Combat operations of the 23rd and 33rd NKVD regiments in the battle of the North Caucasus (July 1942 - January 1943)

This article continues the series of works concerning the study of the role and significance of the participation of NKVD forces in the battles for the Caucasus. Based on a large number of archival materials the article examines the combat operations of the 23rd and 33rd regiments of NKVD both at the first, defensive stage of the armed clash with the Wehrmacht troops and at the second - during the organization and conduct of the counterattack and the beginning of the liberation of the North Caucasus territory. Narrative and historical-genetic methods are used as the main methods of historical research. Decisive offensive character of NKVD divisions, the success of their maneuvers against the enemy troops, occupying the settlements of the region, is noted. The operability of obtaining intelligence and the effectiveness of its usage for the liberation of stanitsas and farmsteads of the North Caucasus from the enemy is described. The study of the theater of combat operations of the NKVD regiments led to the conclusion about the significant role they played in the liberation of the North Caucasus territory.