From Crimea - to the Kuban. Throw of General Ulagai
What could the Reds oppose him?
9-I army - the defender of the Kuban
By the beginning of the operation, the Kuban was part of the region of the Red Caucasus Front and was engaged in its right-flank 9th Kuban Army. The mission of the army was: a) ensuring the right flank and rear from the Crimea and Georgia, b) fighting the white-greens and rebels within the occupied territory, c) general assistance to calm and Sovietize the Kuban region.
Performing these tasks, the army units were located
1) 22 I rifle division with attached units (about 8300 bayonets, 230 machine guns, 28 light and 11 heavy guns) occupied: 65th brigade - Taman Peninsula, 66th brigade - Blagoveshchenskaya - Anapa, 64 brigade without one regiment) - Novorossiysk; in the division reserve - one regiment (in the col. Dzhiginskoye); the main task of the division is to protect the coast on the Achuev - Nebugskaya section and cover the following directions from the landing: Taman Peninsula - Krasnodar, Krasnodar - Novorossiysk;
2) Black Sea brigade - 2000 - 2500 bayonets, 30 - 40 machine guns, 12 guns, on the Nebugskaya section - the border of Georgia;
3) The 34 I rifle division (3600 bayonets, 400 sabers, 100 machine guns, 20 - 30 guns) had the 101 rifle brigade in the Maykop - Belorechenskaya region, 102 rifle and XNUMeri bavenes; the main tasks are the fight against the rebel movement and the cover of the Vladikavkaz railway and the center of the Kuban from Fostikov’s army.
4) 12 Cavalry Division (1000 - 1200 sabers, 60 machine guns, 12 guns) - east of the 34 division, in the Batalpashinsky area, with the same tasks.
5) A separate brigade at the X-NUMX assault (9 - 2000 bayonets) - Krasnodar, for carrying out garrison service.
Army reserves were located: 26-I rifle brigade 9-th division (2000 bayonets, 200 sabers, 43 machine guns, 8 guns) - Gastogaevskaya; the cavalry brigade of the 22th Infantry Division (450 saber, 16 machine guns, 2 guns) - Art. Varenikovskaya, 1 Caucasian cavalry division (200 bayonets, 1000 sabers, 50 - 60 machine guns, 12 guns) - Rogovskaya - Bryukhovetskaya.
In addition, in the territory of the 9 Army there were front-line reserves - the Ural Rifle Brigade (about 5000 bayonets, 400 sabers, 40 - 50 machine guns, 12 guns) - in the vicinity of station Starominskaya, 2 brigades and cavalry regiment of the 2th Don division (about 5000 bayonets, 100 sabers, 100 - 120 machine guns, 32 guns) - in the Tikhoretskaya area. This brought the total number of red forces in the Kuban to 30000 bayonets, 4000 sabers, 700 machine guns and 150 guns. However, these forces were scattered in the territory of about 100 km and were extremely dispersed - usually not having more than one regiment at one point.
The preparation by White of the landing operation in the Kuban was not a secret for the command of the 9 Army. The latter knew about this and carried out a number of measures to prepare for the fight against the enemy landing forces. The most important of these was the creation of two fortified areas:
1) Yeisk (Yeysk - x. Boyko - st. Kanivskaya, st. Kushchevskaya) - with a garrison of 1500 - 1600 bayonets, 6 guns;
2) of Krasnodar (which included the most important administrative, political and railway points of the region: Krasnodar, Tikhoretskaya, Kavkazskaya) with a garrison totaling up to 4500 people.
The tasks of the districts included: a) the struggle against the white-green movement and hostile actions of local residents, b) preparation for the defense of the most important points of the region. In addition, the coast guard was assigned to the Yeisk district in the Yeisk - x section. Boyko (his forces were located: Yeysk - 500 - 600 bayonets, Art. Dolzhanskaya - 6 bayonets, Yasenskaya - 100 - 150 bayonets, Primorsko-Akhtarskaya - near 200 - 150 bayonets (two companies); other forces - in the depths of the area).
The distribution of forces shows that the main attention of the command of the 9 Army was given to the Taman Peninsula and the Novorossiysk region, where rather significant forces were concentrated. The direction of Primorsko-Akhtarskaya was least covered.
The dispersion of forces and reserves ruled out the possibility of actions against the landings immediately with a large fist, forcing them to be thrown into battle in parts, losing time to concentrate and risking the rout of forces separately.
The landing and the first success of the paratroopers
Early in the morning of August 14, the ships with the group of General Ulagai approached the Primorsko-Akhtarskaya and after a short shelling started embarking. The convoy got up at the Yasensky crossing and, sending intelligence to Yeysk and Mariupol, provided landing from the sea and from Yasenskaya. The first grenadier battalion of the Alekseevsky Infantry Regiment, which landed first on a sandbank in 7 km north of the Primorsko-Akhtarsky battalion, between 8 and 9 spent two hours without effort knocked out two red companies from Primorsko-Akhtarskaya and, pursuing them, advanced to the evening. Free - in 15 km east of Primorsko-Akhtarskaya. The landing of the remaining forces was carried out without hindrance.
During the 14 of August, the Joint Infantry Division of General Kazanovich landed and part of the cavalry of General Babiev. On the 15, the 1-I Kuban division continued to land, and on August 16 the landing of the 2-Kuban division, the forming division of Colonel Buryak and rear institutions, ended.
The appearance of large enemy forces at Primorsko-Akhtarskaya for the command of the 9 Army was a complete surprise. Considering that only a demonstration by small forces is possible in this area, and "the main surprises may be in other areas", the army command assigned the elimination of the enemy to the 1 Caucasian Cavalry Division, ordering it to "drop it into the sea at all costs" . For this, the division was strengthened by two armored trains, two armored vehicles and an 2-gun heavy tractor battery.
Having made a forced transition on the night of the 15, the cavalry division at dawn focused on the Olginskaya - x line. Kotlyarova, and in the afternoon of the 15 of August she entered into close contact with the enemy west of this line. One brigade attacked and almost destroyed at x. Kurchanka, south of the railway, an isolated grenadier battalion of whites. But other units of the Consolidated Infantry Division approached, the further advance of the brigade was suspended. At the same time, the second brigade tried to advance on the Primorsko-Akhtarskaya, north of the railway, but, having received a blow to the right flank from x. Minin from the Umansky regiment (500 saber), which advanced there at night, rolled back in disarray - and lost Brynkovskaya.
The stubborn resistance met by the 1-th Caucasian Cavalry Division on the 15-th August, convinces the command of the 9-th Army of the overwhelming task of this division. According to the new plan of the commander (order No. 067 / op), the cavalry division was to keep the enemy for several days on the Brynkovskaya - Olginskaya line. During this time, the Ural Rifle Brigade was to concentrate in the Brynkovskaya area; in the district of x. Kotlyarova - Trunova - 14-I and separate Taman cavalry brigades (total about 500 sabers, 6 guns). In the future, a simultaneous transition to the offensive was supposed: by infantry on x. Maryansky, and then to Primorsko-Akhtarskaya, and cavalry - along the line of the railway.
However, this plan was easily foiled by the enemy. Having pushed aside the units of the 16-th Caucasian Cavalry Division on the outskirts of Brynkovskaya, Olginsky, Khut on the 1-th of August. Kotlyarova, the whites in the morning of 17 went on a decisive attack - setting themselves the goal of defeating the cavalry division and capturing the Tymoshevsky railway junction. In the morning, the division of General Babiev swiftly took the Brynkovskaya - Khut area. Serbina - pos. Voluntary, dropping the Reds cavalry brigade in the direction of Novo-Dzherelievskaya. At the same time, another brigade, under pressure from the Combined Infantry Division, advancing along the railway, from the front and threatening to cover the left flank with Shifner-Markevich's cavalry, advancing from Primorsko-Akhtarskaya to Stepnaya, was forced to hastily withdraw in the direction of the Hut. Kotlyarova - Novo-Dzherelievskaya, having thrown an armored train, an armored car and a tractor battery.
By the 18-hours of the 1-th Caucasian cavalry division, reinforced by the 14-th cavalry brigade, it was possible to linger on the Hut line. Butenko - 3 - 4 km west of Novo-Dzherelievskaya. But trying to linger is expensive for the mix. After 1 - 2 hours, the infantry of Kazanovich resumes pressure along the railway line. Meanwhile, Babiev’s division with the main forces goes to 19 - 20 hours in the Hut district. Seeker - Sementsova and abruptly turns south - to Rogovskaya, cutting off the retreat routes to the red units to Bryukhovetskaya and Timoshevskaya.
At the same time, the advanced units of the 2th Kuban Division approach from the south to the Rogovskaya crossing, ending with the encirclement of the Red Cavalry Division. Against Babiev’s cavalry going to the rear, a reserve cavalry reserve is being set up — the 14 I cavalry brigade with an armored train. The latter, taking advantage of the fact that only the advanced parts of Babiev are approaching the railway line by this moment, easily overturns them and leaves for Tymoshevskaya. Unaware of this, the following in 3 - 4 km, already in complete darkness, parts of the red cavalry division stumble upon the main forces of Babiev - and almost point-blank meet cross machine-gun and rifle fire. In a night battle, the division is defeated, losing up to 50% of personnel, all artillery and almost all machine guns. In the morning, disparate parts of its regiments gather — the 1 brigade in Bryukhovetskaya, 2 — in Timoshevskaya.
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