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Assault on the «Blue Line» as the Final Stage of the Battle for the Caucasus in 1943
The article examines the confrontation between Soviet and German troops in the Kuban in the spring and summer of 1943. During them, the Wehrmacht solved the strategic task of holding the Kuban bridgehead for the protection of the Crimea and
the subsequent transition to the off ensive. The aim of the authors is to comprehensively study this stage of the battle for the Caucasus in 1942–1943. The features of the creation of the defensive line of the German army, the stages of the assault on the "Blue Line" by the Red Army, the main off ensive operations of the Soviet troops, the signifi cance of the air battle between the Soviet air force and the Luftwaff e are analyzed. For the fi rst time, a comparison is made of the combat losses of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht during the hostilities in the Kuban from April to August 1943. It is noted that the positional nature of the battles on the Blue
Line was determined by the balance of forces and the degree of security of the North Caucasian Front and the 17th German Army.
The terrain and the preparedness of the German defensive positions had a signifi cant infl uence on the course of the battle. All these factors halted the off ensive of the Soviet troops and led to the protraction of the battle for the Caucasus until the fall of 1943.
the subsequent transition to the off ensive. The aim of the authors is to comprehensively study this stage of the battle for the Caucasus in 1942–1943. The features of the creation of the defensive line of the German army, the stages of the assault on the "Blue Line" by the Red Army, the main off ensive operations of the Soviet troops, the signifi cance of the air battle between the Soviet air force and the Luftwaff e are analyzed. For the fi rst time, a comparison is made of the combat losses of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht during the hostilities in the Kuban from April to August 1943. It is noted that the positional nature of the battles on the Blue
Line was determined by the balance of forces and the degree of security of the North Caucasian Front and the 17th German Army.
The terrain and the preparedness of the German defensive positions had a signifi cant infl uence on the course of the battle. All these factors halted the off ensive of the Soviet troops and led to the protraction of the battle for the Caucasus until the fall of 1943.
Great Patriotic War, battle of Caucasus, North Caucasian Front, German Seventeenth Army, Kuban bridgehead, positional battles