Novorossiysk-Taman operation of the Soviet forces and the finale of the battle of the Caucasus in 1942-1943: plan, course, results

The article is dedicated to the final stage of the battle of the Caucasus during the Great Patriotic War. From 10 September to 9 October 1943, Soviet troops carried out the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation. As a result, the liberation of Kuban was completed, and the bridgehead of German-Romanian forces that existed there was eliminated. Russian and foreign researchers have formed different views on the results of this battle. In this regard, the aim of this work was to study the course and results of the battles in the Caucasus in the fall of 1943. The main sources for it were documents from the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv of Germany, and the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States. Memoirs and diaries of participants in the fighting in the Taman Peninsula were also used. The research employed historical-statistical and comparative-historical methods. Firstly, the plans of the command of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht regarding the Kuban bridgehead in September 1943 were compared. The author showed that the preparation of the Soviet offensive in Kuban coincided with the decision to evacuate the 17th German Army from Taman to the Crimea. Then, the potentials of the North Caucasus Front and the 17th Army were compared: the Soviet troops had a significant advantage in technology, yet their manpower superiority remained insignificant; their defense was perfectly prepared and was called “The Blue Line”. However, the mountainous forested terrain and numerous floodplains became a significant obstacle to the Soviet offensive. Despite all the difficulties, the Red Army achieved great success at the beginning of its offensive liberating Novorossiysk, a major seaport and a strong point of the German defense. The 17th Army’s front was broken through, the German command had to speed up the withdrawal of its troops and reduce the time for evacuation to the Crimea. The Soviet navy and air force failed to disrupt the Axis maritime transportation. As a result, the main forces of the German-Romanian troops left Kuban and retained their potential. Nevertheless, the liberation of the Taman Peninsula was an important success for the Red Army and allowed the 15-month battle of the Caucasus to be completed