BATTLE FOR THE CAUCASUS IN THE HISTORICAL FATE OF THE PEOPLES OF THE REGION

Abstract

The article studies the opposition of the people of the USSR and the Red Army to the troops of fascist Germany and its allies in battles for the Caucasus in days of the Great Patriotic War. It shows courage and mass heroism of the Soviet people in fight against the general enemy in the longest fight of World War II. The leadership of Germany put before the troops attacking the Caucasus a task to break in Transcaucasia on the coast of the Black and Caspian seas, through the Caucasian passes. It was supposed to occupy food areas of the North Caucasus, oil fields in Kuban, Grozny and Baku, thus providing the armed forces with fuel and depriving the Soviet troops of it. At the same time they planned to put pressure upon Turkey for the purpose of her introduction in war against the USSR and also to threaten the Middle East and through Iran, Afghanistan to break to India, the colony of the British Empire. The research shows that the German command underestimated the power of the USSR and overestimated its own forces that led not only to defeat in the Caucasus, but also in the war against the USSR.

Keywords

• war
• army
• fleet
• defense
• approach
• caucasus
• stalingrad
• guerrillas
• mountains
• aircraft
• occupation