Military operations in the Caucasus 1941 1945. The battle for the North Caucasus during the Second World War

BATTLE FOR THE CAUCASUS 1942–43, a set of defensive (July 25–December 31, 1942) and offensive (January 1–October 9, 1943) operations of owls. troops carried out in order to defend the Caucasus and defeat the German-fascists who invaded its borders. troops. As part of the battle for the Caucasus, owls. The troops carried out operations: the strategic defensive North Caucasian 1942, the strategic offensive North Caucasian 1943, the Novorossiysk-Taman 1943 and the front-line offensive Krasnodar 1943.

He plans. guidelines for waging war against the USSR, the North Caucasus occupied one of the central places. This was primarily due to the need to make up for the shortage of oil for the German industry, which she could compensate for at the expense of the North Caucasian fields. In the Plan of the Department of Defense of the country of the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW), drawn up in May 1941, it was concluded that "Army Group South should, having captured the Donetsk region, throw the necessary forces along the oil pipelines to Maykop - Grozny as soon as possible, and later also to Baku" . In addition, through the North Caucasus it. the army opened the way to Transcaucasia and further to Iran, also rich in oil. However, in 1941 the enemy failed to complete this task. He was stopped in the region of Rostov-on-Don, and having received a sensitive blow in the Rostov offensive operation of 1941, he was forced to retreat to the Donbass and go on the defensive.

In the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the Caucasian direction became the main one in his plans. guides. The enemy's plan was to surround and destroy the owls. troops south and southeast of Rostov, take control of the North Caucasus, then bypass the Main Caucasian Range with one group from the west, capturing Novorossiysk and Tuapse, and the other from the east, capturing Grozny and Baku. At the same time, it was planned to overcome the Caucasus Range in its central part along the passes and reach the regions of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Sukhumi. With access to Transcaucasia, the enemy hoped to seize the bases of the Black Sea Fleet, ensure complete dominance in the Black Sea, establish direct contact with the Turkish army, involve Turkey in the war against the USSR, and also create conditions for the invasion of the Near and Middle East. This plan is not. strategists appropriated the name of a beautiful mountain flower - "Edelweiss".

By July 25, owls. troops, unable to contain the enemy offensive during the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad operation of 1942, withdrew to the river. Don and left Rostov-on-Don. The enemy also managed to capture several bridgeheads on the left bank of the Don. For the attack on the Caucasus, it. the command allocated army group "A" consisting of 17A, 1TA, 4TA, Romanian 3A and part of the 4VF forces - a total of 167 thousand people, St. 1.1 thousand tanks, more than 4.5 thousand op. and mortars, up to 1 thousand aircraft. In coastal areas, ground forces supported the naval forces of Germany and Romania. The enemy was opposed by the troops of the Southern Front, which had 51A, 37A, 12A and 18A in the first echelon, supported by 4VA aircraft. In total, the front consisted of approx. 112 thousand people, 121 tanks, approx. 2.2 thousand op. and mortars, 130 aircraft. On the Taman Peninsula, it occupied the defense of 47A of the North Caucasian Front.

On July 25, the enemy launched an offensive from bridgeheads in the lower reaches of the Don. Owls. troops, unable to hold back the blow, began to retreat to the south and southeast. The threat of its capture by the enemy hung over the Caucasus. Under these conditions, the local population provided active assistance to the troops. Almost 10,000 residents of cities and villages in the Caucasus built defensive lines, built roads and bridges, and took part in supplying the troops with ammunition and food. Many urban industrial enterprises produced weapons and ammunition. Material assets and the civilian population were evacuated from the most dangerous areas.

On July 28, a unified North Caucasian Front was formed from the troops of the Southern and North Caucasian fronts under the command of Marshal Sov. Soyuz S.M. Budyonny. The Black Sea Fleet (Vice Adm. F.S. Oktyabrsky) and the Azov Military Flotilla (Rear Adm. S.G. Gorshkov) were operationally subordinate to him.

With a significant superiority in forces and means, the enemy quickly developed the offensive. Despite the fact that at the end of July he turned most of the 4TA towards the Stalingrad direction, a significant advantage was on his side. July 31, the enemy captured Salsk, August 5 - Tikhoretsk, August 9 - Maikop, August 12 - Krasnodar. The open steppe terrain allowed the enemy to effectively use superiority in tanks and aircraft. However, as it moves deeper into the Caucasus, the resistance of the owls. troops increased. This contributed to a large extent Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 227.

After the battles on the river Manych command of him. The 40th Panzer Corps noted: “The stubbornness of the enemy can be illustrated by the fact that in the floodplains individual arrows up to their throats in the water, without any hope of retreat, fight to the last bullet; that arrows located in nests equipped in a stone dam can only be destroyed in close combat. Field fortifications and shores are defended with equal tenacity.

But in the open steppe terrain, rifle divisions could do little against enemy tank formations. Therefore, at the beginning of August, owls. the command decided to deploy on the river. Terek of a new defensive grouping at the expense of the forces of the Transcaucasian Front (General of the Army I.V. Tyulenev). The troops of the front were ordered to take up defense along the river. Terek, Urukh and the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, as well as to create a multi-lane defense in the direction of Grozny, Makhachkala. As a result of the measures taken, by mid-August the enemy's offensive was stopped in the foothills of the Caucasus Range, he began to regroup his troops to develop an offensive in the Transcaucasus. The owls were also preparing to repel the blows of the enemy. command. Defensive lines were built, the troops were replenished with personnel and materiel.

On August 19, the enemy launched an offensive against Novorossiysk and the Taman Peninsula. On August 31, he captured Anapa, on September 7 he broke into Novorossiysk, captured the railway station, then the port, but could not completely capture the city. Repeated attempts by the enemy to knock out owls. troops from Novorossiysk were unsuccessful. September 26 here he went on the defensive. On September 1, the Germans launched an offensive in the Mozdok-Malgobek direction, trying to reach Makhachkala through Grozny, and then reach Baku along the coast of the Caspian Sea. They managed to push the owls. troops, but the enemy could not break through their defenses. On September 28, the enemy was forced to go on the defensive.

On September 25, enemy formations tried to break through to the Black Sea coast through Tuapse. But the stubborn resistance of the owls. troops did not allow them to do so. On November 23, the enemy was forced to abandon the offensive in this direction as well. By December 17, his group, wedged into the owls. defense in the Georgievsk area, 18A was defeated by counterattacks and by December 20 was driven back beyond the river. Pshish.

The Germans made their last attempt to overcome the Main Caucasian Range on October 25 through Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz). Having crushed the defense of owls with a sudden blow. troops, on October 28 they captured Nalchik. Weakened in previous owl battles. troops were able to stop them only on the outskirts of Ordzhonikidze. During the counterattacks, they defeated 2 German. tank divisions, causing significant damage to the enemy and forcing him to go on the defensive.

As a result of the defensive period of the battle for the Caucasus, owls. troops left most of the territory of the North Caucasus and retreated to the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range. However, they did not give the enemy the opportunity to break through to Baku, the Transcaucasus and the Black Sea coast. The Edelweiss plan remained unfulfilled.

By the end of December 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad 1942–43. Owls. the troops, having thwarted the enemy’s attempt to release the group surrounded by Stalingrad, developed an offensive to the west. By this time, the troops of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts in their areas of operations outnumbered the enemy in people by 1.4 times, guns and mortars - by 2.1, tanks - by 1.8, combat aircraft - by 1.7 times. With this in mind, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command planned an offensive operation. It was envisaged to strike the troops of both fronts from the northeast and southwest to dismember and defeat the main forces of Army Group A, preventing the withdrawal of its troops from the North Caucasus. The success of the operation depended primarily on the actions of the troops of the Southern Front in the Rostov and Salsk directions and the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front in the Krasnodar and Tikhoretsk directions. The task of the northern group of this front was to, by going over to a swift offensive, to press the enemy to the Main Caucasian Range.

January 1st troops began to advance. On the same day. the command, seeking to avoid the encirclement of its troops in the North Caucasus, began to withdraw them under the cover of strong rearguards from the Mozdok region. The offensive of the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front did not develop - the enemy managed to break away. The persecution began only on January 3, was carried out indecisively and disorganized.

On January 4, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command pointed out to the commander of the Transcaucasian Front the shortcomings in command and control and specified the tasks. The directive noted: “The northern group of Maslennikov is turning into a reserve group with the task of light pursuit. It is unprofitable 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.

Thus, the main efforts of the front were concentrated in the zone of the Black Sea Group of Forces. However, due to the delay in regrouping, its offensive began only on January 16 and developed extremely slowly. The enemy offered stubborn resistance, clinging to every settlement, for every line.

At the same time, the Northern Group of Forces, pursuing the retreating enemy, successfully moved forward. By the end of January 24, she had liberated Mozdok, Pyatigorsk, Armavir; on the same day, the group was transformed into the North Caucasian Front under the command of General Lieutenant. I.I. Maslennikov. On February 5, the Black Sea Group of Forces also joined the front, which during the offensive was able to advance only 30 km and was forced to suspend it.

On February 9, the North Caucasian Front launched the Krasnodar offensive operation, during which Krasnodar was liberated on February 12. The enemy, stubbornly resisting, withdrew his formations and units to the lower reaches of the Kuban and to the Taman Peninsula. On the night of February 4, the Black Sea Fleet landed southwest of Novorossiysk, in the Myskhako area, an amphibious assault, which captured a small bridgehead. Extended by February 10 to 30 sq. km, he subsequently played an important role in the liberation of Novorossiysk (see. "Small land").

At the end of March, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command approved the plan for a new offensive operation of the North Caucasian Front to defeat the German troops remaining in the North Caucasus. troops. The offensive began on 4 April. In all directions, the troops encountered strong resistance. Having achieved air superiority, the enemy unleashed powerful bombing and assault strikes on the advancing. On April 6, the offensive was suspended. It resumed on April 14 after the regrouping of troops. The troops of the North Caucasian Front failed to break through the Gotenkopf line of defense (Goth's Head, in Russian literature - the Blue Line), prepared in advance by the enemy. Since April 17, active hostilities have ceased in most sectors of the front. At the same time, fierce air battles unfolded (see. Air battles in the Kuban 1943).

In the summer of 1943 Kr. the army launched an offensive in the central and southwestern directions of the Sov.-German. front, which created favorable conditions for the resumption of the offensive in the North Caucasus. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command set the task for the North Caucasian Front (Regiment General I.E. Petrov) to conduct an offensive Novorossiysk-Taman operation. It began on the night of September 10 with a powerful artillery and aviation preparation and an amphibious landing in the port of Novorossiysk. On September 11 and 14, the main forces of the front went on the offensive. By the morning of September 16, owls. troops captured Novorossiysk by storm. By the beginning of October, the enemy was driven back to the Taman Peninsula. On October 3, the city of Taman was liberated, and by October 9, the entire Taman Peninsula was cleared of the enemy. Thus, the enemy was completely expelled from the North Caucasus, the battle for the Caucasus was over.

The victory in the battle for the Caucasus was of great military and political significance. As a result of the expulsion of the enemy from the North Caucasus, conditions were created for the liberation of the Crimea, the basing of the Black Sea Fleet improved, the country could again use the rich North Caucasian oil fields. During the period of the onset of Kr. the army passed with battles approx. 800 km, freed an area of ​​approx. 200 thousand sq. km.

Enemy plans to destroy owls. troops, the capture of the richest grain regions, oil sources, penetration into the regions of the Near and Middle East were finally thwarted. The hopes of the fascists to destroy the friendship of the peoples of the Caucasus with other fraternal peoples of the Soviets did not come true. Union.

Enemy losses only during the offensive operations of owls. troops amounted to 281 thousand soldiers and officers, approx. 1.4 thousand tanks, 2 thousand aircraft, more than 7 thousand op. and mortars, 22,000 vehicles, and many other military equipment and property. Irrecoverable losses of owls. troops during the period of the battle for the Caucasus - St. 344 thousand people, sanitary - more than 605 thousand people.

Owls. the state highly appreciated the feat of arms of the defenders of the Caucasus. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 1, 1944 established the medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus", which was awarded to approx. 600 thousand people. Many units and formations were awarded the honorary names of Anapa, Kuban, Novorossiysk, Taman, Temryuk. Novorossiysk for outstanding services to the Motherland, mass heroism, courage and steadfastness shown by its workers and soldiers Kr. army and navy in Vel. Fatherland war, 9/14/1973 was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City". By decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, the cities of Vladikavkaz, Malgobek (both October 8, 2007), Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse (both May 5, 2008) and Nalchik (3/25/2010) were awarded the honorary title "City of Military Glory".

Research Institute (Military History) VAGSh RF Armed Forces

Battle for the Caucasus(July 25, 1942 - October 9, 1943) - the battle of the armed forces of 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 offensive of the German troops (July 25 - December 31, 1942) and the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops (January 1 - October 9, 1943).

In the autumn of 1942, German troops occupied most of the Kuban and the 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 up the German units in the Kuban or inflict a decisive defeat on them: the tank units of the Wehrmacht (1st Panzer Army) were withdrawn from the Kuban to Ukraine in January 1943, and the infantry units (17th Army) were taken out from Taman Peninsula in Crimea in October.

In 1943-1944. Karachais, Kalmyks, Chechens, Ingush and Balkars were accused of collaborationism and deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan, where many died of starvation 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. This circumstance did not fail to take advantage of the German command.

On June 28, the 4th Panzer Army of the Wehrmacht under the command of Hermann Goth 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, who defended the direction to Rostov, were engulfed from the north. Only prisoners of the Red Army lost more than 200 thousand people in this area. The 4th Panzer Army, having fought about 200 km in ten days, rapidly advanced south between the Donets and the Don. On July 23, Rostov-on-Don fell - the path to the Caucasus was opened.

The plans of the German command

The breakthrough of the Soviet front near Kharkov and the subsequent capture of Rostov-on-Don opened before Hitler not only a real prospect of access to Baku oil in the Transcaucasus, but also the opportunity to capture Stalingrad - the most important transport hub and a major center of the military industry. In German sources, this offensive is called "Operation Blue" (it. Fall Blau).

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 dramatically. There were also reserves of strategic raw materials, for example, the Tyrnyauz deposit of tungsten-molybdenum ore. The loss of the Caucasus could have a significant impact on the overall course of the war against the USSR, so Hitler chose this particular direction as the main one. The army group created for the offensive in the Caucasus received the code "A".

The task of group "A" included: to encircle and destroy the troops of the Southern Front, which had retreated across the Don River, to the south and southeast of Rostov-on-Don, and to seize the North Caucasus; then it was supposed to bypass the Great Caucasus group from the west, capturing Novorossiysk and Tuapse, and 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 Dividing Range in its central part along the passes and exit to Georgia. After the alleged victory at Stalingrad, the preparation of a springboard for combat operations against Great Britain in the Middle East.

The German command took into account that many Terek Cossacks, the Cossack population of the Kuban and the mountain population of the North Caucasus were hostile to the Soviet regime. In Chechnya, anti-Soviet rebellions began in February 1940 under the leadership of Khasan Israilov and intensified after the defeat of the Red Army in 1941-1942. Later, the assumptions of the Germans were confirmed - in the Caucasus, several Cossack and mountain formations were formed that joined 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 railroad Salsk - Stalingrad. The German command believed that by cutting these communications, they would be able to quickly establish control over the Caucasus and deprive the USSR of its most important resources. To solve this problem, it was supposed to strike in the direction of Stalingrad. For the attack on Stalingrad, Army Group B was created under the command of Field Marshal von Weichs. Until November 1942, the Stalingrad direction was considered auxiliary in relation to the attack on the Caucasus.

Hitler's strategic miscalculation

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

The 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 Army. On July 25, the front consisted of 112 thousand people, 121 tanks, 2160 guns and mortars. On July 28, 1942, the front was merged with the North Caucasian Front, the 51st Army was transferred to the Stalingrad Front.
• North Caucasian 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 Army. On July 28, the troops of the Southern Front were included in the front, except for the 51st Army. On September 4, 1942, the front was disbanded, its troops transferred to the Transcaucasian Front.
• Transcaucasian Front (commander - I. V. Tyulenev). By the beginning of the battle, it included the 44th Army, the 45th Army, the 46th Army and the 15th Cavalry Corps. The aviation of the front consisted of 14 aviation regiments. In early August 1942, the 9th, 24th (disbanded on August 28) and 37th Army from the North Caucasian Front were transferred to the front. On August 30, the 58th Army was formed. In early September, the 12th, 18th, 56th and 58th armies from the disbanded North Caucasian Front were transferred to the front. On September 20, the 12th Army was disbanded.
• Black Sea Fleet (commander - F.S. Oktyabrsky). By the beginning of the battle, it consisted of a squadron, submarine brigades, torpedo boat brigades, a trawling and barrage brigade, a gunboat division, the air force and the Azov military flotilla.

Germany and allies

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

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

Initially, it was planned to include in the group the 4th Panzer Army of Hermann Goth and the 11th Army of Manstein, which, after the completion of the siege of Sevastopol, was located in the Crimea, but it never got to the Caucasus (with the exception of parts of the 42nd Army Corps), but was transferred to north for an attack on Leningrad. The 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 armies of the 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, a month later, 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 handled 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, the command of the group was transferred to the commander of the 1st TA, von Kleist. The command of the 1st TA was transferred to Gen.-Regiment. von Mackensen.

Air support was provided by the 4th Air Fleet of the Luftwaffe.

German advance

Chronology

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

Development of events

Having occupied Rostov-on-Don on July 23, 1942, Army Group A launched an attack on the 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 not able to force the Don on the first day. On July 26, the 18th and 37th Soviet armies, reinforced by two divisions, tried 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 for the Soviet forces, the situation in the entire zone of operations of the Southern Front deteriorated sharply. There was a real threat of a German breakthrough to the Salsk area. With its successful development, the 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, who 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 the line passing along the southern bank of the Kagalnik River and the Manych Canal. The German troops, under the cover of large aviation forces, transferred formations of seven corps to the left bank of the Don, where an 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 a flight. German troops, without encountering serious resistance, began to rapidly move deep 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 offensive by any means and restoring the situation along the southern bank of the Don. The North Caucasian Front was divided into two operational groups: the Don (51st Army, 37th Army, 12th Army and 4th Air Army), which covered the Stavropol direction, and Primorskaya (18th Army, 56th I army, 47th army, 1st rifle corps, 17th cavalry corps and 5th air army with the support of the Azov military flotilla), which was defending 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 offensive against Salsk, which developed quite successfully, and already on August 5 they captured Voroshilovsk. The 37th Soviet Army withdrew 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 Army. The Soviet troops tried to respond with a counterattack, but were soon forced to retreat over the left bank of the Kuban.

On August 6, the 17th German Army launched an offensive against 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 the Kuban. On August 6, the 1st German Panzer Army captured Armavir, on August 9 - Maykop and continued to advance in the Tuapse direction. On August 12, the Germans occupied Belorechenskaya, and on August 13, Tverskaya. By August 15-17, the offensive of the German troops was stopped at the Samurskaya, Khadyzhenskaya line, south of Klyuchevaya and Stavropolskaya. The 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), the German troops partially managed to fulfill their tasks - inflict a major defeat on the Soviet troops, capture most of the Kuban; The 1st TA moved east along the northern side of the Caucasus Range to Mozdok. Soviet troops were able to organize resistance to the enemy only on the outskirts of Tuapse.

Fights for Novorossiysk, Malgobek and in the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range

To strengthen the troops in the Caucasus, from August 1 to August 12, the Soviet command regrouped the Transcaucasian Front. Troops of the 44th Army from the region of Makhachkala, Baku were advanced to the defensive lines on the rivers Terek, Sulak and Samur. At the same time, 5 rifle divisions, 1 tank brigade, 3 rifle brigades, three artillery regiments, an armored train and several other units were transferred to the Terek and Urukh line from the Soviet-Turkish border and from the Black Sea coast. Simultaneously with the organization of the regrouping, significant forces were allocated from the Stavka reserve to reinforce 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, inflicting the main blow on Novorossiysk and Anapa and auxiliary blows on Temryuk and the Taman Peninsula. The Soviet 47th Army, inferior in strength, was able to repel the offensive and by August 25 to push the enemy back. On August 28, German troops resumed their offensive in this direction and captured Anapa on August 31, as a result of which the marines 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 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 a new offensive, undertaken from 19 to 26 August, the 3rd Romanian mountain rifle 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, at the same time the 23rd German Panzer Division attacked Prokhladny and captured it on August 25. Further attempts to advance along the railroad Prokhladny - Ordzhonikidze did not bring success. On the morning of September 2, the Germans began to cross the Terek near Mozdok. Having captured a small foothold on the southern bank of the river, the 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, reinforcing the Mozdok grouping with the SS Viking Panzer Division, withdrawn from the Tuapse direction, went on the offensive through the Elkhot Gates (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 the Terek, Planovskoye, Elkhotovo, Illarionovka, but they could not advance further than Malgobek and were forced to go on the defensive.

Simultaneously with the fighting in the Grozny and Novorossiysk directions in mid-August, fierce battles began between units of the 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front in the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, where the German 49th Mountain Rifle Corps and two Romanian mountain rifle divisions acted against them. By mid-August, units of the 1st German Mountain Division approached the Klukhor Pass and Elbrus, where on August 21 German climbers hoisted the Nazi flag. In early 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, in general, the Soviet troops managed to stop the advance of the German troops and prevent them from breaking through into the Transcaucasus. The balance of power also gradually improved in favor of the Soviet troops.

The failure of the attempt of German troops to break into the Transcaucasus

Preparations for the defense of Transcaucasia

On August 23, GKO member L.P. Beria arrived in Tbilisi from Moscow, 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 the new commander

The fate of the peoples of the Middle East and Asia was then decided on the passes of the Main Caucasian Range.

The aviation of the front received the task of conducting daily reconnaissance from the air of all the passes through the Main Caucasian 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 on the preparation of the collapse of rocks, the destruction of roads and their flooding. In addition to the system of barriers, a system of defensive structures was built along these roads - defense centers, strongholds, pillboxes and bunkers, trenches and anti-tank ditches. On the main directions and roads, commandant's offices were created, which had reserves of sapper forces, means and were equipped with radio stations.

To counter enemy detours, special detachments were formed up to a company with a sapper squad, which advanced to possible directions of a detour maneuver. For the same purpose, paths that were not covered by troops were undermined. Separate mountain rifle detachments were urgently created, each as part of a company - a battalion. These detachments, which included climbers-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, having no additional reserves, could no longer attack simultaneously along the entire front and decided to deliver successive strikes, first in the Tuapse direction, then in Ordzhonikidze.

On September 25, 1942, after a two-day powerful air bombardment by the forces of the 4th Aviation Corps, in the direction of Tuapse against the troops of the Soviet Black Sea Group (18th Army, 47th Army and 56th Army), the 17th German Army went on the offensive, previously 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, the German-Romanian troops managed to break through the defenses of the 18th and 56th armies in some areas. Over Tuapse, the threat of capture loomed. On October 4, the Headquarters ordered the troops of the Black Sea Group to launch counterattacks from the Rozhet, Maratuki area in the direction of the Red Cemetery and from the White Clay 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 the 56th Army. The Soviet troops tried to launch a counterattack on the enemy grouping, 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 Panzer Army went on the offensive in the direction of Nalchik. The fact that they managed to covertly regroup troops played into the hands of the Germans, as a result of which the Soviet command was not ready to strike in this direction. Having broken through the weak defenses of the 37th Soviet Army, German troops captured Nalchik on October 27, and Gizel on November 2. In this area, the German command concentrated large tank forces, trying to expand the breakthrough, but did not achieve success. On November 5, Soviet troops stopped the advance of the enemy. Taking advantage of the favorable situation, the Soviet command tried to surround the Gisel group. On November 11, Gisel was recaptured, but the 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 into the Transcaucasus was thwarted.

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

After the attempt of a German breakthrough in Transcaucasia, the Soviet command decided to launch counterattacks on the German-Romanian troops from the Gizel region in the Mozdok direction. On November 13, units of the 9th Army went on the offensive, but within ten days they failed to break through the enemy defenses, but only wedged to a depth of 10 km, reaching the eastern banks 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 called to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on November 15, who received new tasks - firmly covering the main 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 the general direction of 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 due to 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. The German-Romanian troops, having suffered heavy losses, managed to reach the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range and the Terek River. However, in general, the German plan "Edelweiss" failed. In total, during the 1st stage of the battle, Army Group "A" lost almost 100 thousand people killed; the Germans failed to break into the Transcaucasus and the Middle East. Turkey did not dare to enter the war on the side of the Third Reich.

One factor in the failure of the Germans in the Caucasus was that the German command focused on the battle of Stalingrad, where events unfolded in no way in the best way for the Wehrmacht. In September 1942, with the task of protecting the flanks of Army Group B near Stalingrad, the 3rd Romanian Army was transferred from the Caucasian direction. In December 1942, due to failures near Stalingrad, some German formations were also removed from the Caucasian front, as a result of which the German group in the Caucasus weakened even more, and by the beginning of 1943 began to yield to the Soviet troops in numbers - both in personnel , as well as in technology and weapons.

The 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. The aviation of the front consisted of the 4th Air Army and the 5th Air Army. The troops of the front were divided into two groups: Northern and Black Sea. On January 24, the Northern Group of Forces was transformed into the North Caucasian Front. On February 6, the Black Sea Group of Forces was also included in the North Caucasian Front, after which the 45th Army, the 13th Rifle Corps, the 15th Cavalry Corps and the 75th Rifle Division remained in 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. The aviation of the front consisted of the 8th Air Army.
• The North Caucasian 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, the 37th Army, the 44th Army, the 4th Kuban Guards Cavalry Corps, the 5th Don Guards Cavalry Corps and the 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 included 1 battleship, 4 cruisers, a leader, 7 destroyers, 29 submarines, 69 torpedo boats, and other small warships. The Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet 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. Air support was provided by the 4th Air Fleet, which included 900 aircraft. In early February 1943, the 1st Tank Army, having successfully avoided encirclement, left the Kuban in the Azov region and did not take 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, by the beginning of 1943, reached the Loznoy-Priyutnoye line, threatening 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 for the withdrawal, on the condition that they did not weaken the strength of resistance. The idea of ​​the operation of the Soviet command was to dismember and defeat the main forces of Army Group A with coordinated strikes from the troops of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts from the northeast, south and southwest, preventing it from withdrawing 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 Panzer Army, trying to avoid encirclement, under the cover of strong rearguards, began to withdraw in the direction of Stavropol. 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 the formations of the Northern Group, began pursuing the enemy along the entire 320-kilometer front. However, the German formations 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 due determination and organization. Connection management was broken, parts were mixed up. For three days, the troops of the Northern Group advanced in some areas only 25-60 km. Developing the pursuit, the 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 a fortified line of defense 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 entered the Salsk region, 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 Caucasian Front, which received the task of developing a strike on Tikhoretsk, the village of Kushchevskaya, defeating 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 the encirclement of their troops, threw units of the 4th Panzer Army of the Don Army Group against the Southern Front. The forces of the Southern Front were not enough to successfully carry out the operation and encircle the German units. Meanwhile, the troops of the 37th Army, overcoming the stubborn resistance of the enemy, began to bypass Krasnodar from the north, and by February 4 they reached the line 30-40 km northeast of Krasnodar in the Razdolnaya and Voronezh regions. The troops of the North Caucasian Front came very close to the Sea of ​​Azov in the areas of Novobataysk, Yeysk 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, the strike groups of the 46th and 18th armies went on the offensive. 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 region and, advancing 30 km, reached the near approaches to Krasnodar. In order to prevent the German troops from leaving for the Crimea through the Kerch Strait, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command ordered the Black Sea Group of the Transcaucasian Front to capture Novorossiysk with the main forces and liberate the Taman Peninsula, and to go to the Krasnodar region with right-flank formations. Maykop was liberated on January 29. By February 4, the troops of the Black Sea Group reached the line of the Kuban River and the area of ​​the village of Ust-Labinskaya.

In general, the German troops managed to avoid encirclement and retreat to the western part of the Krasnodar Territory and to the area north of Rostov. Despite this, the results of the North Caucasian operation were of great political importance. The plans of the German command for a further offensive in the Caucasus, for which it now had no strength, were frustrated.

Fighting in the Kuban

In early February, the Soviet command set new tasks for its troops and carried out a regrouping of 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 Caucasian 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 Caucasian Front received the task of defeating the Krasnodar-Novorossiysk grouping 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 forces of the Black Sea Fleet in the Novorossiysk region landed an amphibious assault. During fierce battles, the bridgehead was expanded to 28 square meters. km, and additional units were thrown into it, including the 18th Army.

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

On February 9, the troops of the North Caucasian 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 taken by the forces of the 12th and 46th Soviet armies. The German command began to withdraw its troops to the Taman Peninsula, at the same time, with the support of aviation, inflicting counterattacks on the Soviet forces, of which the 58th Army suffered the most. The Soviet fleet and aviation tried to completely paralyze the connection between the 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 Caucasian Front launched a new offensive, but it did not bring the expected result. From February 28 to March 4, the troops of the 17th German Army, with the support of aviation, launched strong counterattacks, especially in the zone of the 58th Army, and partially managed to push it back. The strikes of the Soviet 37th and 9th armies forced the Germans on the night of March 9 to begin a retreat to the prepared line of defense. In the course of pursuing 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 they could not break through it. On March 16, the troops of the North Caucasian Front went on the defensive and began preparing a new offensive operation to defeat the German troops on the Taman Peninsula.

The German command created a powerful defense center in the area of ​​​​the village of Krymskaya. Two German infantry and a Romanian cavalry division, previously in reserve, were additionally transferred here. Not having sufficient forces to hold the Taman bridgehead, the German command hoped to thwart 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 the Crimea and the Taman Peninsula. Additional aviation forces were transferred here from other fronts.

On April 4, the troops of the North Caucasian Front went on the offensive, but immediately ran into stubborn resistance from the German-Romanian troops. Especially strong blows were dealt by German aircraft. Taking advantage of the lull on April 17, a large German group went on the offensive in order to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead in the Myskhako area and destroy the 18th Army. To repel the offensive, the Soviet command attracted large aviation forces - units of the 8th and 17th air armies were additionally attracted to this area. From April 17 to April 24, a major air battle broke out in the sky over the Kuban, which was won by Soviet aviation. Taking advantage of the victory in the air, by April 30, units of the 18th Army restored the situation in the Myskhako area.

From the beginning of April to May, Soviet troops continued to conduct attacks in order to defeat the enemy grouping on the Taman Peninsula. On May 4, the troops of the 56th Army liberated the village of Krymskaya, an important communications center on the Taman Peninsula. At the beginning of June, the Soviet troops, at the direction of the Headquarters, went on the defensive, without completing the assigned task to the end.

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 region. Its purpose was to assist the troops advancing north of Novorossiysk. It was planned to land the main landing in the area of ​​Yuzhnaya Ozereyka, the demonstrative (auxiliary) - on the western shore of the Tsemesskaya Bay, in the area of ​​the suburb of Novorossiysk - Stanichki. 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, landing began in the designated areas. However, due to a strong storm, it was not possible to land the main landing force in full force in the area of ​​Yuzhnaya Ozereyka. Events unfolded more successfully in the area of ​​the auxiliary landing: the detachment of Caesar Kunikov managed to occupy a small bridgehead in the Stanichki area. Together 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 up to 2.5 km in depth, subsequently it received the name "Malaya Zemlya" (a piece of terrain on the western shore of the Novorossiysk (Tsemesskaya) 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 square meter where a bomb would not fall, 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 Wehrmacht group in a difficult situation. September 3, 1943 Hitler gave the order to withdraw troops from the Kuban. The evacuation continued until 9 October. 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 the Crimea. All that was left was fodder for the horses. The troops withdrawn from Taman were sent to defend the Perekop isthmuses of Crimea.

The Soviet offensive began on the night of September 10 with an amphibious landing in the port of Novorossiysk. Parts of the 18th Army went on the offensive 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, the next day the city was completely liberated.

By October 9, the 56th Army had 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 Oblast, Stavropol Territory, Cherkess Autonomous Okrug, Karachay Autonomous Okrug and Adygei Autonomous Okrug were completely liberated. The Maikop oil fields, as well as the most important agricultural regions of the country, were returned under the control of the Soviet government.

After the return of Soviet power to the Caucasus, on charges of mass collaborationism and in order to eliminate the anti-Soviet detachments still operating in the rear, the following peoples were completely deported to Siberia and Central Asia: Chechens, Ingush, Karachays, Balkars, Kalmyks. The autonomy of these peoples was liquidated.

The victory in the battle for the Caucasus strengthened the southern flank of the Soviet-German front, in which close cooperation was achieved between ground forces, 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 the skillful leadership of troops during the battles for the Caucasus and the 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 tops of Elbrus and installed the flags of the USSR (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 alignment of forces. How was the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus, the victories and defeats of the Soviet command. What is famous for the second stage of the battle in the Caucasus, the main battles and results.

The battle for the Caucasus 1942-1943 is a serious turning point in the course of the war

The battle for the Caucasus was decisive for the outcome of the Great Patriotic War. If the Soviet Union had lost this battle, 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 relentless. Today, there are very few veterans of the Second World War - participants in that great struggle against the enemy. They are trying with might and main to surround them with care and attention, especially on memorable dates of these events. Poems are dedicated to heroes, in which their exploits are sung. Children's drawing competitions are held on the theme of the battle for the Caucasus, where children often depict warriors with orders and medals. These pictures once again remind us of how important it is to protect 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 great cost to us. What we call a "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 (during 1942), and the second offensive (from the beginning of 1943).

The military-political situation in the first half of 1942

The beginning of the military campaign of 1942 for our country developed unsuccessfully. Serious miscalculations were made in planning and conducting 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 other settlements, the military leadership of 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 Nazi group on the Eastern Front as a whole was greatly underestimated.

Attempts to seize the initiative in the winter and spring of 1942 by conducting many private offensive operations led to failure. Thus, the Rzhev-Vyazemsky, 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, the Soviet troops even managed to capture part of the territories, but on the whole they ended in failure with a huge number of losses in manpower and equipment.

By the summer, the Red Army switched to positional defense. Another strategic mistake was the assumption put forward by the Soviet command that the summer campaign of the Nazis would 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.

Significance of the Caucasus during the war

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

Under the prevailing conditions for the Soviet Union, the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia turned out to be key industrial and agricultural regions. They accounted for 86.5% of the 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 the second after 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 vital, mainly due to the lack of oil and oil products. The technical equipment of the army grew, and so did their consumption. Own German industry coped with difficulty. Even the captured oil-bearing territories of Europe, as well as the production of synthetic or "ersatz fuel" from coal, alcohol, benzene, and others, could hardly meet the needs.

The 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 force the Don, to occupy part of the Kuban, the North Caucasus, the eastern coast of the Azov and Black Seas. On the second, they were supposed to go around the Main Caucasian Range from the west and east and go through the passes to the Transcaucasus. In addition, with access to the border of Turkey to force her to enter the war with "Soviet Russia".

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

Group "B" was intended for an attack on Stalingrad. Obviously, the Stalingrad direction was initially secondary.

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

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

North Caucasian 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 as part of two armies and one cavalry corps, he 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, there were problems with logistics.

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

The Caucasus, as a theater of operations, began to be equipped as early as 1941, but the work was extremely slow and inefficient. In addition, nothing was done in terms of fortification on the passes of the Main Caucasian 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 already in the course of hostilities.

Developments in the defense of the Caucasus

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

The 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 by 9.3 times;
• in airplanes by 7.7 times.

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

German advance

In the first two days, the Nazis in some sectors of the front managed to force the Don and break through the defenses. Further, developing the offensive, enemy formations reached Bataysk. In some places, prerequisites arose for the encirclement of parts of the Southern Front. In addition, with the release of German tank units in 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, an organized retreat, and even more so a maneuverable defense, did not work out for our troops. The retreat turned into a rout. Thus, the combat capability of the Southern Front was partially lost, therefore July 28th it was disbanded and included in the North Caucasus.

After this date, there was a partial regrouping of both our and German troops. The Nazis continued to rapidly develop the 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, Krasnodar fell. The Soviet troops suffered heavy losses. The Azov flotilla was forced to evacuate and subsequently became part of the Black Sea Fleet.

Fights for Novorossiysk, Malgobek and in the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range. Defense of Tuapse

The Red Army was able to organize serious resistance only on the outskirts of Tuapse, thereby preventing the encirclement of a large grouping of our troops and blocking the path to the Black Sea.

The further plans of the command of the German Army Group "A" consisted in a simultaneous offensive along three main transport arteries:

• along the Black Sea coast Anapa-Poti-Batumi;
• through the Main Caucasian 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 capability of the troops. First of all, the Transcaucasian Front was reinforced with two rifle corps and eleven separate rifle brigades from the Stavka 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, Lavrenty Beria arrived in the Caucasus to carry out general leadership in the preparation of defense. According to his instructions, work was carried out on the engineering equipment of protective lines, strongholds, units 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 offensive of the German troops resumed with simultaneous attacks on Anapa and Temryuk and the Taman Peninsula. The first time to take Anapa did not work. The Germans succeeded only on 31 August. At the same time, they cut off parts of the Marine Corps from the main forces on the Taman Peninsula. As a result of partially successful actions on September 11, almost the entire Novorossiysk.Subsequent attempts to capture the city were completely unsuccessful. His the defense lasted almost a year.

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

Simultaneously with offensive operations in the Grozny and Novorossiysk directions, the Wehrmacht organized attempts to cross the Main Caucasian Range. The soldiers of the German 49th mountain rifle corps even managed to plant a fascist flag on Elbrus. In February 1943, he was removed from the mountain top and installed by the Soviet.

Toward the end of September 1942, the situation in the North Caucasus relatively stabilized, thanks to successful actions in the defense, and also due to the transfer of part of the German forces to the area of ​​the Battle of Stalingrad. The offensive potential of the enemy was exhausted. Therefore, by the end of September, the Germans made only separate 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 capturing the city, but the enemy was stopped by two counterattacks. Subsequently, the Germans made two more attempts - in October and November, which also failed. 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 freed Gizel with counterattacks and the encirclement of a large group of Germans.

In addition, in a number of sectors of the front of the Mozdok direction during November, the prerequisites for counter-offensive operations were created. However, due to miscalculations in the development of the operation and an incorrect assessment of the enemy, until mid-December it was not possible to break into the defense of the Nazis. 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 turned out to be very difficult and bloody for the Red Army. Our troops suffered heavy losses. Despite their stubborn resistance, the enemy continued to advance inland. The main positive results of the first stage of the battle for the Caucasus can be considered as follows:

• operation "Edelweiss" failed, the Caucasian nut was too tough for Hitler;
• the Germans never succeeded in capturing the oil-bearing regions of our country;
• The Wehrmacht was unable to break into the Middle East;
• Turkey 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 operations of the Southern and Transcaucasian fronts.

The 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 by 1.8 times;
• in airplanes by 1.7 times.

There were some problems with the rear support of the fronts. First, difficult terrain, unstable weather. Secondly, the main ways of delivering materiel 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 the enemy with coordinated strikes, supported by the Black Sea Fleet and two air armies, and not letting the enemy out of the North Caucasus and the Kuban. It was not possible to complete this task until the end.

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 Caucasian direction. Therefore, the decision was made to retreat. It was planned to be carried out by a sequential withdrawal to pre-selected lines, of which there were four, with the cover of strong rear guards (classic maneuverable defense).

In early January, units of the Wehrmacht began to retreat. In the beginning, the situation was favorable for the Germans. They managed to significantly break away from the Soviet troops. At this stage, our command did not have a sufficient number of mobile formations that could constrain the maneuver by actions on the flanks. There were only cavalry corps that could not cope with this task.

The Nazis managed to get ahead of our units and formations by several days. Therefore, it was decided not to disperse forces and means, but to concentrate on the right flank and go to possible retreat routes.

In the first weeks of the persecution, Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, and Mineralnye Vody were liberated. On January 21, Stavropol was cleared of fascist units. And yet, squeezing the enemy out of the North Caucasus was unprofitable, he had to be locked up, and our troops acted belatedly. Under these conditions, the Northern Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front on January 24 was reorganized into the North Caucasian Front under the command of Lieutenant General I. I. Maslennikov.

The Red Army failed to immediately capture Bataysk, Krasnodar, near Tuapse the battles took on a protracted character. There were not enough forces to block the retreat of the Nazis to Rostov.

In the current situation, plans required adjustments. As a result, the Soviet command decided to focus its main efforts on preventing the enemy from retreating to Rostov, the Tamansky Peninsula and withdrawing to the Crimea through the Kerch Strait. In addition, it was necessary to capture Krasnodar as soon as possible.

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

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

Decisive battles on the Taman Peninsula

The withdrawal to the Taman Peninsula could not be prevented. In this sector, the front narrowed and the enemy managed to condense the battle formations. Our troops met stubborn resistance. The Nazis concentrated on the peninsula a group of 400 thousand. At any cost, they wanted to keep this bridgehead. 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. Nevertheless, some successes were achieved by the enemy formations here. After the start of the offensive of our troops in Ukraine in September of the same year, the Nazis managed to evacuate from the Taman Peninsula to the Crimea over two hundred thousand personnel, all horses, equipment and supplies of materiel.

In early February, an amphibious landing was carried out south of Novorossiysk. The Marines managed to capture part of the territories of the coastal strip. Subsequently, this bridgehead will be called "Small Land". Fierce fighting there continued until the liberation of Novorossiysk. It happened only on September 16th.

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

The inhabitants of the mountain regions helped our army as guides. The maps of that time did not fully reflect the mountain roads and trails. In addition, a paper map could not replace an experienced highlander.

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 as a whole turned out to be positive for the Soviet Union. The results are:

• all the republics of the North Caucasus, most of the territory of the Kuban, the eastern coast of the Black and Azov Seas have been liberated;
• returned the main sown areas, Maikop oil regions;
• inflicted a major military defeat on fascist Germany.

The negative points include the fact that the Germans managed to keep most of Army Group A, it never managed to be locked up in the Caucasus.

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

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

A difficult situation developed in the autumn of 1942 in the area of ​​Nalchik and Mozdok. The enemy came very close to the oil-bearing regions 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 a plan of attack in the Mozdok-Malgobek direction. According to plans, it was supposed to start on November 3rd. This direction was not chosen by chance. Our troops, with varying success, fought throughout October in the sector of the 44th Army, diverting the attention of the enemy from the planned offensive in the Mozdok-Malgobek direction. In addition, a large gap formed between the German units operating in Transcaucasia and advancing in the Stalingrad direction. In fact, the left flank of the German 1st Panzer Army was open. It was there that it was planned to strike in order to reach the enemy rear.

However, in implementing these plans, the command of the Northern Group of Forces left the weak 37th Army against the enemy's Nalchik grouping. Despite the instructions of the front commander to strengthen the defense on 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, the German-Romanian troops went on the offensive. Pressed by the many times superior enemy forces, the 295th and 392nd rifle divisions retreated. After 3 days, Nalchik was in the hands of the enemy. South-west of the city, units of the 37th Army, which had lost their command, retreated to the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range.

Having learned about the position of our troops in the Nalchik direction, the front commander Tyulenev hastily transferred rifle, artillery and tank units there. The pace of the enemy offensive slowed down, but already on the morning of November 2, German tanks broke through the outer contour of the Ordzhonikidzevsky fortified area and advanced units reached the suburbs. However, the powerful rebuff of the Soviet troops and the threat of a strike on the flank and rear of the 1st German Panzer Army in the area of ​​the village of Gizel forced the Nazi command to stop the attack on Ordzhonikidze. On November 6, the forces of the Red Army launched a counterattack and practically closed the ring around the German group. Bloody battles unfolded 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 Highway. But the corridor of 3 km 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 power was in favor of the enemy. There were 10 Germans against one of our soldiers. But the Nazis did not succeed in penetrating the gorge and occupying Mairamadag.

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 most of their troops from the encirclement and take up more successful defensive lines. On November 11, the fighters of our 9th Army drove out the remnants of the enemy units from Gizel and pushed the Nazis back to the western bank of the Fiag-Don River. After that, the offensive of the Soviet units was stopped, and after several unsuccessful attacks from our side on December 4, the front stabilized. The results of this operation were extremely controversial. On the one hand, the enemy failed to break through to Grozny, but at the same time, the front line in this sector moved east. Our troops lost Nalchik, and more than once there was a real threat of a breakthrough of the Soviet defense.

At these lines, the defensive stage of the battle for the Caucasus ended. 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 at Stalingrad, and thereby excluding the possibility of Turkey entering the war on the side of the Reich, the Soviet troops were able to move on to offensive operations in the northern Caucasus. A favorable factor for our counterattack was 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 by local battles.

According to the plan of the Stavka, during the offensive it was supposed to be coordinated strikes 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 must also be delivered from Malaya Zemlya. For better coordination, the troops of the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts were divided into two groups: the Black Sea and the 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 the overall coordination was entrusted to Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky.

On the night of January 1, 1943, German troops, fearing the boiler, began to withdraw troops from the Mozdok region. At the same time, the troops of the Northern Group began their pursuit. This date is considered to be the beginning of the North Caucasian offensive operation. The Germans retreated skillfully, to pre-prepared lines, hiding behind strong rearguards. For the first 3 days, all attempts by our troops to cut the enemy grouping were unsuccessful. Stalin and the Headquarters as a whole understood perfectly well what this could threaten in the future.

On January 4, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief personally issued a directive directly pointing to the miscalculations made: “First. The enemy withdraws from the North Caucasus, burning warehouses and blowing up roads. Maslennikov's northern group is being transformed into a reserve group with the task of lightly pursuing the enemy. It is unprofitable for us to push the enemy out of the North Caucasus. It is more profitable for us to delay 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 understand.

Second. Immediately immerse the 3rd Rifle Corps from the area of ​​the Northern Group and move at an accelerated pace to the area of ​​the Black Sea Group. Maslennikov can put into action the 58th Army, which hangs in his reserve and which, under the conditions of our successful offensive, could be of great use. The first task of the Black Sea group is to reach Tikhoretskaya and thus prevent the enemy from taking his equipment to the west. In this matter, the 51st Army and, possibly, the 28th Army will help you. Your second and main task is to isolate a powerful column of troops from the Black Sea group, occupy Bataysk and Azov, get into Rostov from the east and thus block up the enemy’s North Caucasian group in order to take it prisoner or destroy it. In this matter, you will be assisted by the left flank of the Southern Front - Eremenko, who has the task of moving north of Rostov.

Third. Order Petrov to start his offensive on time, without delaying this matter for an hour, without waiting for the arrival of all the reserves. Petrov was on the defensive all the time and he doesn't have a lot of offensive experience. Explain to him that he must cherish every day, every hour. As can be seen from the directive, at this stage, Stalin took over the operation. Although Malgobek, Mozdok and Nalchik were liberated by January 6, 1943, no radical change occurred. The German forces were still calmly retreating, and the Soviet troops failed to break through the Nazi rearguards. But there were also positive moments: the commanders were no longer afraid to take the initiative. Cavalry and mechanized groups were created in the units, which, bypassing enemy strongholds, attacked the main grouping, but this was not enough without serious artillery support.

On January 8, the enemy withdrew 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 grouping and liberate Kislovodsk, thus depriving the German command of the opportunity to follow their plan and try to gain a foothold along the Kuma River. The command of the Wehrmacht began to plan the withdrawal of troops across the Kuban and Don rivers. Continuing the pursuit, the Soviet troops liberated Budennovsk, Georgievsk, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki by January 15, 1943. But then the advance slowed down. Having taken up defense along the rivers Kalausi and Cherkessk, the 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 keeping the troops. Despite the circumstances, Hitler did not abandon plans to seize the Caucasus, considering the action a tactical retreat. That is why the Soviet troops were faced with the task of not only displacing the enemy, but completely depriving him of the opportunity to resume offensive operations. Continuing the pursuit of the Red Army, they liberated Cherkessk and the Kursavka railway station.

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

The Black Sea group had the most difficult situation. The huge length of the front and the almost complete absence of roads greatly complicated the preparation for the offensive. The prevailing circumstances required the start of active hostilities from the group ahead of the deadline set by the Headquarters. According to the "Mountains" plan, the Black Sea Group was supposed to launch an offensive on January 12-15, and in fact the fighting in the Maikop direction began already on the 11th. Acting in three directions at once and without aviation support due to difficult weather conditions, the troops of the group were able to break through the enemy 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 Caucasian 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 horse-mechanized group of General N.Ya. Kirichenko, having made a throw of almost 250 kilometers, bypassed the city and connected with parts of the Southern Front. On the same day, battles began for the city. January 24, 1943, after fierce street fighting, the city was completely cleared of the enemy. Maykop was liberated on January 29.

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, General of the Army I.V. Tyulenev, to drop German flags from the mountain peaks and install the state flags of the Soviet Union there. To accomplish this task, a group of climbers was formed of 20 people: 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. .I.Sidorenko, V.P.Kukhtin, G.V.Odnoblyudov, A.A.Nemchinov, G.V.Khergiani, B.V.Khergiani. With three detachments, the group moved on a difficult path.

A.M. Gusev subsequently spoke about his ascent: “It was the first mass ascent to this peak in the conditions of a military winter. We knew what lay in wait for us: besides me and the Honored Master of Sports Nikolai Gusak, no one ascended Elbrus in winter, we did not know the location of the minefields, and what was the cost of self-made climbing equipment ?! A large load of weapons, a minimum of food, the ambiguity of the 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 flag of the USSR there. All participants were awarded orders and medals. The leaders of the groups Gusak and Gusev were awarded the Orders of the Red Star, the rest were awarded medals "For Courage".

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

As a result of the North Caucasian offensive operation, Kalmykia, Checheno-Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, Cherkessk, Karachaev and Adygei Autonomous Regions were completely liberated. The troops of the Red Army managed to return the oil fields of Maykop, as well as the most important agricultural regions 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 the 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 counteroffensive of the USSR in the second period of the war. At this time, the Soviet army not only began to win back its territories and return captive people, but also greatly increased its combat power and could fight on equal terms with the German army. The return of such an important strategic point as the Caucasus to the jurisdiction of the USSR can be considered as one of the greatest victories of the 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 locals were later exiled to Siberia.

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

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The Battle for the Caucasus is a major defensive and 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 had the initiative, the German offensive continued from July 25 to December 31, 1942, and then the Soviet soldiers launched their counteroffensive, which lasted until October 9, 1943.

In the autumn of 1942, German troops occupied most of the Kuban and the North Caucasus, but after the defeat at Stalingrad, they were forced to retreat due to the threat of encirclement from the Soviet troops. In 1943, the Soviet command, which planned to lock up the Germans in the Kuban and deliver a decisive blow to them, could not carry out their plan - the German troops were evacuated to the Crimea.

Background and alignment of forces

In June 1942, the Soviet army on the southern front was weakened after the fighting 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 for the German army to the Caucasus.

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 a 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 connection between the Soviet Union and the Caucasus was carried out only by sea and by rail through Stalingrad. In order to cut off all routes for the supply of food and weapons, Hitler made a decision, however, this operation not only ended in the failure of the Nazi troops, but also gave a significant advantage to the Soviet troops, starting in the war. The war entered a new stage, and it became more and more difficult for Hitler to conquer new territories of the USSR.

The course of the defense of the Caucasus

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

The offensive of the German troops:

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

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 Caucasian Range and the river. Terek, however, suffered significant losses. Although many cities were captured, the Germans failed to carry out the plan of attack, since they never reached the Transcaucasus and lost a huge part of their army in the process. In addition, Turkey, whose support Hitler counted on, did not dare to enter the war.

One of the significant factors in the failure of the German offensive is that Hitler focused on the battle of Stalingrad.

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

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

The German army suffered huge losses and was forced to retreat, however, 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 implement the original plan and, having surrounded the enemy in the Kuban, destroy him. The Germans evacuated to the Crimea.

The 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 fleet were captured back. The Caucasus was of great strategic importance, so the seizure of territories was an extremely important step in the course of the victory over Germany.

Unfortunately, there were some 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.