Events of August 2-9, 1942 in the combat reports of the North Caucasus front headquarters.

Abstract

Introduction: In the year of the 75th anniversary of the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany, military-historical studies of the defense of the Kuban and the Caucasus are very relevant. The task of the study should be considered the study of the events of the eight days of August 1942 before the abandonment of Krasnodar to the enemy on the basis of new information, namely, reports to the headquarters of the North Caucasus front in combination with other sources.

Materials and methods: In 2012, a declassified workbook (journal) of the North Caucasus front headquarters with reports from the armies and corps on the dislocations and combat operations of the front's units was placed in the Central military DISTRICT. The research used analytical, descriptive and chronological methods, synthesis of scientific, historical and literary information based on deductive collection of reports to the front headquarters for August 1942, generalization and specification.

Results: On the basis of reports to the headquarters and orders of the commander of the North Caucasus front from August 2 to 9, 1942, the defensive combat situation in the South of the country at the most difficult moment of the Caucasian operation is presented. By August 2, 1942, it was no longer a question of fully restoring the situation on the left Bank of the don, but of strengthening the defensive line on the left Bank of the Kuban and around Krasnodar. The red army troops continued to withdraw. The rifle divisions weakened in the battle, despite the desperate efforts of their commanders and enlisted personnel could not stop the advance of the enemy's tank and mechanized formations.

Discussion and Conclusions: Using the advantage in forces, the enemy forced our troops to withdraw to the foothills of the Western part of the Main Caucasus range. The complexity of managing the front was compounded by the need for constant redeployment of troops and problems with direct communication when specifying the location and even searching for units, which affected the efficiency of decision-making.