The Cavalry army in November 1942: intention and the real possibilities

Based on previously unknown documents from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense, the article examines the history of the project to create a Cavalry Army during the Battle for the Caucasus. The experience of the raid of the 30th and 110th Kalmyk cavalry divisions in the rear of the 1st Tank Army in September 1942 proved great prospects for the use of large masses of cavalry in the Nogai steppes and led to the project of creating a Cavalry Army. It consisted of seven cavalry divisions (9th and 10th Guards Kuban Cossack, 11th and 12th Guards Don Cossack, 30th, 63rd and 110th Kalmyk), tank and motorized rifle brigades, three tank regiments, four armored car and motorcycle battalions, nine artillery and mortar regiments, and an air division. However, during the formation, the Supreme High Command Headquarters reversed its decision, considering that a large cavalry group would be vulnerable to enemy fire, Panzerwaffe and Luftwaffe strikes. The cavalry army was divided into the 4th Guards Kuban Cavalry Corps, 5th Guard Don Cavalry Corps, the 110th Kalmyk Cavalry Division and a number of separate military units. However, an analysis of operational documents (including captured ones) allowed the author to conclude that the Cavalry Army had great prospects for the success of the plan of the raid on the rear of the 1st Panzer Army of the Wehrmacht. This was facilitated by operational and geographical and climatic conditions (the enemy’s open left flank, a 200-kilometer gap in the front line, steppe areas and river flows in the region), the weakening of the Panzerwaffe and Luftwaffe groups after the transfer of a number of military formations to help the army encircled in Stalingrad, as well as the defeat of the Wehrmacht near Gisel. On the other hand, N.Ya. Kirichenko, who was indecisive and unwilling to act behind enemy lines, was appointed commander. This was proved by his actions in January 1943, when he led a cavalry-mechanized group with almost the same composition as the planned Cavalry Army. Despite the significant superiority in forces and favorable geographical conditions, his group did not act too decisively and even lagged behind the infantry operating nearby.