Soviet Cossack Cavalry Formations in the Rostov Offensive Operation (January–February 1943)

Abstract. The involvement of the Cossacks in military service in the Red Army before the start of the Great Patriotic War had an important political and military character. At the first stage of the war, the practice of using Cossack cavalry formations in hostilities showed a certain effectiveness, but the confrontation with the enemy’s motorized force often ended not in favor of the cavalry. Further transformation of the Cossack formations into cavalry corps in the south of the country also failed to solve the problems in the use of cavalry in battles in the North Caucasus. Formed at the beginning of the Rostov offensive operation of 1943 from the 4th Kuban and 5th Don Guards Cossack cavalry corps together with a tank group, the mechanized cavalry group became a successful operational-tactical union of cavalry troops with tank units, which rapidly developed success in mastering communications enemy and contributed to the successful advancement of the rifle units of the Red Army. However, already in mid-February 1943, the mechanized cavalry group of the Southern Front met stubborn enemy resistance on the line located along the western bank of the river. Mius. In this study, the author analyzed the experience of using Cossack cavalry formations as part of a temporary mechanized cavalry group and their effectiveness in the flank cover of the front during the liberation of the Rostov region, as well as the reasons for the incompleteness of this operation.

Keywords: Great Patriotic War, Rostov region, Cossacks, cavalry, Rostov offensive operation.