On the issue of eliminating the cholera outbreak in the troops of the Transcaucasian Front during the Battle of the Caucasus (1942–1943)

Abstract

Introduction. The state of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the occupied and front-line territories during the Great Patriotic War often influenced the plans of the warring parties and the course of hostilities. The massive spread of such an acute infectious disease as cholera among Soviet military personnel and the civilian population during the battle for the Caucasus could change the course of one of the main battles of the war. However, there is little information about its outbreak in open sources, and until now they have not been closely examined by specialists.Materials and Methods. The study is based on the analysis of documents from the funds of the central state archives, previously published archival materials, the results of previous scientific works that examine the situation in the adjacent territories, as well as research on this issue by specialists in the field of medicine. Analysis. The spread of cholera in the south of our country in the summer and autumn of 1942 posed a great threat to the Soviet troops defending the North Caucasus and to the local population. Due to the failure to take a number of necessary measures, the outbreak could not be controlled for quite a long time.Results. It was possible to localize and then eliminate the cholera outbreak in the first ten days of October 1942 thanks to the adoption of a wide range of measures, strict monitoring of their implementation and the dedicated work of medical specialists. Subsequent offensive actions taken by Soviet troops became possible, including due to the improvement of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the troops of the Transcaucasian Front.

Keywords

• the great patriotic war
• battle for the caucasus
• transcaucasian front
• medicine
• sanitation
• cholera