| Popis: |
The article is devoted to little-known events in the history of the Battle of the Caucasus - the participation of aviation units - at the most dramatic moment, when Soviet troops retreated from the city of Rostov-on-Don to the foothill areas of the North Caucasus through the territory of the Stavropol (then Ordzhonikidze) Krai. The article is based on combat orders, combat logs, reports, award documents and information about the losses of units and parts of the 4th Air Army from the funds of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, memoirs and memoirs of pilots participating in the ighting recreate a complete picture of the Soviet aviation's combat work the territory of the Stavropol Krai in the irst month of the ight-ing. The geographical framework is outlined by the borders of the Ordzhonikidze Krai, established by the beginning of World War II, when the region included the Mozdok District and the Kizlyar District. Their choice is based on insuficient knowledge of the course of military events at the tactical level on the territory of this region. The time interval under consideration - August 1942 - corresponds to the irst month of ighting in the territory of the region. The article presents data on frequent relocation of air regiments and divisions, on the lack of interaction with ground forces in matters of ground defense of airields, on the nature of the combat missions carried out by the crews of bomber, assault and ighter aviation, phased displacement of combat areas of crews and subunits in accordance with the displacement of the front line, about the most successful battles and information about the loss of aircrews, the general results of the combat work of the 4th Air Army are analyzed. It is concluded that the aviation forces of the warring parties were in equal opposition and that the experience gained was claimed in 1943 in the sky of the Kuban, where Soviet aviation was already unconditionally dominating the air. The study is based on the methods of analyzing archival materials from various types of sources, comparing facts and checking them for consistency with well-known scien-tiic studies. |
