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Logistics of the Crimean Operation 1944 in the Documents of the 4th Ukrainian Front, the Separate Coastal Army, and the Participants’ MemoirsMoscow University Bulletin. Series 8: History 2024. 3. p.94-109read more59
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This article explores an underrepresented aspect in historiography: the logistics of the 1944 Crimean offensive operation. Key logistical challenges included the coordination of rear services at the front and army levels, the timely allocation and maneuvering of reserves and resources to support the advancing troops, and the synchronization of supply systems with industrial enterprises. These responsibilities fell under the command of General A.V. Khrulev, who had led the Red Army’s logistics operations since 1 August 1941. The peninsula’s complex natural and geographic conditions significantly influenced the course of the operation. Transportation and road maintenance were major logistical hurdles, requiring the logistics command to prioritize shipments and rely on local resources where possible. During the preparatory phase of the operation, the participating units refined their assault tactics by practicing behind a rolling barrage on specially constructed training grounds that replicated German fortifications. Harsh weather conditions forced logistical teams to find unconventional solutions. A distinctive feature of this operation, and at the same time an indicator of its problems, was the use of combat units for logistical purposes — for example, a cavalry division attached to the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Azov Military Flotilla, which supported the Separate Coastal Army. For the first time in the Black Sea Fleet and in the USSR Navy, General M.F. Kumanin, head of logistics for the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy, pioneered the creation of motorized transport battalions. This innovation enabled the formation of mobile logistical groups, which provided material, technical, and medical support to advancing forces. This approach, first implemented in Crimea, was later adapted for other operations during the Great Patriotic War and the war with Japan.
Keywords: Crimean Penins ula, Logistics of the Red Army, Logistics of the USSR Navy, logistical support, 4th Ukrainian Front, Separate Coastal Army, Black Sea Fleet, Azov Flotilla
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