p.
5
Battle for the Caucasus and its Signifi cance in the History of the Great Patriotic War
Battle for the Caucasus was one of the most important fi ghts in the Great Patriotic War. But in the historiography this problem is often underestimated. Declassifi ed archival documents and current studies allow us to make new conclusions about the signifi cance of the battle for the Caucasus in the history of war.
Capture the Caucasus was the main goal of the summer campaign of the Wehrmacht in 1942. Germany sought to seize oil sources, to stop “Persidsky corridor” of Lend-Lease, and in the future to realize their strategic plans in the Middle East.
442 days of constant fi ghting at the front length of 1000 km and a depth of 800 km transform the battle for the Caucasus in one of the most durable and longest battles. It was a whole complex of defensive and offensive operations in different environmental conditions steppe, seaside, mountain forest and mountain terrain. In the battle for the Caucasus distinguish two stages and three strategic operations. The fi rst stage was the North Caucasus strategic defensive operation (July 25 – December 31, 1942). As part of its spend six front defensive operations. The second stage comprised the Northern Caucasus “Don” (January 1 – February 4, 1943) and Novorossiysk-Taman (September 10 – October 9, 1943) strategic offensive operations. During the liberation of the Caucasus was carried six front offensive operations. The number of losses in the fi ghting the battle for the Caucasus talk about that it is one of the bloodiest battles of the Great Patriotic War.
It should be noted similarities in the planning and implementation of combat operations in the Caucasus and the Volga. Under Ordzhonikidze and Stalingrad, Tuapse and Novorossiysk enemy was stopped, and then discarded. The military operations in the south of the country laid the beginning of a fundamental turning point in Great Patriotic War.
Capture the Caucasus was the main goal of the summer campaign of the Wehrmacht in 1942. Germany sought to seize oil sources, to stop “Persidsky corridor” of Lend-Lease, and in the future to realize their strategic plans in the Middle East.
442 days of constant fi ghting at the front length of 1000 km and a depth of 800 km transform the battle for the Caucasus in one of the most durable and longest battles. It was a whole complex of defensive and offensive operations in different environmental conditions steppe, seaside, mountain forest and mountain terrain. In the battle for the Caucasus distinguish two stages and three strategic operations. The fi rst stage was the North Caucasus strategic defensive operation (July 25 – December 31, 1942). As part of its spend six front defensive operations. The second stage comprised the Northern Caucasus “Don” (January 1 – February 4, 1943) and Novorossiysk-Taman (September 10 – October 9, 1943) strategic offensive operations. During the liberation of the Caucasus was carried six front offensive operations. The number of losses in the fi ghting the battle for the Caucasus talk about that it is one of the bloodiest battles of the Great Patriotic War.
It should be noted similarities in the planning and implementation of combat operations in the Caucasus and the Volga. Under Ordzhonikidze and Stalingrad, Tuapse and Novorossiysk enemy was stopped, and then discarded. The military operations in the south of the country laid the beginning of a fundamental turning point in Great Patriotic War.
battle for the Caucasus, Great Patriotic War, Red Army, Wehrmacht, North-Caucasian Front, Transcaucasian Front