Places of settlement of agricultural and pastoral tribes. History of Dagestan
1943 campaign
During the beginning of the liberation of the North Caucasus, the fleet was entrusted with ensuring the transportation of troops and cargo along the Caucasian coast. At the beginning of February, minesweepers took part in the preparation and implementation of the landing operation in the South Ozereyka - Stanichka area on the night of February 4. The detachment of landing craft included "Shield", "Defender", "Arseniy Raskin", six small hunters, three tugboats, five seiners, nine motorboats and motorized launches. The transport security detachment included the Iskatel, Anchor and six small hunters. The operation did not end at all as planned, resulting in the formation of a bridgehead known as "Little Land".
On February 7, the ambulance transport "Lvov", accompanied by the "Garpun" main unit, was traveling from Poti to Gelendzhik and was unsuccessfully attacked by an enemy submarine in the Gagra area. On February 13, "Anchor" was patrolling in the area of Cape Chauda - Elchan-Kaya. The next day, "A. Raskin" went to the area - Cape Chauda, and 15 - 20 - to the Tuzla area. A day later, "Harpoon", and on February 20 - "Mina" again operated in the area - Cape Chauda - Elchan-Kaya. Patrolling was only interrupted by storms.
The new task of the landmines was to supply Malaya Zemlya. On February 27, an attack by German torpedo boats S-28, S-51, S-72, and S-102 of the 1st flotilla (commander Lieutenant Commander Christiansen) in the Myshako area were sunk gunboat"Red Georgia" (ran aground) and BTSH "Cargo". The minesweeper delivered ammunition and reinforcements to Malaya Zemlya and anchored 3.5 kbt from the shore. On the deck of the ship there were 370 soldiers with weapons and supplies. A northeast wind was blowing with force three, the sea state did not exceed force two, and visibility was three cables. By 23.25, about 120 people had been unloaded from the ship. At that moment, a dull explosion was heard from the left side of the minesweeper in the 1st area of the 94th - 114th division. The body was thrown up and to the side, the light went out. A 30° roll to the left side and a trim to the stern instantly formed. The minesweeper commander ordered the remaining paratroopers to move to the starboard side, which reduced the roll by 15°. The struggle for survivability began; a schooner and a landing boat approached the “Cargo” to transport the paratroopers.
Meanwhile, it turned out that both stern guns, the minesweeper winch and the crane were thrown overboard, flooding the tiller compartment, afterpeak, storerooms, minesweeper compartment, heeling compartments, fuel and oil tanks, the stern artillery magazine, the stern cockpit and the propeller shaft corridors. 4 tons of fuel were pumped overboard and the roll was reduced to 10". It was not possible to manually turn the propeller shafts due to their jamming. At this time most They managed to remove the paratroopers, but then the list to the left side began to rapidly increase. The minesweeper scooped up water through unsealed cracks in the deck, and the aft engine room began to flood... The “cargo” began to sink quickly. The commander ordered the crew to abandon ship. The mechanics managed to run upstairs, although entrance doors the engine rooms were submerged by more than a third.
At 23.40 the last signal was given from the “Cargo”: “Send out tugs immediately, the minesweeper is sinking.” Ten minutes later the BTSH plunged into the water with a list to the left side. For 10 minutes its stem was visible from the water, and then it disappeared under the water. In total, 30 minutes passed from the moment of the explosion to the death of the minesweeper.
On March 12 - 14, "Tral" took part in a rather complex operation. Escorting the tanker "Moscow" with a cargo of gasoline to Tuapse from Batumi. BTSH together with SKA No. 064 had to repel attacks from German aircraft, then from torpedo boats. At 2.57 on March 12, a torpedo hit the bow from the left side of the tanker, and a fire started. The burning "Moscow" was towed to Tuapse. To extinguish the fire, carbon dioxide cylinders were delivered from Sochi. "Tral" and "midge" ensured the removal of the wounded and burned from the tanker, as well as the protection of the tanker that continued to burn in the Tuapse roadstead. Only on March 20, "Moscow" with the same security left for Batumi.
After the activation of enemy submarines and aircraft, a decision was made to provide cover for tankers and transports with valuable cargo by a patrol ship and a base minesweeper or two BTSH. But before this measure could be put into effect, on March 31, the Kremlin tanker was hit on the left side by a torpedo from a submarine at 13.50, despite the presence of a Mina combat unit and air cover from four ICBMs and a pair of R-10s. After the explosion, three small hunters joined the convoy. The tanker was able to complete the transition from Batumi to Tuapse under its own power.
Then they decided to strengthen the escort of tankers to three technical units, and these measures had their effect. On April 3, the transport "Tractor Driver" was guarding "Harpoon" and "Anchor". "Seeker", successfully moved from Poti to Tuapse. Finding the submarine's periscope, Harpoon attacked it with depth charges and observed the release of air and oil bubbles. Three days later, a German submarine with 12 kbt missed the Shakhtar transport, which was guarding the Shkval TFR. BTSH "Iskatel" and SKA No. 019 and No. 0122. However, the counterattack of the security forces was also unsuccessful. April 9 - 10, transport "Pestel" at the transition Sochi - Sukhumi, escorted by the BTSH "A. Raskin" and loading of paratroopers onto the BTSH T-412 "Arseniy Raskin". Tuapse, 1943
SKA No. 072 and No. 081 were subjected to a night attack by a single enemy aircraft, which dropped 6 bombs. The Pestel received damage to its hull from nearby explosions, a leak formed, and refrigerators and communications equipment were damaged. On April 21, 23, 26 and 27, attacks by enemy aircraft, torpedo boats and submarines against convoys consisting of minesweepers "Zemlyak" were unsuccessful.
"Tractor Driver", "Khosta" and transport "Tractor Driver", with security from the Shkval TFR. BTSH "Tral". "Anchor", "Harpoon", SKA No. 019, No. 082 and No. 098.
On May 5, the tanker "I. Stalin" with guards from the BTSH "Tral", "Mina", "Iskatel", "A. Raskin", SKA No. 032 and No. 052 freely made the transition from Batumi to Tuapse, despite the detection of enemy aircraft and unsuccessful attack at 21.47 at the Pitsunda lighthouse. From 5.40 to 19.54, the guard of the convoy was supplemented by eight ICBMs (to Ochamchiri). The next day, near the Adler lighthouse, the tanker was attacked by a German plane, which managed to get a bomb to hit it, but it did not explode, crashing on the deck and then falling overboard. On May 7, "I.Stalin" left for the return flight. The convoy was escorted to Sochi by torpedo boats. Air cover was provided by fighters and ICBMs. In the evening, three bombers attacked a convoy in the Adler-Gagra area. Of the three bombs dropped, one hit the tanker, but also did not explode. The convoy reached its destination without losses.
On May 22, at 9.45, the transport "International", accompanied by the BTSH "Garpun", "Mina" and SKA No. 041, at the Tuapse - Gelendzhik crossing in the Chugovkopas area, was attacked by 17 bombers under the cover of 7 fighters. The transport was hit by two bombs, the boiler and steam line were damaged, 3 people were killed and 9 were wounded; The resulting fire was extinguished. The "mine" was hit by one 50-kg bomb, which pierced the bottom of the ship and exploded in the water, the vehicle was disabled, a fire broke out, but was extinguished, 2 people were killed and 24 were injured. About 200 holes appeared in the side plating and superstructure. A ragged hole measuring 2x2.3 m with edges bent down 1.5 m formed in the bottom of the minesweeper. The platform was bent upward by almost a meter and tore apart along the 87th - 96th line. Transverse bulkhead on the 94th shp. tore off and bent towards the nose, and on the 97th sp. - it pierced in two places and also tore off. The left shaft jammed and its deadwood was deformed, and in the area of the explosion all the lines, PMZ windings and cables were broken. The engine telegraph and the starboard machine gun were damaged, and the left machine gun flew overboard along with the crew. Most of the electric motors of pumps, compressors, fans and fluid couplings were flooded with water. But within 11 minutes, the fire in the bow rooms near the artillery magazine was extinguished, and a diver was lowered overboard to seal the external holes at the waterline. Soon the work of the fire pumps was restored and the flow of water through the overflow at the 77th line was localized. The minesweeper took in about 180 tons of water, the trim at the stern reached 1.7 m. However, at 14.07 "Mina" returned to Tuapse under its own power.
SKA No. 041 was hit by two bombs and sank; 18 people died, six managed to escape. The Harpoon received shrapnel holes above the waterline, killing one person and wounding 9 people. TFR "Storm" and "Shkval", SKA No. 0105 and the sea tug "Petrash" came out from Tuapse to help. From 10.05 to 10.45, 10 Yak-1 fighters (6th Guards Ap) repelled the sounds of German aircraft. In air combat they shot down one bomber and one fighter. At 18.50 "International" arrived in Tuapse in tow.
From May 27 to 29, the Mina main ship, towed by the rescuer Jupiter, guarded by five patrol boats, moved to Poti. Here, workers from plant No. 201 and floating workshop No. 4 carried out repair work. From July 1 to July 7, the minesweeper was on the slip, from August 10 to October 6 - in a floating dock. The repairs were completed by February 1, 1944.
On June 15, at 8.51, the Defender BTSC went out to reinforce the Stakhanovets transport convoy. The transition from Tuapse to Sukhumi was carried out two to three miles from the coast at a speed of 16.5 knots on a constant course. The ship was declared on alert number 3. Visibility at sea was 10 miles at sea level 1. At 11.20, the ship’s commander received a radio report from the Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet with an order to proceed to Batumi, and the minesweeper set a new course of 140°. The team had lunch, the commander rested on the bridge. At 15.21, the watch commander's backup received a report from the observer from the quarterdeck: "On the right 110° on the water there is some white circle at a distance of up to 13 kbt." At that time, the minesweeper was passing abeam the village of New Athos, 20 miles west of the Sukhumi lighthouse. The signalman on the bridge discovered specified location a flock of seagulls sitting on the water, but after 6 - 7 seconds a post-volley air bubble surfaced here, scaring away all the birds except one. This "seagull", which immediately sank, turned out to be the periscope of the German boat U-24 (commander Lieutenant Commander Petersen). At 15.22 on the Defender there was a strong explosion on the starboard side in the area of the aft cockpit (77 - 94 guns). The explosion tore off the aft part of the hull up to the searchlight bridge (82 shp.), The main mast fell overboard, breaking the radio antenna. The minesweeper began to describe circulation with the right diesel engine jammed. The ship's commander declared a "combat alert", and the commander of the warhead-5, senior engineer-lieutenant V.M. Rybalko, reported to the command post that the aft engine room was quickly flooding through the bulkhead on the 77th frame and that the sailors were strengthening it with wooden supports. All diesel generators stopped. The drainage systems could not cope with the pressure of the incoming water, and the Defender slowly sank sternwise. Already a quarter of an hour after the torpedo explosion, the BTSH lay down on the starboard side, then took a vertical position with its nose up and at 15.45 sank with all the personnel of the internal combat posts, since there was no time to give the command to “abandon ship.”
About 50 people remained floating in the water, holding on to emergency wooden beams, mine sweep buoys and a damaged boat. Soon, a German submarine surfaced seven cables away from the place where the Defender was killed, but the Germans did not save the crew or pick up prisoners and retired towards the sea. Six sailors, led by Petty Officer 1st Article P.D. Prokopenko, managed to reach the Sukhumi lighthouse at 22.17 and inform the command about the death of the main unit. Rescue efforts began at 11:40 p.m. TKA No. 73, SKA No. 0101 and No. 0133 left Sukhumi, and four MBR-2 seaplanes took off. The search for the Defender sailors was stopped only on the evening of June 17, after 26 of the 72 crew members were lifted from the water. The minesweeper commander was saved, but the commander of the BC-5 died along with his men.
Transits of ships with valuable cargo and tankers began to be provided with strong and organized cover. The tanker "I.Stalin", which passed from Tuapse to Batumi on June 26, was accompanied by the BTSH "Garpun", "Iskatel", "Tral", SKR "Storm", SKA No. 018, No. 022, No. 025 and No. 026. Three torpedo boats followed with the convoy to Sochi. From 14.10 to 21.40, 38 fighters and from 15.36 to 21.20 4 MBR-2 aircraft provided cover and anti-submarine defense for the tanker at the Tuapse - Adler crossing. An attack by 36 enemy bombers from 20.25 to 21.05 in the Sochi - Adler area ended in vain. IN air battles, according to the reports of our pilots, 6 bombers were shot down and 2 were damaged.
On July 17, a two-torpedo salvo from an enemy submarine was fired at the Traktorist transport in the evening twilight (20.40). But it did not produce results - the torpedoes hit the shore. Those guarding the ship BTSH "Iskatel", SKA No. 044 and No. 072 counterattacked with depth charges, but they also failed to achieve hits. A new submarine attack on the minesweepers followed on August 4. "Harpoon" (escorting the tanker "Stakhanovets" together with SKA No. 091, No. 025 and No. 022 at the Tuapse - Batumi crossing) discovered and fired from 37-mm machine guns at the periscope of the enemy submarine. Aviation and small hunters conducted an unsuccessful search for the enemy. The activity of German boats off the Caucasian coast began to increase. But the antidote was found quickly enough. Cargo transportation was completely transferred to the railway.
On August 25, "Harpoon" again acted as a tug, delivering 11 barges from Tuapse to False Gelendzhik for the planned Novorossiysk landing. Security at the crossing was provided by SKA No. 0150, No. 0111 and No. 0140. Almost a month later, “Harpoon”. "A. Raskin" (towing 5 landing barges) under the protection of "Tral" and "Iskatel" provided watercraft for the landing force preparing for the Taman Peninsula in the area of Blagoveshchenskaya - Lake Solenoe. Because of the storm, we had to go to Anapa, the next day "Harpoon", "A. Raskin" and "Iskatel", having completed their task, connected with the Shkval TFR and left for Gelendzhik.
On September 27, submarines made their presence known again. The passage of the tanker "I.Stalin" with the tugboat Black Sea Fleet-2 from Tuapse to Batumi was provided by the Shkval TFR, Tral, Harpoon, A.Raskin, Iskatel and SKA No. 0132. 8 MBR-2 covered convoy from the air in the Poti - Batumi area. In the morning, the patrol ship discovered an enemy submarine, and the Tral attacked it with depth charges (without visible results). On October 24, while guarding the Sudkom TSCH, the Tral TSCH discovered a German submarine in a positional position. The convoy ships (A. Raskin and 3 SKA) dropped 40 small and 19 large depth charges to no avail. On November 1, at the transition from Tuapse to Batumi, the tanker "I. Stalin", guarded by the "Shield", "Explosion", "Harpoon" and four small hunters, was attacked by a German submarine. Two torpedoes fired at 5.58 did not reach the target, and the further transition took place without incident. The tanker "V. Couturier" and the tugboat Black Sea Fleet-2, escorted by the BTSH "Vzryv", "Garpun", "A. Raskin" and four SKA, left Tuapse for Batumi on November 11. After they were discovered by a German reconnaissance aircraft, at 1.15 am the convoy was attacked by enemy aircraft. We managed to get hits on "A. Raskin", but serious damage the minesweeper did not receive it.
On November 16, the tanker "I.Stalin", accompanied by the Shkval TFR, Vzryv, Harpoon, Tral and four SKA, made the transition from Batumi to Tuapse. Air cover was provided by 8 MBR-2s and 16 fighters. After the air cover left, an enemy reconnaissance plane appeared. At 18.46, a submarine's cabin was discovered inside the warrant. The Harpoon's attack with artillery and depth charges temporarily drove the boat to depth. However, at 23.35 three torpedoes passed 7 - 8 kbt from the tanker. A day later, the convoy, with almost the same composition, heading back to Batumi, at 19.16 in the Lazarevsky area again became a target for an enemy submarine. Two torpedoes hit the tanker in the bow on the starboard side. The fire was quickly extinguished; several members of I.Stalin’s team were slightly injured. The tanker maintained speed up to 6 knots. The escort's counterattack was unsuccessful.
The tanker was unable to enter the port due to the draft increasing to 36 feet and remained in the outer roadstead under the protection of aircraft, midges and one minesweeper. Only on the 20th, the heavily guarded (CKR 4 BTSH, 4 SKA) "I. Stalin" was able to reach Batumi with the help of the Black Sea Fleet-2 tug. At the same time, at 10.10 the BTSh "Explosion" discovered a periscope in the area of Cape Shakhe. The release of three depth charges was more of a preventative measure. MBR-2 were able to detect the “German” underwater, attacked her, and then organized the guidance of escort ships. The submarine managed to escape, although air and oil bubbles were observed after dropping depth charges.
On November 29, the tanker "Peredovik" was sailing from Batumi to Tuapse, escorted by the Shtor TFR, Tral, A. Raskin and three SKA, with air cover from six ICBM-2. Nothing disturbing was noticed during the transition. But upon arrival at the port, a gasoline leak was discovered on the tanker; a diving inspection showed the presence of a hole, from which the fuse of a German torpedo was removed.
The victory at Stalingrad had enormous international significance.
It strengthened the people of many countries' belief in the inevitability of the defeat of the Hitler bloc.
Türkiye and Japan were forced to abandon their intentions to oppose the USSR. The anti-Hitler coalition strengthened and the role of Soviet Union as the leading force of this coalition.
Simultaneously with the completion of the defeat of the Nazi troops at Stalingrad, Velikolukskaya (November 24, 1942 - January 20, 1943) and Rzhevsko-Sychevskaya (November 25 - December 20, 1942) offensive operations were carried out, which pinned down a large enemy group and made it difficult to transfer from no reserves to the south.
In January-February 1943 of the year The troops of the Southwestern and Southern Fronts (commander Colonel General A.I. Eremenko, from February 2 - Colonel General R.Ya. Malinovsky) cleared the large bend of the Don from the enemy and captured Voroshilovgrad, Kramatorsk, Rostov. At the same time, the troops of the Transcaucasian and North Caucasian fronts (commanded by Army General I.V. Tyulenev and Lieutenant General I.I. Maslennikov) defeated the fascist German group in the Nalchik-Stavropol and Krasnodar operations, liberating most of the North Caucasus and advancing with battles over 500-600 kilometers.
In January 1943 of the year The troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts (commanded by Lieutenant General L.A. Govorov and Army General K.A. Meretskov) defeated the enemy south of Lake Ladoga, broke the blockade of Leningrad and restored the land connection of the hero city with the rest of the country. The actions of the fronts and fleet in breaking the blockade were coordinated by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov and Army General G.K. Zhukov.
The troops of the North-Western Front (commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) in February-March defeated the enemy’s Demyansk group, and the troops of Kalininsky and Western fronts(commanders Colonel General M.A. Purkaev and Colonel General V.D. Sokolovsky) March 2 - April 1 - Rzhev-Vyazma grouping.
In January-February troops of the Voronezh and Bryansk fronts (commanded by Lieutenant General F.I. Golikov and Lieutenant General M.A. Reiter) completely defeated the Ostrogzh-Rossoshan and Voronezh-Kastornensk groupings of German, Italian and Hungarian troops and, developing the offensive, liberated Kursk on February 8 , February 9 Belgorod and February 16 Kharkov.
The fascist German command, trying to delay the advance of the Soviet troops, concentrated two tank and one field armies (over 30 divisions) in the areas of Poltava, Krasnograd and west of Stalino and launched a counter-offensive on February 19-22, as a result of which Soviet troops by March 26, they were forced to leave Kharkov, Belgorod and retreat beyond the Northern Donets River.
March 8, 1943 On the approaches to Kharkov in the Sokolovo region, the first separate Czechoslovak battalion formed on the territory of the USSR under the command of Colonel L. Svoboda received a baptism of fire.
These operations ended the winter campaign of 1942-1943, in which the Red Army pushed the enemy back from the Volga and Terek 600-700 km and liberated North Caucasus(except for the Taman Peninsula), Voronezh, Stalingrad, Rostov, Kursk regions, a significant part of Donbass, Smolensk, Oryol and Kharkov regions.
From November 1942 to March 1943 Soviet troops defeated over 100 enemy divisions, the enemy lost about 1.7 million people, 24 thousand guns, over 3.5 thousand tanks, 4.3 thousand aircraft.
The active actions of Soviet troops on the main front of World War II made it possible for Anglo-American troops to successfully complete the offensive in North Africa, and then in the summer of 1943 to land in Sicily and launch an offensive in Southern Italy.
After the defeat in the winter campaign of 1942-1943. Fascist Germany and its allies faced a real threat of losing the war. Trying to change the course of events at any cost and make up for the losses suffered, the Nazis in the first half of 1943 carried out a total mobilization and significantly increased the output of military products. This enabled the enemy to increase his forces and assets on the Soviet-German front to 5,325 thousand people, 54,330 guns and mortars, 5,850 tanks and assault guns, and about 3,000 aircraft by the beginning of the summer campaign.
To prevent the collapse of the fascist bloc and regain the strategic initiative, the fascist German command decided to conduct a major offensive operation “Citadel” in the area of the Kursk salient in the summer of 1943 ( Kursk Bulge), wedged into the location of the Nazi troops.
The main blows were planned to be delivered in the area south of Orel by the forces of the Army Group "Center" and from the area north of Kharkov by the forces of the "South" Group in general direction to Kursk with the goal of encircling and destroying Soviet troops in this area, and then quickly crushing the defenses of Soviet troops on the southern wing.
The fascist German command hoped to secure victory in World War II at Kursk.
From the archives of ANGARSKY WORKER
“Twenty years have passed since the banner of Victory soared over defeated Berlin. 61 states took part in the Second World War, fighting took place in 40 countries on three continents. The death toll was 50 million people. A worthy contribution to the cause Great Victory Our fellow Krasnoyarsk residents contributed over Nazi Germany. Tens of thousands fought on the war fronts, showing examples of courage and heroism. 130 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Krasnoyarsk residents donated 47 kg of silver and 23 kg of gold to the defense fund, and collected almost a million warm clothes.”
In this newspaper we read about the exploits of our fellow countrymen. This is the order bearer G.S. Ivanov, a reserve senior lieutenant who participated in battles on the Leningrad and First Ukrainian fronts, took Poland and Berlin. Captain Dyakov talks about the battle with German Tiger tanks in the summer of 1943 in the area to the north Mamayev Kurgan. M. Ivanov - about the feat of Lieutenant Sovalev in Belarus. After the war, fellow soldiers met at the Udereysky military registration and enlistment office.
N. Novikov - about the battle of an artillery battery in June 1944 on the Leningrad Front, when he was a platoon commander. S. Bulatov - about crossing the Berezina River, for which he was awarded the order Red Star, and his comrades in arms - government awards. N. Gudoshnikov, senior lieutenant in the reserve, talks about the battles for the Dnieper, where he commanded a platoon.
Main article:Battle of Stalingrad
German soldiers captured at Stalingrad. February 1943
On November 19, 1942, a counteroffensive of Soviet troops began; on November 23, units of the Stalingrad and Southwestern Fronts united near the city of Kalach-on-Don and surrounded 22 enemy divisions. During Operation Little Saturn, which began on December 16, Army Group Don under the command of Manstein suffered a serious defeat. And although the offensive operations undertaken on the central sector of the Soviet-German front (Operation Mars) ended unsuccessfully, success in the southern direction ensured the success of the winter campaign of the Soviet troops as a whole - one German and four German allied armies were destroyed.
Others important events winter campaign steel North Caucasus offensive(in fact, the pursuit of forces withdrawing from the Caucasus in order to avoid encirclement of the Germans) and breaking the blockade of Leningrad (January 18, 1943). The Red Army advanced 600-700 km to the West in some directions and defeated five enemy armies.
On February 19, 1943, troops of Army Group South under the command of Manstein launched a counteroffensive in the southern direction, which made it possible to temporarily wrest the initiative from the hands of Soviet troops and throw them back to the east (in certain directions by 150-200 km). A relatively small number of Soviet units were surrounded (on the Voronezh front, due to the mistakes of the front commander F.I. Golikov, who was removed after the battle). However, measures taken by the Soviet command made it possible to stop the advance already at the end of March. German troops and stabilize the front.
In the winter of 1943, the German 9th Army of V. Model abandoned the Rzhev-Vyazma ledge (see: Operation Buffel). Soviet troops of the Kalinin (A. M. Purkaev) and Western (V. D. Sokolovsky) fronts began pursuing the enemy. As a result, Soviet troops moved the front line away from Moscow by another 130-160 km. Soon the headquarters of the German 9th Army led the troops on the northern front of the Kursk salient.
