Formation of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division and Its Participation in the Fighting in the Tuapse Direction in August 1942

Introduction. The object of the study is the formation of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division and its participation in the fighting in the Tuapse direction in August 1942. Purpose. Identification of the features of the formation of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division and the combat work of its units, taking into account the current operational situation and the specifics of the geographical conditions in the occupied area of defense. Materials and methods. To achieve this purpose, the following methods were used: chronological, historical-comparative, and historicalgenetic. These methods were used to study documents found in the funds of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, memoirs of veterans of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division, as well as reports on search expeditions. Analysis. As part of the study, documents related to the recruitment process of the division were reviewed. The existing problems related to the establishment of the exact location of individual parts of the compound under consideration are identified. A detailed description of the operational situation prevailing on the distant approaches to the city of Tuapse at the time of the arrival of the military formation in question has been compiled. The description of the specifics of the natural conditions in the area of defense of the compound is given. Based on the collected sources, an analysis of the fighting of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division was carried out, and their results were determined. Results. The study of the documents of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division allowed us to conclude that this unit arrived at the Tuapse direction before the full completion of its formation. At the same time, the fact that the formation was incomplete was compensated by the good training of the rank and file and the command staff of this unit, who have significant combat experience. The 32nd Guards Rifle Division had sufficient firepower. The personnel were largely provided with automatic small arms. These factors made it possible, despite the severity of the prevailing operational situation and the specifics of natural conditions, to hold the entrusted area of defense and prevent the enemy from breaking through to the city of Tuapse during the organized summer offensive.