THE PRICE OF LIBERATION. DEATH TOLL OF SOVIET TROOPS DURING THE OFFENSIVE IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS IN 1943

Abstract

Red Army offensive in the North Caucasus in January -October 1943 was a milestone of the turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. It resulted in the defeat of the German army and its allies, the liberation of a large territory with a population of several million people. All this has made the success of the Soviet troops in the North Caucasus comparable with victories at Stalingrad and Kursk. It is not by chance that a signiicant historiography is devoted to different aspects of this battle. However, the question of the amount of the Soviet death toll in the battle has not been completely speciied. The article analyzes the modern domestic studies that provide the information about the casualties of the Red Army during different offensive operations in the North Caucasus. The author has established their total value by bringing new data from the documents of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The monthly front's summary casualty reports of personnel were the main source of information. Another important result was a detailed description of Soviet troops staff attrition at all stages of the liberation of the North Caucasus and the analysis of different categories of losses. The article features the results of the study. They make it possible to better understand the scale of the battle for the Caucasus and the price paid by the Soviet warriors for its release.