Eight decades ago the Red Army liberated the Taman Peninsula, a pivotal southern stronghold, from German forces. The victory secured crucial control over stretches of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov for Soviet forces. At the same time, the Novorossiysk–Taman strategic offensive, launched on September 10, reached its culmination, bringing the Caucasus campaign to a two-stage close.
The German push extended from July 25 to December 31. In the nine months that followed, Soviet forces mounted a counteroffensive against a consolidated foe that included German armies, Romanian and Slovak formations, and local collaborators from the Caucasus. The aim was to blunt the German drive and press a counterstrike that could shift the balance on the southern front (Soviet Military Archives).
To hold the Taman bridgehead, the attackers established a layered defensive line known as the Blue Line. It stretched about 113 kilometers along the front, extended 20–25 kilometers deep, and spanned the entire peninsula, leveraging natural barriers such as the Kuban River, estuaries, streams, and commanding heights. Many resistance centers and fortresses were equipped with firearms and reinforced concrete pillboxes.
The German and allied forces in the Taman group totaled roughly 400,000 troops, including elements of the 17th Army and the 1st Tank Army under the command of Erwin Eneke. The fighting endured from February to September 1943 (North Caucasus Front Archives).
The clearing of the Kuban lands was accomplished by units of the 56th Army under Andrei Grechko, supported by the 9th Army under Alexei Grechkin and the 18th Army under Konstantin Leselidze. Air support came from the 4th Air Army under Konstantin Vershinin. The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Fleet provided sea cover, while the 54th Separate Pontoon Battalion used a crossing park captured from the enemy to ferry troops across the Kuban and its tributaries.
“The front-line operation aimed to liberate Novorossiysk through attacks by the 9th Army with the cooperation of the Azov squadron and the 56th Army, the 18th Army and Ground Forces advancing toward Varenikovskaya, Gladkovskaya and Gostagaevskaya. The Naval Fleet and land forces then moved toward Verkhne-Bakansky and Anapa.”
Grechko recalled that such actions were intended to cut off the enemy group, reach the crossings on the Staraya Kuban River, and sever the foe’s escape route to the Kerch Strait.
After the capture of Novorossiysk on September 16 and during fierce fighting that broke through the heavily fortified enemy defenses on the approach to Taman, the troops of the North Caucasus Front pressed the offensive and advanced toward the Kerch Strait.
Soviet soldiers moved city after city and village after village, with Temryuk standing out as a critical stronghold at the Kuban’s mouth that shielded the Taman group from the Sea of Azov. The attackers managed to sever the Temryuk–Golubitskaya road, the sole Nazi link to Kerch Strait ports. Yet the road remained under air raids and was watched by small infantry detachments advancing from floodplains.
“After the liberation of Temryuk, the fascists retreated to the western part of the Taman Peninsula toward the ports. Even there, despite the heavy anti-aircraft fire, our air force and bombers outpaced them.”
During the operation to liberate the Taman Peninsula from September 10 to October 9, the 4th Air Army reportedly flew 10,525 sorties, including reconnaissance (827), amphibious-assault support (415), attacks on detached troops (7,423), and strikes on floating ships (1,870). Altogether, 78 floating ships of various tonnages were sunk, and 57 enemy aircraft were shot down in aerial combat. A frontline report proclaimed that Taman had been rescued, with artillery and aviation delivering heavy fire on German fortifications and crushing the remnants of retreating units.
Hitler’s orders driven the evacuation of Nazi troops through October 9. The Red Army attempted to intervene, but some 260,000 soldiers, 70,000 horses, along with equipment, artillery, and food supplies, were moved to Crimea via the Kerch Strait. The troops withdrawn from Taman were shifted to the defense of Perekop.
As of 7:00 on October 9, 1943, the Taman Peninsula was declared completely cleared of German invaders by units of the 56th Army.
The southern victory was met with jubilation in Moscow. Stalin ordered the names Taman, Temryuk, Anapa and Kuban bestowed on formations that had distinguished themselves in the battles for the liberation of Taman, and guard banners were issued to converted Guard divisions.
“Today, at 22:00 Moscow time, with artillery salvos from two hundred and twenty-four guns, the Motherland salutes the brave troops and naval formations who freed the Taman Peninsula. Eternal glory to the heroes who died in the struggle for freedom and independence of our homeland.”
Ordinary people learned of the victory as German propaganda muttered about a planned evacuation. In the port of Taman, Soviet aviation and artillery sank many enemy ships and thousands of soldiers and officers. The Zaporozhye Cossack monument—engraved with a half-erased inscription about defeating invaders—stood on the land as a stark reminder of the struggle and the price paid.
The irreparable losses of the Novorossiysk–Taman operation amounted to 12,137 Soviet troops, while German forces, Romanians, and Slovaks suffered 14,564 casualties. The retreating Germans mined vast areas, including vineyards, forcing painstaking clearance. The liberation of Taman allowed the North Caucasus Front to begin preparations for the Kerch crossing and the subsequent battles for Crimea.