The famous battle for the small land continued. "Malaya Zemlya" in Novorossiysk
On the night of February 3 to 4, 1943, near the village of Stanichka (southern suburb of Novorossiysk), a Soviet naval landing force was landed under the command of Caesar Lvovich Kunikov (1909 - February 14, 1943). Thus began the famous heroic defense of “Malaya Zemlya,” which lasted 225 days and ended on September 16 with the liberation of Novorossiysk.
It all started with the fact that after the failure of Operation Edelweiss (the German command’s plan to capture the Caucasus, the oil-producing regions of Grozny and Baku), the Germans decided to capture Novorossiysk and further advance troops along the Black Sea coast towards Batumi. To accomplish this task, the 17th Army was allocated from Army Group A, then reinforced with 3 divisions from the 11th Army transferred from the Kerch Peninsula.
Parrying the German attack, on August 17, 1942, the Soviet command created the Novorossiysk defensive region under the command of Major General G. P. Kotov. Initially, the Germans had a significant advantage over the Soviet forces: 2 times in tanks and aircraft, 4 times in infantry, 7 times in artillery. The battles for Novorossiysk were very fierce. For ten days in a row, units of the 255th Marine Brigade repelled the onslaught of the fascists advancing from Neberdzhaevskaya and Lipki, who also had a significant numerical superiority. As a result, the brigade was surrounded, but not a single unit flinched, following the order: “Not a step back!” For example, the Germans surrounded the command post of the 142nd 4 times separate battalion under the command of captain-lieutenant Kuzmin and senior political instructor Rodin, and each time the enemy was thrown back. Surrounded for four days, the third company of the battalion under the command of political instructor Nezhnev repulsed 12 attacks, and on September 6 the company broke through to its own. The brigade retreated only by order of the command, when the Germans, after a fierce battle, were able to capture western part Novorossiysk. From August 26 to September 7, the Marines destroyed more than 3 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, 5 tanks, 7 mortar batteries, 22 bunkers, 52 machine gun points and 24 vehicles.
The Novorossiysk naval base was evacuated to Gelendzhik. On September 29, German troops in the Novorossiysk direction went on the defensive and were unable to connect with the group advancing on Tuapse from the north. German troops managed to capture Novorossiysk, but they were unable to use its port as their naval base, since the eastern part of Tsemes Bay was under the control of Soviet units, which completely controlled the approaches to the bay and the bay itself.
At the beginning of 1943, the Soviet high command was able to turn the situation in its favor: the liquidation of the encircled 6th Army of Paulus at Stalingrad was completed; our forces were advancing on Rostov and Donbass; the blockade of Leningrad was broken - Operation Iskra; preparations were underway in the Caucasus offensive in the Maikop direction by troops of the Black Sea group under the command of General Petrov.
Operation “Mountains” began in the Caucasus - by January 23, our troops broke through the enemy’s defenses south of Krasnodar, and the path for the withdrawal of the German group from the North Caucasus was cut off. During the battles, which continued until the beginning of February, Soviet troops broke through to Sea of Azov and took Maikop. The time has come for the second part of the operation - the offensive of the Soviet Black Sea group by land with the simultaneous landing of sea and airborne troops for a joint offensive on Novorossiysk (Operation "Sea").
Marines from the detachment of Major Ts. L. Kunikov shortly before they took part in the landing operation on the night of February 4, 1943.
Landing
They planned to land the main landing force in the South Ozereyka area, and a diversionary force in the Stanichka area. The main group included soldiers of the 83rd and 255th Marine Brigades, the 165th Infantry Brigade, a separate front-line airborne regiment, a separate machine gun battalion, the 563rd Tank Battalion, and the 29th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment. The diversion group included 275 Marines, without the support of heavy weapons. Preparations for the landing began in November 1942. In general, the preparations were well organized, but the operation itself revealed a number of serious management deficiencies (coordination of the actions of different groups, synchronicity of the landing, underestimation of the German coastal defense, etc.).
The landing units were supposed to land on the shore under the cover of fire from support ships and the Air Force, suppress the resistance of the German coastal defense, then connect with the paratroopers who had landed from the planes and break through to Novorossiysk. Thus, they wanted to block the German group in Novorossiysk and then destroy it through joint actions of the main forces of the Black Sea group and the landing force. The immediate commander of the landing operation was Vice Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky.
Operation "Sea" failed: it was not possible to suppress German firepower, the naval landing was delayed - due to bad weather and the organization of loading, the departure of the ships was delayed by an hour - the Air Force command did not warn, and the planes carried out an airstrike and landed an airborne assault according to the original plan. Only part of the troops were able to land at Ozereyka; the Germans were able to quickly organize a response. The paratroopers fought at Ozereyka for three days, then those who did not die split up. Some made their way to Stanichka, where they landed auxiliary troops, others, joining with the airborne troops, went into the mountains.
The auxiliary detachment was more successful. The ships approached the shore at the estimated time and were able to put up a smoke screen. Under the cover of smoke and naval fire, Kunikov’s paratroopers secured a foothold on the shore within an hour. Then the detachment expanded the bridgehead. At this moment, the Soviet command could still turn the situation in its favor by transferring the main blow to the Stanichka area, landing there units that could not land at Ozereyka. But neither Admiral Oktyabrsky nor the commander of the Black Sea Group of Forces of the Transcaucasian Front, General Ivan Petrov, made this decision, and as a result, time was lost. When the situation was reported to the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, Ivan Tyulenev, he ordered new landing units to land on the captured bridgehead and hold it by any means, but the effect of surprise was already lost.
Kunikov’s detachment acted decisively, and on the very first day a strip several kilometers wide was captured. The detachment was strengthened, its number was increased to eight hundred. The Germans acted very actively, they conducted continuous artillery fire on the bridgehead, carried out bombing strikes, the Nazis carried out 18 counterattacks on the first day, trying to throw the paratroopers into the sea. In the first five days, the Soviet command transferred significant forces to Malaya Zemlya, increasing the number of the group to 17 thousand people. But the delay in moving the main landing site played a fatal role; the bridgehead was expanded, but more could not be done. The Germans blocked the bridgehead. The Soviet command decided not to withdraw forces in order to use it later, in a more favorable conditions.
The Germans did not stop trying to throw Soviet troops into the sea. It was extremely difficult to hold the defense - by April it was a piece of land 8 by 6 km. The terrain is open, well covered, the Germans have all the surrounding heights in their hands. Soviet soldiers I had to literally bury myself in the ground - the entire bridgehead was dug with trenches, more than 200 observation posts, more than 500 firing points, and underground warehouses were built. In addition, it was very difficult to supply the bridgehead with ammunition, food, and bring in reinforcements; the Germans shot through all the approaches and could strike at sea with the help of the special group “Box” (it included torpedo boats and submarines) and aviation.
In order to destroy the bridgehead, the German command formed from units of the 17th Army a strike force of 27 thousand people under the command of Wetzel (it included up to 500 guns and mortars, and was assigned up to 1 thousand aircraft). On April 17, the Germans launched an assault and Operation Neptune began. For three days, artillery and aviation attacked almost non-stop, and infantry, supported by tanks, launched one attack after another. On the first day alone, German Ju-87 dive bombers carried out more than 1.5 sorties. The seriousness of the situation is evidenced by the fact that on April 18, North Caucasus Marshal G. Zhukov and the commander of the Soviet Air Force, Marshal A. Novikov, arrived. “Malaya Zemlya” became another Stalingrad, a place where German and Russian spirits came face to face.
In order to turn the situation around and not lose the bridgehead, the Soviet command had to transfer three aviation corps (fighter, mixed and bomber) from the General Headquarters reserve to provide air cover for its paratroopers. The Soviet Air Force was able to turn the tide in the air and destroyed two German airfields. From April 19 to April 25 alone, 152 German aircraft, as a result, the intensity of German bombing dropped greatly.
There was a real air battle going on: from April 29 to May 10, 1943, on a relatively small section of the front of 30 km, up to 40 air collisions took place during the day. The Soviet Air Force was greatly assisted by 5 radars, which promptly warned of the approach of Luftwaffe aircraft. The losses of the Air Force eloquently speak about the rage and intensity of the struggle: from April 17 to June 7, we lost 760 aircraft, the Germans 1100 (800 in air battles and up to 300 on the ground).
The fighting on Malaya Zemlya continued for another three and a half months and stopped only after the liberation of Novorossiysk. The operation began on September 9 Soviet troops In the capture of Novorossiysk, the “Kunikovsky bridgehead”, conquered on February 4, 1943, also played a role. One of the three groups of troops that ensured the blockade and liberation of the city launched an offensive from the Stanichki area. After fierce fighting, by September 16, Novorossiysk was liberated from the Nazis. This day is also considered the date of the end of the defense of the Malaya Zemlya bridgehead. It lasted 225 days and deservedly became one of the brightest pages of the Great Patriotic War. Kunikov’s paratroopers accomplished a real feat, immortalizing themselves.
Ensemble-memorial "Malaya Zemlya" is located in Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea coast along the Admiral Serebryakov embankment. It is part of the complex of the memorial “Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and civil war 1941-1945."The shape of the monument resembles the front part of the nose warship vomited on full speed ahead from sea to shore. The monument consists of two pillars, one fixed in the sea, the other on land, at a height of 22 meters they intersect together and in general view form something similar to a triangular arch at an angle.
On board going out to sea, the stone depicts a multi-figured relief with soldiers preparing to rush into the attack. On the opposite side is a sculpture made of bronze, 9 meters high, half suspended without the standard pedestal that is usually used for support. The bronze sculpture represents a landing group including: a sailor, an infantryman, a female medical instructor and a commander. They seem to be waiting for the moment of disembarkation, full of courage and determination to find themselves in very cold water. Memorial "Malaya Zemlya"- This is a unique monument that has no analogues anywhere in the world.
On the inside of the monument is written the oath that Kunikov’s detachment took:
“We will give our will, our strength and our blood, drop by drop, for the happiness of the people for you, beloved homeland. We swear by our banners, the name of our wives and children, the name of our beloved homeland. We swear to withstand the upcoming battles with the enemy and grind down his strength.”
Around this monument, on the outskirts of the city, there is a nature reserve area; here you can still see traces of the echoes of the 1943 war: trenches and trenches overgrown with grass. In addition, not far from the memorial, anyone can visit a museum-exhibition of military equipment and weapons from the Great Patriotic War.
History of the Malaya Zemlya memorial in Novorossiysk
The Malaya Zemlya Memorial was opened in 1982 on September 16. Its authors: Tsigal V.E., (engaged in the development of sculptures), Khavin V.I., Belopolsky Ya.B., Kananin R.G. (architects). The Malaya Zemlya monument is dedicated to the Marine Corps detachment that carried out the landing operation on the night of February 14, 1943 under the command of Major Ts.L. Kunikov.
The defense of this small piece of land lasted 225 days, and ended in the early morning of September 16, the day of the liberation of all Novorossiysk. In honor of this great event, 225 poplar seedlings were planted, framing the pedestrian paths leading to the main monument of Malaya Zemlya - the ship memorial, which some local residents nowadays simply call “Iron”. Also, for his courage and bravery in 21 wars, he was awarded the highest rank award in the USSR - Hero Soviet Union. After the opening of the monument, it became the main symbol of Novorossiysk. Almost all delegations visiting the city are required to visit it. large number tourists and field trips.
Museum Malaya Zemlya Novorossiysk
Inside the Malaya Zemlya monument there is a museum called the gallery of military glory. As you climb up the long staircase, you are accompanied by dramatic music; on both sides, on slabs of polished red granite, the names of the formations and units that fought here for Malaya Zemlya are paved in bronze letters; there are also images of portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union - who participated in the battle for the city of Novorossiysk and Malaya Zemlya itself. Having reached the central, uppermost part of the memorial museum, you will be greatly impressed by the sculptural composition “Heart”. In the wall, as if torn apart by an artillery shell, a hole was knocked out in the shape of the Malaya Zemlya bridgehead. It contains a gilded heart, in the form of a sculptural image. There is an embossed inscription on it: “In memory, in heart - forever,” which can be clearly read in the photo in this gallery. Inside the heart itself, there is a capsule-sleeve containing a list of those who died for Novorossiysk in battles. And every year on May 8, an operation called “Memory” is carried out, on this day, in a solemn atmosphere, a list of newly discovered names of deceased soldiers is added to the capsule. Inside the niche, on the wall made of small mosaic tiles, like ruby glass clotted with blood, is laid out the oath taken by the soldiers before the landing.
From Wikipedia:
« Malaya Zemlya" - the name of the bridgehead in the Stanichka area (Cape Myskhako) south of Novorossiysk, formed as a result of the landing operation of a marine detachment numbering 271 (plus three commanders: Caesar Kunikov, Fedor Kotanov - chief of staff and Nikolai Starshinov - deputy commander for political affairs) people under command Major Ts. L. Kunikov on the night of February 4, 1943. The heroic defense of this piece of land lasted 225 days and ended on the morning of September 16 with the liberation of Novorossiysk. For courage and bravery, 21 soldiers were awarded the highest degree of distinction of the USSR, the highest title - Hero of the Soviet Union.
...The advanced detachment of the diversionary landing force, having landed in the Stanichka area, quickly and decisively ensured the capture and retention of a section of the coastline several kilometers wide. During the night of February 4, two more detachments of paratroopers landed, so during the day of February 4, more than 800 people were already defending the area. The Germans quickly responded to the landing, there was continuous artillery fire on the landing party, bombing attacks were carried out, several attempts were made to counterattack and drop the landing party into the sea, but in the first day they managed to hold the bridgehead. After the Soviet command was convinced of the failure of the main landing, the transfer of troops to the captured bridgehead began. Over the course of five nights, two marine brigades, an infantry brigade, and an anti-tank destroyer regiment were landed ashore, and several hundred tons of equipment were delivered. The number of troops was increased to 17 thousand, and later five more partisan detachments landed on the bridgehead.
The delay in moving the main landing site allowed the Germans to block the landing and made it impossible to attack Novorossiysk. However, the command decided to hold the captured bridgehead in order to use it later, in more favorable conditions. Malaya Zemlya was seen as the key to the liberation of the Taman Peninsula.
The defenders were in extremely unfavorable conditions, in open, well-exposed terrain, while the enemy controlled all the surrounding heights. Therefore, defense was possible only due to the carrying out of enormous-scale sapper work, which was led by engineer-captain Kirill Ivanovich Turbaevsky: the entire occupied territory was dug with trenches, including in rocky soil, 230 hidden observation posts and more than 500 firing points were created, underground warehouses, the command post was located in a rock shelter at a depth of six meters. The delivery of cargo and reinforcements was difficult for obvious reasons, so that the defenders of Lesser Land constantly experienced difficulties with supplies, including ammunition and food. According to Brezhnev, entire units were sent into the forest to collect wild garlic.
On April 17, the enemy attempted to liquidate the bridgehead. For this purpose, a strike force of 27 thousand people was created under the command of Wetzel. The offensive was carried out with the support of aviation and heavy artillery, the bombing was carried out almost continuously, and enemy aircraft had an overwhelming numerical superiority. A specially created group “Box” operated at sea, which included torpedo boats and submarines, she was entrusted with the task of cutting communications and destroying the retreating Soviet troops. Three days passed in continuous attacks and bombings, however, the bridgehead held. Wanting to preserve Malaya Zemlya at all costs, the command allocated three aviation corps from the Headquarters reserve, which ensured air superiority and bombing German positions. Aviation managed to destroy two German airfields, after which the intensity of bombing of Malaya Zemlya immediately decreased.
The fighting on Malaya Zemlya continued for another three and a half months. On September 9, the operation to capture Novorossiysk began, in which the bridgehead in the Stanichka area played a role - one of the three groups of troops that ensured the blocking and capture of the city advanced from it. By September 16, Novorossiysk was liberated. This date is also considered the date of the end of the defense of Malaya Zemlya, which lasted 225 days.
The road to the memorial is paved with slabs with grass growing between them. Against the background of a blue bay, on a granite platform there is a monument with wreaths and flowers at the foot.
The museum itself is located a little further, on the very shore. Its shape symbolizes the nose landing ship came ashore 
But this photograph, with exactly this meaning, happened by accident. I wanted both the complex and the new building to be included in the frame, so that the viewer would have the thought - “About what would not have happened if...”. But looking at this frame, I understand that I was unable to convey my intention. But, it seems to me, it turned out much better. For, looking at this frame, the first thought that comes to mind is: “How small are our deeds, compared to their deeds.” 
Inside the “ship” are laid out the oaths of those defending the Lesser Land. 
I would like to say that monuments need to be looked after more carefully. Every now and then the eye catches on places that have long been in need of repair.
Local residents (and maybe not locals) enjoy swimming on the shore. 
...Granite entrance... 
...The granite staircase rises up, alarming music sounds... 
... The walls list the people, regiments, divisions that took part in the defense of Malaya Zemlya. 
At the very top, illuminated in red, there was an oath of those defending this bridgehead and a gilded capsule in the shape of a heart with the names of the fallen defenders. 
The descent, as well as the ascent, with lists of people, regiments, divisions 
The Germans threw all their forces against the paratroop detachment - tanks, aircraft, infantry. 260 fighters fought like a whole regiment. On February 4, 1943, the landing force of Caesar Kunikov landed on the fortified coast of Myskhako, the so-called Malaya Zemlya. The heroic defense lasted 225 days and ended complete liberation Novorossiysk.
At the beginning of 1943, the Soviet command planned an operation to liberate Novorossiysk. To create a bridgehead in the southwestern part of the city, two landings will have to land: the main one in the area of the village of Yuzhnaya Ozereevka and the auxiliary one near the suburban village of Stanichka (Cape Myskhako).
The main task of the auxiliary group was to disorient the Nazi command and distract the enemy from the main theater of action, and then either break through to the main forces or evacuate.
Squad special purpose Major Caesar Kunikov was assigned to lead the landing in the area of Cape Myskhako.
Behind Kunikov were the battles near Rostov, the defense of Kerch and Temryuk. Brave and purposeful, he was able to solve the most complex problems with minimal losses. The major was given 25 days to prepare for the operation, scheduled for February 4, 1943. He also received the right to form the detachment itself.
The group included the best volunteer fighters who had impressive combat experience. Anticipating the difficulties of the upcoming operation, Kunikov conducted intensive, many-hour training every day.
The defenders learned not only how to land on the shore at night in winter conditions, but also how to fire from various types weapons, including captured weapons, throwing grenades and knives from various positions, identifying minefields, techniques hand-to-hand combat, rock climbing and medical care.
And so, on the night of February 4, a detachment of 260 marines approached Cape Myskhako. With a swift blow, the fighters knocked the Nazis out of the coast and gained a foothold on the captured bridgehead.
Major Kunikov sent a report to the command: “The regiment landed successfully, I am acting according to plan. I’m waiting for subsequent trains.” The radiogram was deliberately sent openly - the paratrooper was sure that the Germans would intercept it.
A message about the landing of an entire regiment of Soviet soldiers on the outskirts of Novorossiysk will confuse the enemy and distract the main forces from striking.
By the morning, when the Nazis went on the offensive, Kunikov’s detachment had already taken control of about 3 kilometers railway and several blocks of the village of Stanichka. Tanks, aircraft, infantry - the enemy threw all his forces into the attack. But, despite their multiple superiority, the Germans failed to cut off the paratroopers from the coast or penetrate their defenses.
The enemy, counting the huge losses, had no doubt that a whole regiment was opposing him...
In the first 24 hours alone, the defenders repulsed 18 powerful attacks. All this time, Major Kunikov not only led the battle - he led the fighters forward, inspiring by his example.
Ammunition was dwindling every minute. The situation was getting worse. Then Caesar Kunikov did what the enemy least expected - he led the detachment directly to the Nazi artillery battery.
The surprise attack was a success, and the fighters, having taken possession of German ammunition and cannons, turned their guns against the attackers.
This was the case until the main forces arrived. Due to the failure of the main landing detachment at South Ozereevka, the auxiliary bridgehead captured by the Kunikovites became the main one. Every day they repulsed the enemy’s fierce attacks, cleared multi-story buildings and advanced a lot.
The bridgehead, recaptured from the Germans on Myskhako, was called Malaya Zemlya by the paratroopers. The Soviet command appointed Major Kunikov as senior commander of the bridgehead. Now his responsibilities included protecting the sea coast, receiving and unloading ships, and evacuating the wounded.
While performing these duties, on the night of February 12, Kunikov was wounded by a mine fragment. The commander was taken to a hospital in Gelendzhik, where doctors fought for his life for two days. But to no avail - on February 14, Caesar Kunikov died.
In April 1943, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The bridgehead conquered by Kunikov and his paratroopers saw many more battles. The heroic defense of Malaya Zemlya lasted 225 days and ended on the morning of September 16, 1943 with the complete liberation of Novorossiysk.
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Black pea coats Battle for Novorossiysk. Tank landing in South Ozereyka. |
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General situation from July 1942 to January 1943. In the second half of June 1942, all possibilities for the defense of Sevastopol were exhausted. The city fell at the end of the month, but its defenders fought on the Chersonesus peninsula until July 7 (and, according to a number of studies, until July 14).
Alas, against the backdrop of the grandiose German offensive from the Kharkov region towards the Don, and then the Volga and the Caucasus, the loss of Sevastopol looked like an insignificant military episode. During that terrible summer, the very existence of the Soviet Union was at stake.
In August, battles began at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. On the Black Sea coast, with great difficulty, the Germans were detained on the eastern shore of Tsemes Bay. It turned out that the city of Novorossiysk and its port were in the hands of the enemy, but the Germans were not allowed to continue their offensive to the southeast along the Tuapse highway along the sea. Novorossiysk was visible by Soviet troops from the other side of Tsemes Bay, and the city was under fire from our coastal batteries.
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However, the situation remained critical. If the enemy had been able to develop an offensive through the passes of the Main Caucasus Range - and there were some prerequisites for this in September-October 1942 - then, of course, the Novorossiysk defensive region would have been doomed.
And when it seemed that the Novorossiysk region and the entire Caucasian coast were about to fall prey to the enemy, deafening volleys of the Soviet counteroffensive thundered on the Volga. Steel pliers mechanized corps closed in the deep rear of Paulus's army. Developing the offensive, Soviet troops moved in the general direction of Rostov, trying to reach the Sea of Azov.
Accordingly, thanks to the successes of the Stalingrad, Don, Southwestern and Voronezh fronts, by the beginning of 1943, the threat of strategic encirclement loomed over German troops throughout the Caucasus - from Novorossiysk to Ordzhonikidze and Maglobek.
The situation on the southern flank of the front changed radically in favor of the Soviet Union. The Black Sea Fleet, the 56th and 18th armies, operating in the coastal direction, received an order from Headquarters to go on the offensive.
Landing at South Ozereyka. The fate of the "Stuarts". South Ozereyka is a small village located southwest of Novorossiysk. On the night of February 4, 1943, the main forces of the landing force were sent there, called to go to the rear of the German troops defending Novorossiysk.
To reinforce the first wave of landings, a separate tank battalion was deployed for the first time on the Black Sea. This battalion was numbered 563 and was armed with 30 Lend-Lease light tanks M3 "Stuart" made in America. Three non-self-propelled barges of the Bolinder type were used to disembark the tanks. Each of them was loaded with 10 tanks and 2 trucks with logistics items. The barges were towed to the landing area by minesweepers, but the tugboats "Alupka", "Gelendzhik" and "Yalta" had to directly bring the "bolinders" to the shore.
Significant forces of the Black Sea Fleet were involved in supporting the operation, including the cruisers "Red Crimea" and "Red Caucasus", the leader "Kharkov", destroyers, gunboats "Red Adzharistan", "Red Abkhazia" and "Red Georgia".
According to the now traditional scheme, the landing of the advanced assault detachment was provided mainly by MO-4 hunter boats.
The Soviet command hoped that a coordinated strike by naval artillery, marines and tank crews would quickly crush the Romanian-German defenses on the coast and deal the Novorossiysk garrison a fatal blow in the back.
Unfortunately, the artillery preparation for the landing carried out by the ships turned out to be ineffective. As they approached the shore, the boats and “bolinders” were illuminated by searchlights and rockets, and the enemy opened fire from cannons, mortars, and machine guns.
The section of the coast was held by the Romanians from the 10th Infantry Division, but their defense was “reinforced” by a German battery of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, the notorious “Acht komma Acht” (“eight point eight” - in German notation the caliber of guns is indicated in centimeters, in this case – 8.8). These powerful guns were deadly dangerous for all types of landing craft deployed near South Ozereyka.
As a result, at the cost of losing all the “bolinders” and a significant share of the materiel of the 563rd brigade, they managed to land, according to various sources, from 6 to 10 combat-ready Stuart tanks. About 1,500 Marines were also landed (part of the first echelon of the landing force), namely the 142nd and partly two other battalions of the 255th Marine Rifle Brigade.
Unfortunately, the battle on the shore was not organized enough. The commanders who remained on board the ships did not receive timely information about the actions of the units landed ashore and were deprived of the opportunity to lead the battle.
As a result, the command was forced to abandon the continuation of the operation and recalled the ships, and with them the bulk of the troops.
The sad irony was that shortly after dawn our landing party on the beach finally managed to achieve a noticeable tactical success. A group of marines reached the enemy's flank and rear. The commander of the German 88-mm battery lost his nerve and ordered the crews to withdraw, having first blown up the guns.
The explosion of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns completely demoralized the Romanians. Some of them fled, some surrendered to the “black peacoats” as prisoners.
As a result, the marines won the battle for the landing, but there was no one to take advantage of the success - the ships with the landing force went back to the east.
However, true to duty, in a stubborn battle, our marines, with the support of several Stuart tanks, captured South Ozereyka. After resting, the landing party continued its offensive. By the evening of February 4, the sailors reached Glebovka and occupied its southern outskirts.
Alas, this was where the successes of the landing force, left to its own devices, ended. The Germans very quickly pulled significant forces into the area: a mountain rifle battalion, a tank battalion, four artillery and two anti-tank batteries, and anti-aircraft guns. The Romanians, meanwhile, regained the unguarded coastline in the South Ozereyka area, completely cutting off our landing force from the sea.
Realizing the futility of further struggle, some of the fighters, led by battalion commander-142 Kuzmin, decided to break through to Myskhako, to the area occupied by the successful landing of Major Kunikov’s fighters. And a group of 25 people went to the coast in the direction of Lake Abrau, hoping to meet with the partisans.
F.V. Monastyrsky, commissar of the 83rd Marine Brigade, relays the words of a lieutenant who came out from South Ozereyka to join his troops at the Myskhako bridgehead:
“It was not scary to fight the enemy, even if he was at least ten times larger than us. Everyone was ready to fight to the death. But how was it possible to get to the enemy through this continuous fire barrier? Then the fascist tanks approached. We used anti-tank rifles and grenades. A lot of people died here ours, but Hitler’s tanks flared up or were spinning in place, knocked out. After that, we made a breakthrough, took positions near the Ozereyka River. Morning and day everyone stayed there, wondering whether help would come to us or not. Then we found out. , that the main landing force was landing on Myskhako and we needed to get there on our own. We fought as long as we could, did not miss a single opportunity to strike the enemy, and when there were no more companies or cartridges left. We didn’t have the strength to fight, we wandered through the forest as best we could.”
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| Captain of the first rank G.A. Butakov. During the landing at South Ozereyka |
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| Gunboat "Red Georgia" in camouflage. 1942-1943 |
Landing at Stanichka. Simultaneously with the operation in South Ozereyka, on the night of February 4, in the area of the village of Stanichka (southern suburb of Novorossiysk) on the western coast of Tsemes Bay, an auxiliary amphibious landing was landed as part of an assault battalion of volunteer sailors, commanded by Major Caesar Lvovich Kunikov.
The battalion was small in number, 276 people, but this unit was destined to become a true pearl of the Soviet marine corps on the Black Sea. The selection for Kunikov’s battalion was very strict, the fighters underwent intensive training for amphibious assault at a specially equipped training ground in the Gelendzhik region. Thus, Kunikov's battalion was the first specialized "ranger" unit in the Soviet Marine Corps.
This is how Vice Admiral G.N. Kholostyakov, in those days the head of the Novorossiysk naval base, responsible for conducting landings near Novorossiysk, describes the training of the Kunikovites:
“In addition to the machine gun and grenades, each paratrooper needed edged weapons. However, supplying almost three hundred soldiers with them was not easy - it was an “unusable” thing. We had to organize the production of daggers using a handicraft method. In the forge of the Gelendzhik MTS, where ship repairmen now ran, they were forged from old carriage springs and sharpened on a hand sharpener. Edged weapons were intended not only for hand-to-hand combat when approaching the enemy closely, but also for hitting enemies at a distance - the paratroopers were taught to throw daggers at the target. I saw how well Kunikov himself did this.
Borodenko and I often visited the detachment and once found ourselves in the middle of practical shooting from an anti-tank rifle. Kunikov shot first, followed by the rest - one cartridge was fired per person. They offered to shoot both Ivan Grigorievich and me. I really didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of the paratroopers, and I was glad that I managed to break through the shield...
At Kunikov’s request, he was delivered several captured German machine guns, machine guns and carbines with ammunition for them, as well as German grenades. The enemy’s weapons also had to be mastered—in landings, sometimes you have to use them too. In the combat group of Lieutenant Sergei Pakhomov, where fighters involved in artillery from previous service were selected, they even studied German light guns. And not in vain."
The landing of Kunikov's Marines near Stanichka was surprisingly successful. The losses were symbolic: three wounded, one killed! The paratroopers captured Stanichka and began expanding the bridgehead.
In light of the current situation, it was decided to consider the bridgehead captured by Kunikov as the main one and to redirect to it those forces that were recalled from South Ozereyka. It was this bridgehead that was destined to go down in the history of the war under the name “Malaya Zemlya”. IN specialized literature and in documents, the bridgehead is usually called Myskhako after the name of the cape, which serves as the extreme southwestern point of Tsemes Bay, and the village of the same name, which is located near it.
After pumping significant forces into the bridgehead near Stanichka, an attempt was made to storm Novorossiysk. Unfortunately, our 47th Army, which tried to advance along the eastern coast of Tsemes Bay, made no progress. Because of this, the local successes achieved by our paratroopers in the Stanichka area were not developed and Novorossiysk could not be liberated in February-March 1943.
Operation Neptune. Over two months of heavy fighting, the bridgehead captured by Kunikov’s assault battalion in the Stanichki-Myskhako area was somewhat expanded. However, its length still did not exceed 8 km from west to east and 6 km from north to south. Part of the forces of the 18th Army, including parts of the Marine Corps, was transported to this piece of land. These brigades and divisions hung like a sword of Damocles over the garrison of Novorossiysk.
It is noteworthy that in addition to infantry and artillery, tanks – light T-60s – were also delivered to the bridgehead. For this purpose, unique seaworthy ferries with increased carrying capacity were used, obtained by pairing side-by-side motorboats of the DB type.
In mid-April, the enemy command launched Operation Neptune. Its goal was to dismember the Soviet bridgehead in two and throw the landless soldiers into the sea.
To destroy our landing force in the Myskhako area, a special combat group of General Wetzel was created with a force of up to four infantry divisions with a total number of about 27 thousand people and 500 guns and mortars. Up to 1,000 aircraft were involved in air support for the offensive. The naval part of the operation (called "Boxing") was to be carried out by three submarines and a flotilla of torpedo boats. These forces were charged with interrupting sea communications between “Malaya Zemlya” and the ports of the Caucasus, through which the Western Group of the 18th Army was supplied in the bridgehead.
On April 17 at 6.30, after strong artillery and air preparation, the enemy launched an attack on Myskhako. Units of the 18th Army, despite hurricane artillery fire and continuous bombing, fought in their positions to the last opportunity. At the cost of heavy losses to units of the 4th Mining rifle division the enemy managed to penetrate into battle formations Soviet troops at the junction of the 8th and 51st rifle brigades.
The resulting “dent” in the front line on the tactical diagrams does not look so scary, but we must remember that the German soldiers were separated from the village of Myskhako on the seashore by a few kilometers. To cut the bridgehead in two, the Germans seemed to need only one final effort. Therefore, the reserves of both sides were pulled into the wedge area and for several days there were battles of extreme ferocity.
On April 20, the enemy launched his most powerful offensive. However, all attempts by the enemy to move forward and clear the bridgehead were defeated by the resilience of the Soviet paratroopers. However, the fighting began to subside only on April 25, when the Germans recognized the complete futility of continuing the operation and began to withdraw troops to their original positions.
Our aviation played a very important role in repelling enemy attacks. With its massive actions, it constrained the offensive of General Wetzel’s units and forced enemy aircraft to reduce their activity. Starting on April 20, thanks to the transfer of Stavka aviation reserves to Kuban, a turning point in our favor began to appear in the air over “Malaya Zemlya”. The “Black Pea Jackets” and the ground army soldiers on the bridgehead showed unbending resilience and fantastic self-sacrifice, but it must be admitted that the merits of our Air Force in holding the bridgehead are enormous.
The command of the German 17th Army, responsible for the Novorossiysk region, was forced to inform the headquarters of Army Group A:
"Today's Russian air offensive from the landing area in Novorossiysk and the strong attacks of the Russian air fleet the airfields showed how great the capabilities of Russian aviation are.”
(This German report, quoted from the book of memoirs of Marshal A.A. Grechko, “The Battle for the Caucasus,” wanders unchanged through many Soviet books and memoirs; unfortunately, its original source is unknown to me.)
Thus, the German Operation Neptune failed. “Malaya Zemlya” remained a permanent operational factor until the liberation of Novorossiysk.
The older generation is quite widely aware of the fact that the future Secretary General of the CPSU of the USSR L.I. Brezhnev in those days held the rank of colonel and was the head of the political department of the 18th Army. His memoirs “Malaya Zemlya” are dedicated to Brezhnev’s participation in the battle for Novorossiysk.
Also, someone may still remember that during perestroika, “bold revelations” were published: they say that Brezhnev was a coward to visit “Malaya Zemlya”, and his memoirs are fiction.
Colonel I.M. Lempert, who visited Malaya Zemlya as a political worker of the 7th Department of the Black Sea Fleet Political Directorate, refutes these unfounded speculations:
“The head of the political department of the 18th Army, Colonel Brezhnev, was personally and repeatedly at Malaya Zemlya!
I had the opportunity to meet him in Kabardinka, where I came to see Brezhnev together with the artist Prorokov, and on the very small land bridgehead in the summer and autumn of 1943. By the way, Brezhnev had a very good reputation among the troops, and was considered among the soldiers to be a real commissar. He was a very charming and sincere person, a charismatic personality."
"Blue Line". As should already be clear from the above, despite the threatening strategic situation, the German 17th Army did not receive permission in January-February 1943 to withdraw to the Crimea. The Soviet offensive temporarily stopped, the front stabilized along the line Sea of Azov - Kiev - Crimean - Nizhnebakanskaya - Novorossiysk. Along this line and in its rear, the Germans began to build powerful defensive lines, the totality of which received the code name “Blue Line”.
The southernmost, extremely important node of the Blue Line was the city of Novorossiysk.
The enemy had been preparing the defense in the Novorossiysk area for a year. Favorable conditions The terrain, as well as the presence of sufficient quantities of cement (a significant amount of which was mined in the vicinity of the city) allowed the enemy to create a strong defense. Most of the heavy machine guns and some of the guns moved into the first trenches were hidden in reinforced concrete structures. Which, let us draw the reader’s attention, was actually an unprecedented luxury for most other sections of the Eastern Front.
The enemy had the strongest strongholds on Mount Sugar Loaf and in the area of the Oktyabr cement plant. In each of these areas, up to 36 bunkers and up to 18 pillboxes were equipped.
On the reverse slopes of the heights, shelters were equipped in the form of deep “fox holes” or dugouts with strong reinforced concrete floors that could withstand a direct hit from heavy weapons. artillery shell or a 250-kilogram aerial bomb.
Approaches to leading edge the defenses were covered with wire fences and continuous minefields.
Fearing a landing, the Germans strengthened and sea coast. Thus, five machine-gun pillboxes were built in the area between the power station and the cement pier, and a cannon pillbox was built on the eastern pier at the entrance to the harbor.
Free-standing stone buildings in Novorossiysk and buildings on street corners were turned into strongholds. The windows of the first and second floors were sealed with bricks and cement mortar, and embrasures were punched in the walls of the houses. The walls of the buildings were reinforced on the outside with additional brickwork, and on the inside with sandbags. The floors between floors were reinforced with tram rails or a thick layer of reinforced concrete slabs. The staircases, as a rule, were filled with bags of sand or stones, and special manholes were made between the floors.
A fortified house had two or more communication passages, along which the garrison of the house, if necessary, could move to another house or retreat to the rear. The garrison of a fortified building was usually located in basements or in specially equipped casemates under the house. Fire weapons were located in tiers: on the ground floor there were heavy machine guns and 75 mm guns, on the second and third floors there were machine gunners, light machine guns, and sometimes 37 mm guns.
Thus, I would like to focus on one remarkable detail. Although by September 9, 1943, the Red Army had already managed to return part of the occupied territory of the country in battle and, in particular, recapture a number of large cities from the enemy (including Rostov-on-Don - twice and Kharkov - twice), it can be argued that Novorossiysk was the most serious fortress city of all that our troops had to deal with up to that point.
Of course, Stalingrad stands apart, which by November 1942 was almost completely occupied by German troops and which German propaganda subsequently declared “a fortress on the Volga.” Indeed, already during the Soviet counteroffensive, street fighting in Stalingrad lasted a long time and was distinguished by extreme tenacity. However, it is precisely in relation to the quality of thoughtful, systematic engineering equipment of positions and the density of fortifications that Novorossiysk seems to be a more serious “festung” than Stalingrad.
Landing in Novorossiysk. By September 1943, Soviet troops in the coastal direction received sufficient reinforcements and prepared a new operation to liberate Novorossiysk. Its “highlight” was supposed to be a massive landing of troops directly into the port of Novorossiysk. In terms of the audacity of the plan, this operation is a worthy competitor to the Feodosia landing and, along with it, can be recognized as one of the most glorious deeds of the Soviet Marine Corps.
The landing force consisted of three landing detachments and a detachment supporting the landing of landing troops. It was divided into four groups: a group for breaking through and destroying firing points on the piers (the same group of boats overcame the boomnet barriers that blocked the entrance to the harbor), a shore attack group, and a port attack group, which were supposed to deliver a torpedo strike on enemy fortifications on the shore in places landings, and a group covering the operation from the sea.
In total, the landing forces included about 150 warships, boats and auxiliary vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
The most important roles in the landing party belonged to various combat and auxiliary boats: G-5 torpedo boats, MO-4 hunter boats, KM minesweeper boats, DB motorboats, etc.
The 393rd separate marine battalion under the command of Lieutenant Commander V.A. landed in the Novorossiysk port. Botyleva, 255th Naval Rifle Brigade, 1339th Infantry Regiment, 318th Infantry Division.
The general leadership of the landing operation was carried out by the fleet commander, Vice Admiral L.A. Vladimirsky, the commander of the Novorossiysk naval base, Rear Admiral G.N., was appointed commander of the landing forces. Bachelors.
By September 9, preparatory measures for the offensive were completed. At 2 hours 44 minutes on September 10, all landing troops took their places on the starting line. Hundreds of guns and mortars rained fire on enemy defensive positions east and south of Novorossiysk, along the port, as well as the coast. At the same time, aviation carried out a powerful bomb attack. Fires started in the city. The jetties and port were covered in smoke.
Following this, torpedo boats attacked the port. 9 torpedo boats of the breakthrough group, led by the commander of the 2nd brigade of torpedo boats, captain 2nd rank V.T. Protsenko attacked firing points on the piers, approached the booms, landed assault groups there, quickly blew up the boom net barriers and gave a signal that passage to the port was open.
At the same time, 13 torpedo boats under the command of Captain 3rd Rank G.D. Dyachenko attacked enemy targets on the shore. Immediately after this, the third group of torpedo boats, led by Lieutenant Commander A.F., broke into the port. Afrikanov. They fired torpedoes at the piers and landing sites.
According to Admiral Kholostyakov’s estimates, up to 30 pillboxes and bunkers were destroyed or disabled by torpedoes. The "Naval Atlas" gives a different number - 19. In any case, there is no doubt that the detonation of about 40-50 torpedoes near coastal German firing points made a significant contribution to the disruption of the enemy's anti-landing defense.
Of the 25 torpedo boats that participated in the landing, two were lost. The crew of one of them, having reached the shore, fought there, led by their commander Ivan Khabarov, along with the paratroopers.
After the explosion of boom net barriers and the attack of torpedo boats cleared the way to the port, minesweepers and hunter boats rushed there with first-echelon assault groups.
By morning, a total of about 4 thousand people had been landed. The figure is quite impressive if we remember that 2 thousand soldiers landed near Grigorievka, and only 1.5 thousand were landed in the South Ozereyka area. These forces could well be enough to disorganize the enemy and deliver auxiliary attacks on the flanks and rear of the Novorossiysk garrison. But - provided that the troops of the 20th Rifle Corps, striking from the "Malaya Zemlya", as well as the 318th Rifle Division and units of the 55th Guards Divisions, advancing together with reinforcement units along the eastern shore of Tsemes Bay, fulfill the tasks set for 9 September offensive tasks.
Unfortunately, the 20th Infantry Division did not advance; the 318th Infantry Division and the assault detachment of the 55th Guards Infantry Division also advanced slightly during the day. The battles for Novorossiysk became protracted and fierce.
Marine units in the port and its environs were cut off from each other and fought surrounded.
On September 11, the second echelon of troops was landed in Novorossiysk: the 1337th Infantry Regiment of the same 318th Infantry Division and units of the 255th Motorized Rifle Brigade.
Following this, the main forces of the 55th Guards SD and the 5th Guards Tank Brigade were brought into battle.
But even after this, the fighting continued for another 5 days, ending only on September 16 with the complete liberation of the city.
Thus, to capture the main fortress of the Blue Line, our troops, with the support of aviation and the Black Sea Fleet, needed a week of persistent, continuous offensive battles.
Results. The battle for Novorossiysk began on February 4, 1943 with landings at South Ozereyka and Stanichka and ended only on September 16 - after the marines and ground forces completed the task and completely liberated the city from the enemy.
But the efforts expended brought rich fruits. The fall of Novorossiysk meant the breaking of the Blue Line. And this, in turn, led to the complete abandonment of the entire Taman by the enemy’s 17th Army. The tight operational knot on the southern flank of the Soviet front was untied, and Soviet troops were able to begin preparations for the liberation of Crimea...
Maps and diagrams
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| Diagram 7. Actions of the 318th Infantry Division, airborne detachments and |
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| Scheme 9. Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation. Breaking the Blue Line. |
Illustrations
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| Photo 2. Episode of the battle for the Caucasus. Calculation 12.7 mm DShK machine gun |
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| Photo 6. Bolinder. This was the name of the barges with which, under South Ozereyka, |
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| Photo 12. The wreckage of the same "Stuart", another angle. |
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| Photo 13. Destroyed bolinder with the ramp down. South Ozereyka. |
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| Photo 14. Training of soldiers of the assault battalion of Ts. Kunikov. |
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| Photo 15. Soldiers of the assault battalion of Ts. Kunikov Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to accurately attribute the time and place where such photographs were taken. The assault battalion of Ts.L. Kunikov was created at the beginning of 1943 and until February 4 conducted intensive training in the Gelendzhik area. Then their hour of glory struck: a landing near Stanichka and the capture of a bridgehead, which then became the main one. |
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| Photo 16. Kunikovites before the landing. |
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| Photo 17. Captured German ZSU SdKfz 10/4 (half-track tractor with a 20-mm cannon in the back) |
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| Photo 18. Soviet units enter the city of Krasnodar. |
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| Photo 19. Soviet marines are fighting in Stanichka (outskirts of Novorossiysk), |
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| Photo 20. Deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front L.I. Brezhnev |
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| Photo 21. Brigadier Commissar L.I. Brezhnev |
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| Photo 22. L.I. Brezhnev on command post 20th Rifle Corps. Myskhako bridgehead, spring-summer 1943 |
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| Photos 23, 24. DB landing boats (project 165) are prepared With the help of such small boats, which were built in the small Russian city of Gorokhovets on the Klyazma River, Soviet troops were supplied at the Myskhako bridgehead and, subsequently, at the bridgeheads in Crimea during the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. |
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| Photo 25. Artillery boat (G-5 with an RS launcher on the wheelhouse) |
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| Photo 26. Boats of the 2nd Novorossiysk BTKA. |
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| Photo 27. Preparation for laying R-1 mines (laid in torpedo chutes) During landing operations with the participation of the G-5, it was the torpedo chutes that served |
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| Photo 28. Commander of a company of machine gunners of the 393rd separate battalion |
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| Photo 29. Lieutenant Commander V.A. Botylev, |
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| Photos 30, 31. Left – Senior Lieutenant A.V. Raikunov. |
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