621 m) and hoisted the USSR flag there. All participants were awarded orders and medals. The leaders of the groups Gusak and Gusev received the Order of the Red Star, the rest received medals “For Courage”.

The successful advance of the troops of the Southern Front towards Rostov forced the Wehrmacht command to withdraw forces from other sectors, which in turn allowed our troops to advance further. By the end of February the front passed along next borders. The Black Sea group was able to reach Krasnodar, but was unable to break through the defenses. To capture Rostov, a regrouping was also required. The northern group left the Kuban River. At these lines, Operation Don was completed. Although the main goal could not be achieved, the enemy was driven back 500-600 kilometers along almost all lines of advance.

As a result of the North Caucasus offensive operation, Kalmykia, Checheno-Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov region, Stavropol region, Circassian, Karachay and Adygei autonomous regions. The Red Army troops managed to return the Maikop oil fields, as well as the most important agricultural areas of the country. On May 1, 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus,” on the obverse of which was placed an image of Elbrus as a symbol of the liberated Caucasus.

The meaning and results of the battle for the Caucasus

The successes of the Soviet Union in the battle for the Caucasus can be considered one of the most important parts of the general counter-offensive of the USSR in the second period of the war. At this time, the Soviet army not only began to recapture its territories and return captured people, but also greatly increased its combat power and could engage in battles with the German army on equal terms. The return to the jurisdiction of the USSR of such an important strategic point as the Caucasus can be considered as one of greatest victories USSR in the Great Patriotic War.

Unfortunately, the battle for the Caucasus also had negative consequences. Part of the population was accused of assisting the enemy and many of the local residents were later exiled to Siberia.

With the victory at Stalingrad and the battle in the Caucasus, the victorious march of the Soviet Union in the Second World War began.

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The Battle of the Caucasus was a major defensive-offensive operation of the Soviet army in the second period of the Great Patriotic War.

The battle for the Caucasus took place in two stages: first, the German troops took the initiative, the German offensive lasted from July 25 to December 31, 1942, and then the Soviet soldiers began their counteroffensive, which lasted until October 9, 1943.

In the fall of 1942, German troops occupied most of the Kuban and North Caucasus, but after the defeat at Stalingrad they were forced to retreat due to the threat of encirclement by Soviet troops. In 1943, the Soviet command, which planned to lock the Germans in the Kuban and deal a decisive blow to them, was unable to carry out its plan - German troops were evacuated to Crimea.

Background and balance of power

In June 1942, the Soviet army on the southern front was weakened after the battles near Kharkov, the German command decided to take advantage of the situation and break through to the Caucasus. After a short offensive, several cities fell, including Rostov-on-Don, which opened the way to the Caucasus for the German army.

The Caucasus was an important strategic point for Hitler, since it was there that the Soviet oil reserves were located, which he dreamed of capturing. In addition, the Caucasus and Kuban were sources of grain and other products that could significantly support the German army during the long war. Hitler was also aware that many residents of Transcaucasia did not accept Soviet power, so the chance of victory was extremely high.

When Rostov-on-Don fell, the Soviet Union's connection with the Caucasus was carried out only by sea and railway through Stalingrad. In order to cut off all supply routes for food and weapons, Hitler made a decision, but this operation not only ended in failure for the Nazi troops, but also gave a significant advantage to the Soviet troops, starting in the war. The war entered new stage, and for Hitler it became an increasingly difficult task to conquer new territories of the USSR.

Progress in the defense of the Caucasus

The battle took place in two stages. The first stage is the offensive of German troops in the Caucasus and the conquest of part of the cities.

German offensive:

• August 3 - Stavropol captured;
• August 7 - Armavir captured;
• August 10 - Maykop captured;
• August 12 - Krasnodar and Elista were captured;
• August 21 - the German flag appeared on Elbrus;
• August 25 - Mozdok captured;
• September 11 - part of Novorossiysk was captured;
• September 1942 - the Germans were stopped in the Malgobek area.

The first stage of the battle for the Caucasus took place from July to December 1942. German troops were able to approach the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range and the river. Terek, however, suffered significant losses. Although many cities were captured, the Germans failed to carry out the attack plan, since they never reached Transcaucasia and lost a huge part of their army in the process. In addition, Türkiye, on whose support Hitler was counting, never decided to enter the war.

One of the significant factors of failure German offensive It is believed that Hitler paid most attention to the battle of Stalingrad.

By the beginning of 1943, the German army in the Caucasus began to be significantly inferior in number and power to the Soviet one.

The second stage of the battle for the Caucasus is characterized by Soviet counter-offensive and is generally considered quite successful for the Soviet Union. Kalmykia, Checheno-Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, Cherkessk Autonomous Okrug, Karachay Autonomous Okrug and Adygei Autonomous Okrug were completely liberated. The Maikop oil fields, as well as the most important agricultural areas of the country, were returned to the control of the Soviet government.

The German army suffered huge losses and was forced to retreat, but it is impossible to unambiguously interpret the results of the battle for the Caucasus as a victory for the Soviet Union, since the Soviet army was unable to carry out the original plan and, having surrounded the enemy in the Kuban, destroyed it. The Germans evacuated to Crimea.

Results and significance of the battle for the Caucasus

The successes of the Soviet Union in the battle for the Caucasus can be considered a very important part of the counteroffensive: the positions of the Soviet army in the south were strengthened, air bases and the fleet were recaptured. The Caucasus was of great strategic importance, so the seizure of territories was an extremely important step in the victory over Germany.

Unfortunately, it was not without negative consequences. Part of the population of the Caucasus was accused of supporting the invaders and exiled to Siberia.

In general, the battle for the Caucasus became one of the most victorious and notable operations in the second period of the Great Patriotic War.

Battle for the Caucasus(July 25, 1942 - October 9, 1943) - battle armed forces Nazi Germany, Romania and Slovakia against the USSR during the Great Patriotic War for control of the Caucasus. The battle is divided into two stages: the German offensive (July 25 - December 31, 1942) and the Soviet counteroffensive (January 1 - October 9, 1943).

In the fall of 1942, German troops occupied most of the Kuban and North Caucasus, but after the defeat at Stalingrad they were forced to retreat due to the threat of encirclement.

In 1943, the Soviet command failed to either lock the German units in the Kuban or inflict on them decisive defeat: Wehrmacht tank units (1st Tank Army) were withdrawn from the Kuban to Ukraine in January 1943, and infantry units (17th Army) were withdrawn from the Taman Peninsula to Crimea in October.

In 1943-1944. Karachais, Kalmyks, Chechens, Ingush and Balkars were accused of collaboration and deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan, where many died from hunger and disease.

Previous Events

By June 1942, the Soviet front in the southern sector was weakened due to the failure of the spring offensive near Kharkov. The German command did not fail to take advantage of this circumstance.

On June 28, the 4th Tank Army of the Wehrmacht under the command of Hermann Hoth broke through the front between Kursk and Kharkov and rushed to the Don. On July 3, Voronezh was partially occupied, and the troops of S.K. Timoshenko, defending the direction to Rostov, were covered from the north. The Red Army lost more than 200 thousand people in this area alone as prisoners. The 4th Tank Army, having fought about 200 km in ten days, rapidly advanced south between Donets and Don. On July 23, Rostov-on-Don fell - the path to the Caucasus was open.

Plans of the German command

Breakthrough Soviet front near Kharkov and the subsequent capture of Rostov-on-Don opened up for Hitler not only the real prospect of access to Baku oil in Transcaucasia, but also the opportunity to capture Stalingrad - the most important transport hub and a major center of military industry. In German sources, this offensive is called “Operation Blue” (German. Fall Blue).

Caucasus

Baku and the North Caucasus were the main source of oil for the entire economy of the USSR. After the loss of Ukraine, the importance of the Caucasus and Kuban as a source of grain increased sharply. There were also reserves of strategic raw materials, for example, the Tyrnyauz tungsten-molybdenum ore deposit. The loss of the Caucasus could have a noticeable impact on the overall course of the war against the USSR, so Hitler chose this particular direction as his main one. The army group created for the attack on the Caucasus received the code "A".

The task of Group “A” was to: encircle and destroy south and southeast of Rostov-on-Don the troops of the Southern Front, which had retreated across the Don River, and capture the North Caucasus; then it was planned to bypass the Greater Caucasus group from the west, capturing Novorossiysk and Tuapse, and by another group from the east, capturing the oil-bearing regions of Grozny and Baku. Simultaneously with the roundabout maneuver, it was planned to overcome the Watershed Range in its central part along the passes and exit to Georgia. After the supposed victory at Stalingrad, preparation of a springboard for combat operations against Great Britain in the Middle East.

The German command took into account that the Many Terek Cossacks, the Cossack population of the Kuban and the mountain population of the North Caucasus were hostile to Soviet power. In Chechnya anti-Soviet riots began in February 1940 under the leadership of Hasan Israilov and intensified after the defeats of the Red Army in 1941-1942. Subsequently, the Germans' assumptions were confirmed - several Cossack and mountain formations were formed in the Caucasus, joining the Wehrmacht.

Stalingrad

After the fall of Rostov-on-Don, communication between the Caucasus and the regions of European Russia was possible only by sea through the Caspian and Volga and by the Salsk-Stalingrad railway. The German command believed that by cutting these communications they could quickly establish control over the Caucasus and deprive the USSR critical resources. To solve this problem it was planned to strike in the direction of Stalingrad. Army Group B was created for the attack on Stalingrad under the command of Field Marshal von Weichs. Until November 1942, the Stalingrad direction was considered auxiliary to the offensive in the Caucasus.

Hitler's strategic miscalculation

According to some historians, the division of strategic directions in the face of limited military forces was erroneous and led to the dispersal of German forces, ultimately to the failure of both the Stalingrad and Caucasian offensive plans.

Alignment of forces in the 1st stage of the battle

USSR

• Southern Front (commander - R. Ya. Malinovsky). It included the 9th Army, 12th Army, 18th Army, 24th Army, 37th Army, 51st Army and 56th Army. Air support was provided by the 4th Air Force. On July 25, the front numbered 112 thousand people, 121 tanks, 2,160 guns and mortars. On July 28, 1942, the front was merged with the North Caucasus Front, the 51st Army was transferred to the Stalingrad Front.
• North Caucasus Front (commander - S. M. Budyonny). It included the 47th Army, the 1st Rifle Corps and the 17th Cavalry Corps. Air support was provided by the 5th Air Force. On July 28, the troops of the Southern Front, except for the 51st Army, were included in the front. On September 4, 1942, the front was disbanded, its troops were transferred to the Transcaucasian Front.
• Transcaucasian Front (commander - I.V. Tyulenev). At the beginning of the battle it included the 44th Army, the 45th Army, the 46th Army and the 15th Cavalry Corps. Front aviation consisted of 14 aviation regiments. At the beginning of August 1942, the 9th, 24th (disbanded on August 28) and 37th armies from the North Caucasus Front were transferred to the front. On August 30, the 58th Army was formed. At the beginning of September, the 12th, 18th, 56th and 58th armies from the disbanded North Caucasus Front were transferred to the front. On September 20, the 12th Army was disbanded.
• Black Sea Fleet (commander - F. S. Oktyabrsky). At the beginning of the battle, it consisted of a squadron, submarine brigades, torpedo boat brigades, a trawling and barrage brigade, a gunboat division, air force and the Azov military flotilla.

Germany and allies

For the attack on the Caucasus, Army Group A was allocated from Army Group South, consisting of:

• 1st Tank Army (Kleist)
• 17th Army (Ruoff)
• 3rd Romanian Army

Initially, it was planned to include in the group the 4th Panzer Army of Hermann Hoth and the 11th Army of Manstein, which, after the siege of Sevastopol, was located in the Crimea, however, it never reached the Caucasus (with the exception of units of the 42nd Army Corps), but was transferred to north for an attack on Leningrad. 4th Panzer Army, leaving one tank corps as part of Army Group A, was transferred to Stalingrad. The 3rd Romanian Army was also soon transferred to Stalingrad. Thus, the attack on the Caucasus was carried out by the 1st Tank and 17th field army Wehrmacht, as well as the 1st Romanian Army Corps and Cavalry Corps.

Initially, the command of the group was entrusted to Field Marshal List. However, within a month, Hitler, dissatisfied with the pace of the offensive, took command. The leadership of Hitler, who was at his headquarters in Rastenburg, was only nominal; current issues were dealt with by List's former chief of staff, Hans von Greifenberg. At the end of November, when it became clear that the main events were unfolding not in the Caucasus, but in Stalingrad, command of the group was transferred to the commander of the 1st TA von Kleist. Command of the 1st TA passed to General Regiment. von Mackensen.

Air support was provided by the Luftwaffe's 4th Air Fleet.

German offensive

Chronology

• August 3 - Stavropol fell
• August 7 - Armavir fell
• August 10 - Maykop fell
• August 12 - Krasnodar and Elista fell
• August 21 - the German flag was hoisted on Elbrus
• August 25 - Mozdok fell
• September 11 - most of Novorossiysk is captured, with the exception of the eastern outskirts of the city.
• end of September 1942 - the German offensive was stopped in the Malgobek area

Developments

Having occupied Rostov-on-Don on July 23, 1942, Army Group A began an attack on Kuban. The Germans delivered the most powerful blow with the forces of the 1st and 4th tank armies on the left flank of the Southern Front, where the Soviet 51st and 37th armies were defending. The Soviet armies, having suffered heavy losses, retreated. In the zone of the 18th Soviet Army, German troops broke through to Bataysk, but in the zone of the 12th Soviet Army things were worse for them, and they were never able to cross the Don on the first day. On July 26, the 18th and 37th Soviet armies, reinforced by two divisions, attempted to launch a counterattack to restore the situation on the Don, but this attempt ended in vain.

As a result, already in the first two days of fighting, the situation for the Soviet forces in the entire zone of operations of the Southern Front sharply worsened. There was a real threat of a German breakthrough into the Salsk region. With its successful development, German troops were able to cut the Southern Front into two parts and open the way for their tank group to reach the rear of the main forces of the Soviet troops, which continued to hold positions south of Rostov. To prevent this, the Soviet command ordered on the night of July 28 to withdraw the formations of the left wing of the front to a line running along the southern bank of the Kagalnik River and the Manych Canal. German troops, under the cover of large aviation forces, transported formations of seven corps to the left bank of the Don, where overwhelming superiority was created, especially in tank forces and artillery. The troops of the Southern Front were unable to withdraw in an organized manner to the lines indicated by them. The gradual retreat turned into flight. German troops, without encountering serious resistance, began to rapidly advance deeper into the Kuban steppes.

On July 28, the Southern Front was disbanded, and its troops were transferred to the North Caucasus. The front was given the task of stopping the enemy's advance by any means and restoring the situation along the southern bank of the Don. The North Caucasus Front was divided into two operational groups: Don (51st Army, 37th Army, 12th Army and 4th Air Army), which covered the Stavropol direction, and Primorskaya (18th Army, 56th Army). I Army, 47th Army, 1st Rifle Corps, 17th Cavalry Corps and 5th Air Army with the support of the Azov Military Flotilla), which defended in the Krasnodar direction. The 9th and 24th armies were withdrawn to the area of ​​Nalchik and Grozny. The 51st Army was transferred to the Stalingrad Front. At the same time, the German command transferred the 4th Panzer Army to Army Group B.

On August 2, 1942, German troops resumed their attack on Salsk, which developed quite successfully, and on August 5 they captured Voroshilovsk. The 37th Soviet Army retreated beyond the Kalaus and Yankul rivers, and the 12th Army was transferred to the Don Group. In the Krasnodar direction, units of the 17th German Army were unable to immediately break through the defenses of the 18th and 56th Armies. Soviet troops tried to respond with a counterattack, but were soon forced to retreat behind the left bank of the Kuban.

On August 6, the 17th German Army launched an attack on Krasnodar. After fighting with the 56th Soviet Army, the Germans managed to take the city on August 12. On August 10, the Azov military flotilla was evacuated from the Azov coast. The German command, taking advantage of the favorable situation, decided to encircle the Soviet troops south of Kuban. On August 6, the 1st German Tank Army captured Armavir, on August 9 - Maykop and continued to advance on Tuapse direction. On August 12, the Germans occupied Belorechenskaya, and on August 13, Tverskaya. By August 15-17, the advance of German troops was stopped at the Samurskaya, Khadyzhenskaya, south of Klyuchevaya and Stavropolskaya line. Soviet troops managed to stop the 17th Army and prevent it from breaking through to Tuapse.

As a result, during the first stage of the offensive (July 25 - August 19), German troops partially managed to fulfill the tasks assigned to them - to inflict major defeat Soviet troops to capture most of Kuban; The 1st TA advanced east along the northern side of the Caucasus Range to Mozdok. Soviet troops were able to organize resistance to the enemy only on the approaches to Tuapse.

Battles for Novorossiysk, Malgobek and in the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range

To strengthen troops in the Caucasus, from August 1 to 12, the Soviet command regrouped the Transcaucasian Front. Troops of the 44th Army from the region of Makhachkala and Baku were advanced to defensive lines on the Terek, Sulak and Samur rivers. At the same time, 5 rifle divisions, 1 tank brigade, 3 rifle brigades, three artillery regiment, armored train and several other parts. Simultaneously with the organization of the regrouping, significant forces were allocated from the Headquarters reserve to strengthen the troops of the Transcaucasian Front. From August 6 to September the Transcaucasian Front received 2 guards rifle corps and 11 separate rifle brigades.

On August 19, in the Novorossiysk direction, the German 17th Army went on the offensive, delivering the main attack on Novorossiysk and Anapa and auxiliary attacks on Temryuk and the Taman Peninsula. The Soviet 47th Army, inferior in strength, was able to repel the attack and push back the enemy by August 25. On August 28, German troops resumed the offensive in this direction and captured Anapa on August 31, as a result of which the marine units defending the Taman Peninsula were cut off from the main forces of the 47th Army, and the ships of the Azov military flotilla were forced to break through into the Black Sea. On September 11, units of the 17th Army, having captured most of Novorossiysk, were stopped on the southeastern outskirts of the city. In the new offensive, launched from August 19 to 26, the 3rd Romanian Mountain Division was almost completely destroyed. Due to heavy losses on September 26, German troops went on the defensive near Novorossiysk, which lasted more than a year.

On August 23, German troops launched an offensive on Mozdok, while the 23rd German Tank Division attacked Prokhladny and captured it on August 25. Further attempts to advance along the Prokhladny-Ordzhonikidze railway were unsuccessful. On the morning of September 2, the Germans began crossing the Terek in the Mozdok area. Having captured small bridgehead On the southern bank of the river, German troops dealt a strong blow on the night of September 4 and advanced 10 km south of Mozdok. However, at the same time they suffered heavy losses, especially as a result of the actions of Soviet aviation (4th air army).

On September 24, German troops, strengthening the Mozdok group tank division SS "Viking", removed from the Tuapse direction, went on the offensive through the Elkhotov Gate (along the valley along the Terek) in the direction of Ordzhonikidze and along the Prokhladny - Grozny railway along the Sunzha River valley to Grozny. By September 29, after 4 days of stubborn fighting, German troops captured Terek, Planovskoye, Elkhotovo, Illarionovka, but were unable to advance further than Malgobek and were forced to go on the defensive.

Simultaneously with the battles in the Grozny and Novorossiysk directions, in mid-August, fierce battles began between units of the 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front on the passes of the Main Caucasus Range, where the German 49th Mountain Rifle Corps and two Romanian mountain rifle divisions acted against them. By mid-August, parts of the 1st German mountain rifle division approached the Klukhor Pass and Elbrus, where on August 21 German climbers hoisted the Nazi flag. At the beginning of September, German troops also captured the Marukh and Sanchar passes.

During the second stage of the German offensive (August 19 - September 29), despite a number of setbacks, on the whole, Soviet troops managed to stop the advances of German troops and prevent them from breaking through into Transcaucasia. The balance of forces also gradually improved in favor of the Soviet troops.

The failure of German troops to break through to Transcaucasia

Preparations for the defense of Transcaucasia

On August 23, GKO member L.P. Beria arrived from Moscow to Tbilisi, who replaced a number of senior officials of the army and front-line apparatus of the Transcaucasian Front, including the commander of the 46th Army. Major General K.N. Leselidze was appointed as the new commander

At that time, the fate of the peoples of the Middle East and Asia was decided on the passes of the Main Caucasus Ridge.

Front aviation received the task of conducting daily air reconnaissance of all passes through the Main Caucasus Range and the roads leading to them from the north.

Measures were also taken to install barriers on the most important pass routes leading to the Black Sea coast. On the Military-Ossetian and Military-Georgian roads, work began to prepare for the collapse of rocks, the destruction of roads and their flooding. In addition to the barrier system, a system of defensive structures was built along these roads - defense centers, strongholds, pillboxes and bunkers, trenches and anti-tank ditches. Commandant's offices were created on the main directions and roads, which had reserves of sapper forces, equipment and were equipped with radio stations.

To counter enemy outflanking, special detachments of up to a company strength with a sapper squad were formed, which moved to possible directions for the outflanking maneuver. For the same purpose, paths that were not covered by troops were undermined. Separate mountain rifle detachments were urgently created, each consisting of a company-battalion. These detachments, which included climber-instructors, were sent to the most inaccessible areas.

Defense of Tuapse

In September 1942, the situation in the Caucasus gradually began to improve in favor of the Soviet troops. This was also facilitated by the failures of the Germans and their allies at Stalingrad. The German command, without additional reserves, could no longer attack simultaneously along the entire front and decided to launch successive attacks, first in the Tuapse direction, then on Ordzhonikidze.

On September 25, 1942, after a two-day powerful air bombardment by the forces of the 4th Aviation Corps, the 17th German Army went on the offensive in the direction of Tuapse against the troops of the Soviet Black Sea Group (18th Army, 47th Army and 56th Army). reinforced by two German and two Romanian infantry divisions, as well as mountain rifle units, united in a divisional group under the command of General Lanz. After 5 days of heavy fighting, German-Romanian troops managed to break through the defenses of the 18th and 56th armies in some areas. The threat of capture loomed over Tuapse. On October 4, the Headquarters gave the order to the troops of the Black Sea group to launch counterattacks from the Rozhet, Maratuk area in the direction of the Red Cemetery and from the Belaya Glina area to Pervomaisky and Khadyzhenskaya. By October 9, German and Romanian troops were stopped in all directions. On October 14, German troops again went on the offensive, pushing back the 18th Army and somewhat pushing back the 56th Army. Soviet troops tried to launch a counterattack on the enemy group, and by October 23, the German-Romanian troops were stopped, and on October 31 they went on the defensive.

On October 25, the German 1st Tank Army went on the offensive in the direction of Nalchik. The fact that they managed to secretly regroup troops played into the hands of the Germans, as a result of which the Soviet command was unprepared for an attack in this direction. Breaking through weak defense 37th Soviet Army, German troops captured Nalchik on October 27, Gisel on November 2. In this area, the German command concentrated large tank forces, trying to expand the breakthrough, but was not successful. On November 5, Soviet troops stopped the enemy's advance. Taking advantage of the favorable situation, the Soviet command tried to encircle the Gisela group. On November 11, Gisel was recaptured, but German troops retreated across the Fiagdon River. The last attempt of the German-Romanian troops to break through to the Grozny and Baku oil regions and in Transcaucasia was thwarted.

Having brought up reserves, the 17th German Army tried to break through to Tuapse again and in mid-November went on the offensive. German-Romanian troops managed to penetrate the defenses of the 18th Army up to 8 km deep, but their forces quickly dried up. On November 26, Soviet troops went on the offensive, and with the help Black Sea Fleet and the forces of the 5th Air Army by December 17 defeated the German group and threw its remnants across the Pshish River. The German command gave the order to go on the defensive along the entire front of the Black Sea Group of Forces.

After trying German breakthrough In Transcaucasia, the Soviet command decided to launch counterattacks against German-Romanian troops from the Gisel area in the Mozdok direction. On November 13, units of the 9th Army went on the offensive, but within ten days they were unable to break through enemy defense, but only wedged to a depth of 10 km, reaching the eastern bank of the Ardon and Fiagdon rivers. In connection with these failures and poor command, on November 15, the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, Army General I.V. Tyulenev and the commander of the Northern Group of Forces, Lieutenant General I.I. Maslennikov, were summoned to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, who received new tasks - firmly covering the main directions of the Grozny and Ordzhonikidze, strike on both flanks and defeat the Mozdok and Alagir groupings of German troops. On November 27, units of the 9th Army went on the offensive in general direction to Digora. On December 4, they launched new attacks, but this time they were forced to stop the offensive. According to Soviet historians, the failure of the operation was explained by the unsuccessful choice of the direction of the main attacks. These failures forced the Soviet command to postpone a major counteroffensive in the Mozdok direction until January.

Results of the 1st stage of the Battle for the Caucasus

The first stage of the battle for the Caucasus took place from July to December 1942. German-Romanian troops, having suffered heavy losses, managed to reach the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range and the Terek River. However, in general, the German Edelweiss plan failed. In total, during the 1st stage of the battle, Army Group A lost almost 100 thousand people killed; The Germans failed to break through to Transcaucasia and the Middle East. Türkiye never decided to enter the war on the side of the Third Reich.

One of the factors in the failure of the Germans in the Caucasus was that the German command paid main attention to the battle of Stalingrad, where events unfolded in a far from favorable way for the Wehrmacht. In September 1942, with the task of protecting the flanks of Army Group B at Stalingrad, the 3rd Romanian Army was transferred from the Caucasus direction. In December 1942, due to the failures at Stalingrad, some German formations were also withdrawn from the Caucasian front, as a result of which the German group in the Caucasus weakened even more, and by the beginning of 1943 it began to be inferior to the Soviet troops in numbers - both in personnel , and in technology and weapons.

Alignment of forces in the 2nd stage of the battle

USSR

• Transcaucasian Front (commander - I.V. Tyulenev). By January 1, 1943, it included the 9th Army, 18th Army, 37th Army, 44th Army, 46th Army, 47th Army, 56th Army, 58th Army, 4th Kuban Guards Cavalry Corps and 5th Don Guards Cavalry Corps. Front aviation consisted of the 4th Air Army and the 5th Air Army. The front troops were divided into two groups: Northern and Black Sea. On January 24, the Northern Group of Forces was transformed into the North Caucasus Front. On February 6, the Black Sea Group of Forces was also included in the North Caucasus Front, after which the 45th Army, the 13th Rifle Corps, the 15th Cavalry Corps and the 75th Rifle Division remained as part of the Transcaucasian Front.
• Southern Front (commander - A.I. Eremenko). By January 1, 1943, it included the 28th Army, the 51st Army, the 5th Shock Army and the 2nd Guards Army. Front aviation consisted of the 8th Air Army.
• The North Caucasus Front (commander - I. I. Maslennikov, from May 1943 - I. E. Petrov) was formed on January 24 from the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front. It included the 9th Army, 37th Army, 44th Army, 4th Kuban Guards Cavalry Corps, 5th Don Guards Cavalry Corps and 4th Air Army. On February 6, the 44th Army was transferred to the Southern Front.
• Black Sea Fleet (commander - F. S. Oktyabrsky). It also included the Azov military flotilla. The fleet consisted of 1 battleship, 4 cruisers, a leader, 7 destroyers, 29 submarines, 69 torpedo boats, as well as other small warships. The Black Sea Fleet Air Force had 248 aircraft.

Germany and allies

• Army Group “A” (commander - E. von Kleist). It included the 17th Army and the 1st Tank Army - a total of 32 infantry, 3 tank and 3 motorized divisions. Aviation support was provided by the 4th Air Fleet, which had 900 aircraft. At the beginning of February 1943, the 1st Tank Army, having successfully avoided encirclement, left the Kuban in the Azov region and no longer took part in the battles in the Kuban.
• The combined German-Romanian-Italian naval forces on the Black Sea consisted of 1 auxiliary cruiser, 7 destroyers and destroyers, 12 submarines, 18 torpedo boats and a significant number of small warships.

By the beginning of 1943, the strategic situation in the Caucasian direction of the Soviet-German front was favorable for the encirclement and complete defeat of a large German group in the North Caucasus. The troops of the Stalingrad Front (January 1, 1943, renamed the Southern Front), as a result of the successful development of events in the Battle of Stalingrad, reached the Loznoy - Priyutnoye line by the beginning of 1943, creating a threat to the rear of the German group in the Caucasus. This circumstance forced Hitler to allow the command of Army Group A to plan measures to prepare a withdrawal on the condition that they would not weaken the strength of the resistance. The idea of ​​the operation of the Soviet command was to use coordinated strikes by troops of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts from the northeast, south and southwest to dismember and defeat the main forces of Army Group “A”, preventing its withdrawal from the North Caucasus.

On January 1, 1943, the troops of the Southern Front went on the offensive in the Rostov and Salsk directions. The German 1st Tank Army, trying to avoid encirclement, began to retreat in the direction of Stavropol under the cover of strong rearguards. On January 3, the troops of the Northern Group of the Transcaucasian Front went on the offensive (44th Army, 9th Army, 37th Army, 4th Guards Kuban Cossack Cavalry Corps, 5th Guards Don Cossack Cavalry Corps and 4th Air Army) . Pursuing the enemy, the 58th Army captured Mozdok and, together with formations of the Northern Group, began pursuing the enemy along the entire 320-kilometer front. However, German units managed to break away from the Soviet troops. This was facilitated by the fact that the persecution began two days late and was carried out without proper determination and organization. The control of the connections was disrupted, the parts were mixed up. In three days, the troops of the Northern Group advanced in some areas only 25-60 km. Developing the pursuit, formations of the Northern Group, with the support of the 4th Air Army, liberated the cities of Georgievsk, Mineralnye Vody, Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk by mid-January.

Due to the not very successful offensive of the Soviet army, the Germans managed to retreat in an organized manner to the fortified defense line along the Kuma and Zolka rivers, where from January 8 to 10, the troops of the Northern Group had to fight stubborn battles. Only on January 21, the 44th Army, with the support of partisans, liberated Stavropol. On January 23, the cavalry-mechanized group reached the Salsk area, making a 200-kilometer throw, where it connected with the approaching units of the 28th Army of the Southern Front. On January 24, the Northern Group of Forces was transformed into the North Caucasus Front, which received the task of using the troops of the right wing (44th, 58th armies and cavalry-mechanized group) to develop an attack on Tikhoretsk, the village of Kushchevskaya, and defeat the retreating units of the German 1st tank army and, in cooperation with units of the Southern Front, capture Bataysk, Azov and Rostov-on-Don. The German command, trying to avoid encirclement of its troops, sent units of the 4th Tank Army of Army Group Don against the Southern Front. The forces of the Southern Front were not enough to successfully complete the operation and encircle the German units. Meanwhile, the troops of the 37th Army, overcoming stubborn enemy resistance, began to bypass Krasnodar from the north, and by February 4 reached the line 30-40 km northeast of Krasnodar in the Razdolnaya and Voronezhskaya areas. The troops of the North Caucasus Front almost came close to the Sea of ​​Azov in the areas of Novobataysk, Yeisk and Yasenka.

The forces of the Black Sea Group (46th Army, 18th Army, 47th Army, 56th Army, 5th Air Army) of the Transcaucasian Front also failed to regroup and go on the offensive on time. On January 11-12, in the auxiliary direction from the area northeast of Tuapse, they went on the offensive strike forces 46th and 18th armies. The German 17th Army managed to repel the initial attacks. The offensive of the 56th Army developed more successfully - in seven days of fighting it broke through the German defenses in the Goryachiy Klyuch area and, having advanced 30 km, reached the closest approaches to Krasnodar. In order to prevent German troops from leaving for Crimea through the Kerch Strait, the Supreme High Command Headquarters ordered the Black Sea Group of the Transcaucasian Front to capture Novorossiysk with its main forces and liberate the Taman Peninsula, and to reach the Krasnodar region with right-flank formations. On January 29, Maykop was liberated. By February 4, the troops of the Black Sea Group reached the line of the Kuban River and the area of ​​the Ust-Labinskaya village.

In general, German troops managed to avoid encirclement and retreat to western part Krasnodar region and to the area north of Rostov. Despite this, the results of the North Caucasus operation were significant political significance. The plans of the German command for a further offensive in the Caucasus, for which it now did not have the strength, were thwarted.

Fighting in Kuban

At the beginning of February, the Soviet command set new tasks for its troops and regrouped its troops. The 44th Army and the cavalry-mechanized group were included in the Southern Front, and the Black Sea Group of Forces was transferred to the North Caucasus Front. The remaining troops of the Transcaucasian Front received the task of guarding the Black Sea coast, the Soviet-Turkish border and leading troops in Transcaucasia and Iran. The North Caucasus Front received the task of defeating the Krasnodar-Novorossiysk group of German troops.

From January 26 to February 6, the 47th Soviet Army unsuccessfully tried to break through the German defenses in order to capture Novorossiysk. To help the ground forces, on February 4, the Black Sea Fleet landed an amphibious assault in the Novorossiysk area. During fierce battles the bridgehead was expanded to 28 square meters. km, and additional units were sent to it, including the 18th Army.

On February 7, the troops of the Southern Front went on the offensive with the goal of capturing the cities of Bataysk and Rostov-on-Don. By the morning of February 8, Bataysk was liberated, and formations of the 28th Soviet Army reached the left bank of the Don. Planning to encircle German troops in the Rostov-on-Don area, the Soviet command moved the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies to bypass the city from the northeast, and the 44th Army and a cavalry-mechanized group from the southwest. German troops managed to avoid encirclement and retreat to a previously fortified position on the river line. Mius (see Mius-front). On February 13, Soviet troops entered Rostov.

On February 9, the troops of the North Caucasus Front launched an offensive against Krasnodar. The greatest success in the first days of the offensive was achieved by the 37th Army, which managed to break the defending enemy and create a threat to his troops near Krasnodar. On February 12, Krasnodar was captured by the 12th and 46th Soviet armies. The German command began to withdraw its troops to the Taman Peninsula, while at the same time, with the support of aviation, launching counterattacks on Soviet forces, of which the 58th Army suffered the most. The Soviet navy and aviation tried to completely paralyze communications between German formations on the Taman Peninsula and in the Crimea, but they failed to complete this task. In the second half of February, the resistance of the German troops, the basis of which was the 17th Army, increased sharply.

On February 23, the forces of the North Caucasus Front launched a new offensive, but it did not bring the expected result. From February 28 to March 4, troops of the German 17th Army, supported by aviation, launched strong counterattacks, especially in the 58th Army zone, and partially managed to push it back. The attacks of the Soviet 37th and 9th armies forced the Germans to begin retreating to a prepared defense line on the night of March 9. During the pursuit of the retreating 17th Army, Soviet troops captured important defense centers and by mid-March reached a new defensive line of German troops 60-70 km west of Krasnodar, but were unable to break through it. On March 16, the troops of the North Caucasus Front went on the defensive and began preparing a new offensive operation with the goal of defeating German troops on the Taman Peninsula.

The German command created a powerful defense center in the area of ​​the Krymskaya village. Two German infantry and Romanian cavalry divisions that were previously in reserve were additionally transferred here. Not having sufficient forces to hold the Taman bridgehead, the German command hoped to disrupt the impending offensive of the Soviet troops with the help of aviation forces. For this purpose, up to 1 thousand combat aircraft of the 4th Air Fleet were concentrated at the airfields of Crimea and the Taman Peninsula. Additional aviation forces were transferred here from other fronts.

On April 4, the troops of the North Caucasus Front went on the offensive, but immediately ran into stubborn resistance from German-Romanian troops. German aircraft dealt particularly strong blows. Taking advantage of the temporary lull on April 17, a large German group went on the offensive with the goal of eliminating the Soviet bridgehead in the Myskhako area and destroying the 18th Army. To repel the offensive, the Soviet command attracted large aviation forces - units of the 8th and 17th Air Armies were additionally brought into this area. From April 17 to 24, a major air battle took place in the skies over Kuban, which was won by Soviet aviation. Taking advantage of the victory in the air, units of the 18th Army restored the situation in the Myskhako area by April 30.

From the beginning of April to May, Soviet troops continued to carry out attacks with the aim of defeating the enemy group on the Taman Peninsula. On May 4, troops of the 56th Army liberated the village of Krymskaya, an important communications hub on the Taman Peninsula. At the beginning of June, Soviet troops, at the direction of Headquarters, went on the defensive, without fully completing the assigned task.

Decisive battles on the Taman Peninsula

In the summer of 1943, there was a lull in the Kuban sector. In order to hold the Taman bridgehead, the Germans erected a defensive line - the so-called. "blue line". Fighting on the Blue Line lasted from February to September 1943.

The total strength of the Taman group of German-Romanian troops, which included the 17th Army and part of the forces of the 1st Tank Army, reached 400 thousand people.

Landing on Malaya Zemlya

On February 4-15, 1943, a landing operation was carried out in the Novorossiysk area. Its goal was to assist the troops advancing north of Novorossiysk. The main landing force was planned to be landed in the area of ​​South Ozereyka, a demonstrative (auxiliary) one - on the western shore of Tsemes Bay, in the area of ​​​​the Novorossiysk suburb - Stanichka. The landing was provided by ships of the Black Sea Fleet. Aviation support was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet Air Force (137 aircraft) and the 5th Air Army (30 aircraft). On the night of February 4, 1943, landings began in the designated areas. However, due to a strong storm, it was not possible to land the main landing force in full strength in the South Ozereyka area. Events unfolded more successfully in the area of ​​the auxiliary landing: Caesar Kunikov’s detachment managed to occupy a small bridgehead in the Stanichka area. Along with the troops, partisans from the Novorossiysk group of partisan detachments landed on the bridgehead under the command of the secretary of the Novorossiysk City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, P. I. Vasev. The demonstration landing became the main one. The bridgehead was expanded to 4 km along the front and to 2.5 km in depth, and subsequently it received the name " Malaya Zemlya"(a section of terrain on the western shore of Novorossiysk (Tsemes) Bay and the southern outskirts of Novorossiysk), where from February 4 to September 16, 1943, Soviet troops fought heroic battles. On the bridgehead, according to eyewitnesses, there was “not a meter of area where a bomb, a mine or a shell would not fall” (Brezhnev).

Evacuation of the Blue Line

The successful offensive of Soviet troops in Ukraine in the spring of 1943 put the Taman group of the Wehrmacht in a difficult situation. On September 3, 1943, Hitler gave the order to withdraw troops from Kuban. The evacuation continued until October 9. Despite all the efforts of the Red Army to prevent this, 260 thousand soldiers, 70 thousand horses, all equipment, artillery and food supplies were transported through the Kerch Strait to Crimea. Only fodder for the horses had to be left. The troops withdrawn from Taman were sent to defend the Perekop isthmuses of Crimea.

Soviet offensive began on the night of September 10 with an amphibious landing in the port of Novorossiysk. Units of the 18th Army went on the offensive to the east and south of the city. On the night of September 11, the second echelon of troops was landed. On the same day, the troops of the 9th Army went on the offensive, striking at Temryuk, and on September 14, the troops of the 56th Army, operating on the central sector of the front. On September 15, the eastern and western groups of the 18th Army united in Novorossiysk, and the next day the city was completely liberated.

By October 9, the 56th Army captured the entire northern part of the peninsula and reached the Kerch Strait. This completely ended the fighting in the Caucasus.

Results of the 2nd stage of the Battle for the Caucasus

In general, the second stage of the battle in the Caucasus was quite successful for the Soviet troops. Kalmykia, Checheno-Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, Cherkessk Autonomous Region, Karachay Autonomous Region and Adygei Autonomous Region were completely liberated. The Maikop oil fields, as well as the most important agricultural areas of the country, were returned to the control of the Soviet government.

After the return of Soviet power to the Caucasus, on charges of mass collaboration and in order to eliminate the anti-Soviet detachments still operating in the rear, they were completely deported to Siberia and Central Asia the following peoples: Chechens, Ingush, Karachais, Balkars, Kalmyks. The autonomies of these peoples were eliminated.

The victory in the battle for the Caucasus strengthened the southern flank of the Soviet-German front, close cooperation was achieved in it ground forces with aviation, navy and partisans. Thousands of soldiers were awarded the medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus,” established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 1, 1944.

For skillful leadership of troops during the battles for the Caucasus and Kuban, on February 1, 1943, the commander of the German troops in the Kuban, E. von Kleist, was promoted to the rank of field marshal.

In February 1943, a group of Soviet climbers from the 46th Army removed German flags from the peaks of Elbrus and installed USSR flags (on February 13, 1943, the Soviet flag was hoisted on the western peak by a group led by N. Gusak, and on February 17, 1943 on Eastern, a group led by A. Gusev).

The history of the battle for the Caucasus - how the situation developed on the fronts before it began, what was the balance of forces. How the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus went, the victories and defeats of the Soviet command. What is famous about the second stage of the battle in the Caucasus, the main battles and results.

The Battle of the Caucasus 1942-1943 – a serious turning point in the course of the war

The battle for the Caucasus was of decisive importance for the outcome of the Great Patriotic War. Lose the Soviet Union this battle and it is quite possible that the entire Second world war would have been lost. It was one of the longest and lasted from July 25, 1942 to October 9, 1943.

Time is inexorable. Today there are very few WWII veterans left - participants in that great struggle against the enemy. They try their best to surround them with care and attention, especially in memorable dates these events. Poems are dedicated to heroes in which their exploits are glorified. Children's drawing competitions are held on the theme of the Battle of the Caucasus, where children often depict warriors with orders and medals. These pictures once again remind us of how important it is to take care of the world.

Heroes and ordinary participants in the battle for the Caucasus can be seen in the photo on May 9 during the procession of the Immortal Regiment.

This victory came at a huge cost to us. What we call "the battle" was in reality a series of military operations. The battle for the Caucasus has a strategic division into two stages - the first was defensive (throughout 1942), and the second offensive (from the beginning of 1943).

Military-political situation in the first half of 1942

The beginning of the 1942 military campaign for our country was unsuccessful. Serious miscalculations were made in the planning and conduct of operations along the entire length of the Soviet-German front.

Previous Events

Having carried out several successful operations in the winter of 1941, in particular, near Moscow, Yelets, Rostov and others settlements, military leadership The Soviet Union made erroneous conclusions about the unpreparedness of the Wehrmacht army for combat operations in winter conditions (which were partly true). The military potential of the Hitlerite group is Eastern Front overall was greatly underrated.

Attempts to seize the initiative in the winter and spring of 1942 through numerous private offensive operations led to failure. Thus, the Rzhev-Vyazemsk, Smolensk, Kharkov operations, also in the Crimea, the battle for the Demyansk cauldron and others, in a number of cases, were marked by local successes. As a result, Soviet troops even managed to capture part of the territories, but overall they ended in failure with a huge amount losses in manpower and equipment.

By the summer, the Red Army switched to positional defense. Another strategic mistake was the put forward Soviet command assumption that the Nazis' summer campaign will again develop in the old directions (Moscow, Leningrad), assigning secondary importance to the south. It was there that the main battles were expected. The attack on the Caucasus came as a surprise.

The importance of the Caucasus during the war

By 1942, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, Crimea, Donbass were lost, Leningrad was under siege. The economic base of the USSR narrowed. A number of industrial areas were lost, and the evacuated enterprises had not yet reached the required capacity. Significant agricultural areas were lost. As a result, steel production decreased by 10 million tons, grain harvests decreased by more than 3 times. We should not forget about the significant reduction in mobilization resources due to the loss of vast territories.

Under the current conditions, the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia turned out to be key industrial and agricultural regions for the Soviet Union. They accounted for 86.5% of all-Union oil production, 65% of natural gas, 56.5% of manganese ore. In addition, the trade route through the Persian Gulf, Iran and the Caspian Sea was second only to the Northern Sea Route for Lend-Lease supplies.

The balance of forces and means before the start of the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus

For Nazi Germany, the Caucasus was also vitally important, mainly due to the lack of oil and petroleum products. The technical equipment of the army grew, and so did their consumption. Germany's own industry was struggling. Even the captured oil-bearing territories of Europe, as well as the production of synthetic, or “ersatz fuel” from coal, alcohol, benzene and others, barely met the needs.

Plans of the German command

During the unsuccessful Kharkov offensive operation of the Soviet troops, the Nazis reached the Don and occupied Rostov. On the basis of the fascist army group “South”, two army groups were created - “A” and “B”.

Group “A” included 3 armies - one tank and two infantry. Their task at the first stage was to cross the Don, occupy part of the Kuban, the North Caucasus, and the eastern coast of the Azov and Black Seas. On the second, they were supposed to go around the Main Caucasus Range from the west and east and through the passes into Transcaucasia. In addition, with access to the border of Turkey, force it to enter into a war with “Soviet Russia”.

Field Marshal List was appointed commander. He was instructed to solve the combat mission by consistently implementing the plan Operation Edelweiss. List was later recalled by Hitler from the front and a new commander, Colonel General Kleist, was appointed in his place. Thus, from November 1942, the reins of power passed to him.

Group B was intended to attack Stalingrad. It is obvious that the Stalingrad direction was initially of secondary importance.

In the Caucasian direction, 3 fronts were deployed: Southern, North Caucasian, Transcaucasian.

Southern Front had 5 armies, whose task was to prevent the crossing of the Don and the development of an offensive in the Kuban and the Caucasus. General Malinovsky was appointed commander.

North Caucasus Front consisted of one army and two separate corps. They were tasked with defending the northeastern and eastern coasts of the Black and Azov seas. The commander was Marshal of the Soviet Union Budyonny.

Transcaucasian Front consisting of two armies and one cavalry corps, defended the Black Sea coast with our naval bases located in Georgia. Part of the forces was located in northern Iran to cover the Iranian-Turkish border.

All three fronts were not fully equipped, and there were problems with logistics support.

The Black Sea Fleet experienced difficulties due to the loss of Crimea and its main base - the city of Sevastopol. At this time, Novorossiysk became his replacement. In addition, enemy aircraft from Crimean airfields caused significant damage.

The Caucasus as a theater of military operations began to be equipped back in 1941, but the work proceeded extremely slowly and ineffectively. In addition, nothing was done in terms of fortification on the passes of the Main Caucasus Range. It seemed that they were not going to fight in the mountains at all. Everything had to be corrected in a short time and during the course of hostilities.

Developments in the defense of the Caucasus

By July 25, Wehrmacht formations unexpectedly reached the Don. Soviet units had to urgently prepare for defense.

Alignment of forces at the 1st stage of the battle

The superiority of Army Group A over the troops of the Southern Front turned out to be as follows:

• in personnel by 1.5 times;
• in tanks 9.3 times;
• in airplanes 7.7 times.

The enemy had the advantage necessary for an offensive to force a water barrier only in tanks and aircraft. But the troops of the Southern Front defended a strip 320 kilometers wide, and their forces were stretched thin. There was no opportunity to form strong second echelons and reserves. All these prerequisites led to the fact that in some places the Nazis, through skillful maneuvering, were able to create the necessary advantage.

German offensive

In the first two days, the Nazis managed to cross the Don in certain sectors of the front and break through the defenses. Further, developing the offensive, enemy formations reached Bataysk. In some places, the preconditions arose for the encirclement of parts of the Southern Front. In addition, with the entry of German tank units into the steppe, it became possible to cut the front into two parts.

Under these conditions, our command decided to retreat. However, due to the rapid advance of the Nazis, our troops failed to organize an organized retreat, much less maneuverable defense. The retreat turned into flight. Thus, the combat effectiveness of the Southern Front was partially lost, therefore July 28 it was disbanded and included in the North Caucasus.

After this date, a partial regrouping of both our and German troops took place. The Nazis continued to rapidly develop their offensive and by the end of August 19 they had practically completed their immediate task. Most of the Kuban was captured, the cities of Maykop, Stavropol, Armavir, Elista, and Krasnodar fell. Soviet troops suffered heavy losses. The Azov flotilla was forced to evacuate and subsequently became part of the Black Sea Fleet.

Battles for Novorossiysk, Malgobek and in the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range. Defense of Tuapse

The Red Army was able to organize serious resistance only on the approaches to Tuapse, thereby preventing a large group of our troops from being surrounded and blocking the path to the Black Sea.

Further plans of the command German group armies "A" consisted of a simultaneous offensive along three main transport arteries:

• along the Black Sea coast Anapa-Poti-Batumi;
• through the Main Caucasus Range in the direction of Sukhumi-Kutaisi;
• from the east, bypassing the ridge through Pyatigorsk-Prokhladnoye-Ordzhonikidze in the direction of Grozny, Makhachkala and Baku.

The Soviet leadership took a number of measures to increase the combat effectiveness of the troops. First of all, the Transcaucasian Front was strengthened with two rifle corps and eleven separate rifle brigades from the Headquarters reserve. A number of formations were transferred from the Makhachkala and Baku region to occupy defensive lines along the Terek and Urukh rivers.

At the end of August, Lavrentiy Beria arrived in the Caucasus to implement general management preparation of defense. According to his instructions, work was carried out on the engineering equipment of protective lines, strongholds, and nodes of engineering barriers on the passes of the Caucasus Range, the engineering and sapper group was significantly strengthened, and the main mountain roads were prepared for collapse, flooding and destruction.

On August 19, the German offensive resumed with simultaneous attacks on Anapa and Temryuk and the Taman Peninsula. It was not possible to take Anapa the first time. The Germans succeeded only on August 31st. At the same time, they cut off marine units from the main forces on the Taman Peninsula. As a result of the partially successful actions of September 11, almost all Novorossiysk.Subsequent attempts to capture the city were completely unsuccessful. His the defense lasted almost a year.

On August 23, 1942, attempts to attack Mozdok began. Two days later the city fell. Subsequently, having crossed the Terek, the Germans succeeded in big losses advance 10 km. However, this offensive was not continued. A little further they managed to move along the Prokhladnoye-Ordzhonikidze-Grozny railway in the direction of the Grozny oil region. However, the troops did not allow them further than Malgobekanashi. The Nazis were forced to go on the defensive in this sector as well.

Simultaneously with offensive actions in the Grozny and Novorossiysk directions, the Wehrmacht organized attempts to cross the Main Caucasus Ridge. The soldiers of the German 49th Mountain Rifle Corps even managed to plant a fascist flag on Elbrus. In February 1943, it was removed from the mountain top and installed by the Soviets.

Towards the end of September 1942, the situation in the North Caucasus was relatively stabilized, thanks to successful defensive actions, as well as due to the transfer of part of the German forces to the area Battle of Stalingrad. The enemy's offensive potential was exhausted. Therefore, by the end of September, the Germans launched only isolated attacks in the Novorossiysk and Grozny directions.

On September 25, 1942, an attempt was made to advance towards Tuapse. After five days of stubborn fighting, there was a danger of the city being captured, but the enemy was stopped by two counterattacks. Subsequently, the Germans made two more attempts - in October and November, which were also unsuccessful. As a result of prolonged positional defensive battles, the enemy was stopped and forced to switch to defense in December 1942.

At the end of October, a series of successful actions allowed the enemy to capture Nalchik and Gizel. The Soviet command partially minimized these losses when they liberated Gisel with counterattacks and the encirclement of a large group of Germans.

In addition, in a number of sectors of the Mozdok front, during November the prerequisites were created for counter-offensive actions. However, due to miscalculations in the development of the operation and an incorrect assessment of the enemy, it was not possible to break into the Nazi defenses until mid-December. The offensive was delayed until January 1943.

Results of the 1st stage of the battle for the Caucasus

The first stage of the battle for the Caucasus in 1942 for the Red Army turned out to be very difficult and bloody. Our troops suffered heavy losses. Despite their stubborn resistance, the enemy continued to advance deeper into the country. The main positive results of the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus can be considered the following:

• Operation Edelweiss failed, the Caucasian nut was too tough for Hitler;
• the Germans never managed to capture the oil-bearing regions of our country;
• The Wehrmacht was unable to penetrate the Middle East;
• Türkiye never entered the war;
• the enemy lost more than 100 thousand killed.

The defeat of the German group during the counteroffensive

By January 1943, the Red Army managed to create an advantage in manpower and equipment in the zones of action of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts.

Alignment of forces at the beginning of the 2nd stage of the battle

In numerical terms, the superiority was:

• in personnel by 1.4 times;
• in guns and mortars by 2.1 times;
• in tanks 1.8 times;
• in airplanes 1.7 times.

Some problems arose with the logistical support of the fronts. Firstly, difficult terrain and unstable weather. Secondly, the main routes for delivering material and personnel from the depths of the country were possible only by sea. Therefore, the main burden fell on the Caspian Flotilla and, to a lesser extent, on the Black Sea Fleet.

Both fronts had the task of encircling and not letting the enemy out of the North Caucasus and Kuban with coordinated strikes with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and two air armies. It was not possible to complete this task.

The German command understood the complexity of the situation. In the Stalingrad direction, the Nazi troops suffered a crushing defeat. There was a risk of getting another encirclement of Army Group “A” in the North Caucasus direction. Therefore, the decision was made to retreat. It was planned to be carried out by a sequential retreat to pre-selected lines, of which there were four planned, with cover by strong rearguards (classical maneuverable defense).

At the beginning of January, parts of the Wehrmacht began to retreat. At the beginning, the situation turned out well for the Germans. They managed to significantly break away from the Soviet troops. At this stage, our command did not have sufficient quantity mobile formations that could constrain the maneuver by actions on the flanks. There were only cavalry corps, which could not cope with this task.

The Nazis managed to stay ahead of our units and formations for several days. Therefore, it was decided not to scatter forces and resources, but to concentrate on the right flank and reach possible escape routes.

In the first weeks of the persecution, Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Mineral waters. On January 21, Stavropol was cleared of fascist units. And yet, pushing the enemy out of the North Caucasus was unprofitable; it had to be locked in, and our troops acted late. Under these conditions, the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front was reorganized on January 24 into the North Caucasus Front under the command of Lieutenant General I. I. Maslennikov.

The Red Army failed to immediately capture Bataysk and Krasnodar; the battles near Tuapse became protracted. There were not enough forces to block the Nazis' retreat to Rostov.

In the current situation, plans required adjustment. As a result, the Soviet command decided to concentrate its main efforts on preventing the enemy from retreating to Rostov, the Taman Peninsula and his withdrawal to Crimea through the Kerch Strait. In addition, in as soon as possible Krasnodar had to be captured.

On February 14, Rostov was liberated. Almost simultaneously, to the south, our troops defeated the encircled Krasnodar enemy group and liberated the city itself.

In the sky over Kuban from April 17 to 24 the biggest air battle, from which Soviet aviation emerged victorious.

Decisive battles on the Taman Peninsula

The retreat to the Taman Peninsula could not be prevented. In this sector, the front narrowed and the enemy managed to thicken the battle formations. Our troops met stubborn resistance. The Nazis concentrated a group of 400 thousand on the peninsula. They wanted to hold this bridgehead at any cost. On its territory, the Nazis erected a well-known defensive line - the “Blue Line”.

Soon the protracted Novorossiysk-Taman operation began, which became the final one in the battle for the Caucasus.

The fighting continued there from February to October 1943. The enemy units did achieve some success here. After the start of the offensive of our troops in Ukraine in September of the same year, the Nazis managed to evacuate over two hundred thousand personnel, all horses, equipment and supplies from the Taman Peninsula to Crimea.

In early February, a landing was carried out south of Novorossiysk. Marines managed to capture part of the coastal areas. Subsequently, this bridgehead will be called “Malaya Zemlya”. Fierce fighting there continued until the liberation of Novorossiysk. This only happened on September 16th.

By October 9, 1943, the Taman Peninsula was completely liberated. Thus ended the battle for the Caucasus.

Residents of the mountainous regions helped our army as guides. Maps of that time did not fully reflect mountain roads and trails. In addition, a paper map could not replace an experienced mountaineer.

After summing up the results of this great historical battle in May 1944, the Medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus"

Results of the 2nd stage of the battle for the Caucasus

The second stage of the battle for the Caucasus was generally positive for the Soviet Union. The results are as follows:

• all the republics of the North Caucasus, most of the territory of Kuban, the eastern coast of the Black and Azov Seas were liberated;
• the main cultivated areas and the Maikop oil regions were returned;
• large applied military defeat fascist Germany.

TO negative points It can be attributed to the fact that the Germans managed to retain most of Army Group “A”; they were never able to lock it in the Caucasus.

_______________________

Our victory is woven from many battles. Among them, the battle in the Caucasus of 1942-1943 became the longest in the entire Great Patriotic War. The Russian soldier has once again shown that no matter where he fights, be it the forests of the Moscow region, the swamps near Leningrad, the Kuban steppes or the Caucasus mountains, he will survive and win.

The heroic defense of the Caucasus became part of military history Soviet Union, and later Russia. This battle took its rightful place in the list of feats of Russian weapons.

F.P. Usypenko. Battle of Mozdok in 1943. 1950 Studio of military artists named after M.B. Grekova

Since ancient times, the Caucasus has connected Europe and the Middle East and was a necessary springboard for the successful campaigns of European and eastern conquerors. In modern times, strategic importance Caucasus region increased even more due to the discovery of huge deposits of mineral raw materials, which are a key component of the industrial era, including oil. Possible takeover of the Caucasus Nazi troops would have placed the USSR in extremely difficult conditions for waging war, depriving the country in the most difficult times of the bulk of oil, gas, manganese ore, molybdenum, tungsten, as well as the largest food and resort bases. And, on the contrary: as the strategy collapses, “ lightning war“The problem of supplying the German motorized army with fuel took on increasingly acute forms, and already in the spring of 1942, according to Hitler, it began to threaten catastrophe.

The Battle of the Caucasus, as one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War, is the subject of extensive research and memoirs. It is distinguished by a high level of military-historical analysis of the events that took place and the extensive use of archival material.

The battle for the Caucasus unfolded in extreme difficult situation. In the spring of 1942, Hitler set his troops the task of depriving the USSR of its main economic bases in the south of the country and, most importantly, taking possession of Caucasian oil, without which the German military machine was doomed to defeat. As a result, the main enemy forces were concentrated on the southern sector of the Soviet-German front.

Rally dedicated to the performance of the 115th Kabardino-Balkarian National cavalry division to the front. Nalchik, April 12, 1942

In July, the Germans and their allies with their main forces reached the lower reaches of the Don, from where, in accordance with Hitler’s Directive No. 45 of July 23, 1942, they were preparing to develop an offensive in two directions - to the Caucasus (Army Group A) and to Stalingrad (Army Group armies "B") The Caucasian enemy group numbered 167 thousand soldiers and officers, 1130 tanks, 4540 guns and mortars, and up to 1 thousand aircraft.

German tank formations in the foothills of the Caucasus. 1942

The troops of the North Caucasus and Southern fronts defending the Don lines were few in number and exhausted by previous battles. After enemy attacks at the end of July - beginning of August, they split and retreated in disorder. IN heavy battles near Novorossiysk and in the Tuapse direction in August-September 1942, units of the North Caucasus Front (commander Marshal) managed to stop the enemy and retain the Black Sea coast, but the front did not have the forces to defend all the approaches to Transcaucasia from the north. This task was entrusted to the Transcaucasian Front (commanding general of the army), which at that time was performing the tasks of covering the state border of the USSR from the south from hostile Turkey and protecting communications in Iran, where Soviet troops were temporarily deployed under the Soviet-Iranian treaty of 1921 G.

In anticipation decisive battle With the main forces of the German Army Group “A”, the Soviet government, the headquarters of the Transcaucasian Front, the Soviet and party leaders of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia carried out a set of defensive measures in August and early September 1942, which required the full mobilization of forces and resources.

First of all, the troops of the Transcaucasian Front, with the forces of the newly formed Northern Group of Forces (37th, 9th, 44th and 58th Armies) equipped and occupied a completely new line of defense, over 400 km long (from Nalchik to the mouth of the river . Terek at its confluence with the Caspian Sea) and in depth to in certain directions up to 300 km (to Derbent and Baku). The northern group of troops was supposed to cover the most important Baku direction. Units of the 46th Army were transferred to the passes of the Main Caucasus Ridge. At the same time, the front troops were few in number, were armed with mostly outdated equipment and did not have combat experience. Some armies (9th and 37th) were replenished after being withdrawn from the Don lines, and the 58th Army was formed for the first time.

The headquarters of the Supreme High Command (VGK) and the General Staff of the Red Army had to go to big risk and weaken to the limit the remaining areas of defense of the Transcaucasian Front. During the first half of August, 6 rifle divisions, 4 rifle brigades and a significant part of reinforcements were transferred from Transcaucasia. At the same time, the main forces of the 46th Army were deployed north to defend the passes and the junction with the North Caucasus Front, and in the 45th Army, located on the border with Turkey, only three divisions remained. The situation on the southern border was aggravated by the fact that due to an acute shortage of weapons, they had to be confiscated from the troops of the 45th and 46th armies. From the second half of August, the Supreme High Command Headquarters began providing military assistance, sending two guards rifle corps, 11 rifle brigades, tanks and other types of weapons to Transcaucasia over the next month and a half.

German mountain units in the Caucasus. 1942

The labor feat was accomplished by the population of the North Caucasus, who built defensive structures, and by the railway workers, who ensured the uninterrupted transfer of troops and the evacuation of the wounded and equipment.

In heavy battles near Mozdok, Tuapse and on the passes of the Main Caucasus Range in September-October, Soviet troops exhausted the enemy, knocked down his offensive impulse and created the preconditions for launching a counter-offensive. However, the enemy retained a lot of strength and repelled all the counterattacks of the troops of the Transcaucasian Front in November and December 1942.

Machine gunners cover the advance of infantrymen near Mozdok. 1942

The operation to defend the Caucasus as a whole was typical for the first period of the war with its inherent shortcomings - poor motorization of troops, lack of armored vehicles and aircraft, inexperience of most of the command and control personnel. commanding staff, especially specialists (intelligence officers, signalmen, artillerymen), etc. This often resulted in miscalculations in planning, conducting and supporting operations and battles, weak interaction branches of troops and, ultimately, protracted battles and unjustifiably large losses. On the other hand, the front command and headquarters showed fairly high organizational and managerial qualities. They often came to Headquarters with bold initiatives, firmly defended their point of view, intensely searched for ways to overcome the acute shortage of people and material resources, improvising with the means that were available.

The defense of the Caucasus also has another feature initial period wars, without which victory over the enemy would be unthinkable: mass heroism, self-sacrifice, tireless work Soviet people of all nationalities and religions. There are thousands of examples of this. Thus, during the battles on the outskirts of Vladikavkaz in November 1942, the young sniper Mamatov took refuge not far from enemy positions. At his request, our mortars drove the fascists with fire to ambush Mamatov, who began to methodically shoot them. As a result, the invaders were missing 17 people. Much of the credit for increasing the discipline and determination of the defenders of the Caucasus belonged to political workers, who often became indispensable assistants to commanders and replaced them in case of injury. For example, in the battles near Mozdok in October 1942, the battalion of the 404th regiment of the 176th Infantry Division was surrounded. The battalion commander and his political commander, senior political instructor Mironenko, acted hand in hand, leading the battalion into a bayonet attack five times. For three days the battalion was surrounded without food or ammunition, but did not flinch and reached the location of its troops without serious losses.

An amazing massive feat was accomplished by the soldiers and commanders of the 392nd Infantry Division (commander Colonel). After the Germans broke through the defense of the 37th Army near Nalchik on October 25, 1942, the division found itself pressed against the mountains in complete isolation from other Soviet troops, and it seemed that it would inevitably be crushed by the enemy. However, thanks to skillful and firm leadership, the division was able to cross the high-mountain Dovguz-Orunbashi pass in its entirety in five days, carrying weapons, equipment, 12 tons of molybdenum from a molybdenum plant left behind enemy lines, and 400 bedridden wounded from evacuated army hospitals. 30 thousand heads of cattle were also driven to Transcaucasia. Having made an unprecedented transition, the brave Georgian division remained as a combat-ready unit.

The women's night bomber regiment under the command became famous throughout the country. Behind the threatening name “night bombers” were only slow-moving U-2 training machines. At first, the Germans mockingly called them “sewing machines” and “Russian plywood”. But soon they felt the brunt of night attacks from invisible small planes, which, gliding at extremely low altitudes, approached enemy positions, sowing panic and death among them. The military merits of female military pilots were noted 22 times in the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief; 23 pilots were awarded high rank Hero of the Soviet Union.

Female officers of the 46th Guards Taman Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 325th Night Bomber Aviation Division of the 4th Air Army: Evdokia Bershanskaya (left), Maria Smirnova (standing) and Polina Gelman

The struggle did not subside even behind enemy lines. Immortal feat committed by the fighters of the Gofitsky partisan detachment, on August 18, 1942, who entered into an unequal battle with the advanced units of the enemy advancing on Grozny. A small detachment died, but destroyed over 100 fascists. No one, including children and youth, remained aloof from the fight against the enemy. They scattered leaflets, burned German cars, and disabled communication lines.

The heroism of the Soviet people on the front line and behind enemy lines weakened the enemy to the limit. Under pressure from units of the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front, on January 1, 1943, he began to retreat in the direction of Stavropol and Rostov. The second stage of the battle for the Caucasus - liberation - began. At the initial stage (January 1 - February 4, 1943), the enemy was driven back from the foothills of the Caucasus to the lower reaches of the Kuban.

Episode of the Battle for the Caucasus

The offensive proceeded rapidly: Mozdok was liberated on January 3, Pyatigorsk on the 11th, and Stavropol on January 21. On January 24, 1943, the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front was transformed into the North Caucasus Front of the 2nd Formation (commander - Lieutenant General). On February 5, the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front was included in the North Caucasian Front. On February 12, 1943, front troops liberated Krasnodar. During the pursuit of the enemy from the river line. Terek suffered significant damage. Heavy losses The German 1st Panzer and 17th armies suffered in manpower and equipment. However, the Soviet troops were unable to solve the main task - to prevent the withdrawal of troops from the territory of the North Caucasus, to encircle and defeat the Wehrmacht group and its allies.

Subsequently, the enemy was pushed back to the Taman Peninsula, where he offered desperate resistance to Soviet troops at a previously prepared line of defense (“Gotenkopf” - literally “Cat’s Head”; in modern sources it is better known as the “Blue Line”). The fascist German command created a strong, deeply echeloned defense here, which ran from the Azov to the Black Seas, covering the Taman Peninsula from the east. Bloody battles in this direction continued until October 9, 1943, until the last german soldier was not dumped into the Kerch Strait. The heroes of Malaya Zemlya, a bridgehead established on February 4, 1943 at Cape Myskhako, which included part of the city of Novorossiysk, covered themselves with unfading glory. Malaya Zemlya attracted large enemy forces and played a big role in the defeat of his troops in 1943. In the battle on Malaya Zemlya, a captain of the 3rd rank distinguished himself. In the spring of 1943, he was entrusted with the difficult task of landing troops on Myskhako. Under fire coastal batteries The enemy made their way to the defenders of Malaya Zemlya with reinforcements, ammunition, and food. Sipyagin's boat division played its role - Novorossiysk was liberated on September 16. For his participation in this operation, Nikolai Ivanovich Sipyagin was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero.

During the offensive of Soviet troops in the North Caucasus in 1943, the enemy suffered enormous damage: about 275 thousand soldiers and officers were killed, over 6 thousand were captured, 890 tanks were destroyed and shot down, over 2 thousand aircraft, 2127 guns, over 7 thousand vehicles, etc. During the same time, our troops captured 458 tanks, 1,392 guns, 1,533 mortars, over 15 thousand vehicles and other property.

Offensive operations in the Caucasus in 1943 took place under the conditions of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War, to which the defenders of the Caucasus also made their contribution. The successes of the Red Army were explained by the sharply increased capabilities of the Soviet defense industry, great skill and the experience of Soviet commanders and soldiers.

The offensive operations of the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts in 1943, as a rule, were characterized by good preparation, the correct choice of the direction of the main attack and clear leadership of the troops during the offensive.

The exploits of the defenders of the Caucasus were highly appreciated by the Soviet people and government. On January 25, 1943, the medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus” was established, which was awarded to many participants in the battle for the Caucasus and home front workers (583,045 people in total). The peoples of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia always preserve the memory of their great work and dear sacrifice.

Memorial complex of Glory named after Akhmat Kadyrov in Grozny (Chechen Republic)

Alexey Bezugolny, senior researcher at the Research Institute (military history)
Military Academy of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces Report of the commander of the troops of the North Caucasus Front in General Staff The Red Army about the battles in the Myskhako and Tsemes Bay area.