In the summer of 1942, the Wehrmacht invaded the Caucasus in order to
overrun critical oil production facilities at Maikop, Grozny, and Baku.
However, the Red Army stopped the Germans short of their objectives and
then launched a devastating winter counteroffensive that encircled them
at Stalingrad. Consequently, Hitler grudgingly ordered an evacuation
from the Caucasus, but ordered 17. Armee to fortify the Kuban bridgehead
and hold it at all costs in order to leave open the possibility of
future offensives. On the other side, the Soviet Stavka ordered the
North Caucasus Front and the Black Sea Fleet to eliminate the Kuban
bridgehead as soon as possible. The stage was set for a contest between
an immovable object and an unstoppable force.
With the help of stunning specially commissioned artwork, this book
tells the enthralling story of the impressive but strategically foolish
German stand at Kuban, which tied down seven Soviet armies in a sideshow
battle of attrition, which the Soviets dubbed the Kuban meat grinder.