The Ruins of the Nazi Germany: One of the Last Surviving Machine-Gun Pillboxes of the Blue Line in the Caucasus, 1943. [1080×770]

In 1943, aiming to hold the approaches to the Taman Peninsula, the German command constructed a massive defensive line in the Kuban region, which Soviet military later dubbed the “Blue Line.” It was considered so impregnable that even Joseph Goebbels personally spoke of its invulnerability. At the heart of this defense on Mount Andreyeva, near the village of Krasny Oktyabr, the Germans built permanent firing points (DOTs) made of concrete and metal. These protected earthen depressions were dug 2-3 meters deep into hills and mountains for a better view, primarily to install machine guns that blocked enemy movement. In September 1943, the fierce battles on this front sector reached their highest intensity, claiming the lives of about 18,000 Soviet soldiers and officers from the 58th Army and three marine brigades. On the night of September 18-19, following a sudden assault where Soviet troops secretly crossed the Kurka River, the German defense was crushed. Today, only three of these original DOTs remain in Krasny Oktyabr. To this day, a sunken tank rests at the bottom of the Kurka River, and the wreckage of 32 Soviet aircraft lies in the surrounding floodplains.