The Battle of the Caucasus.
On November 12, 1942, in the area of the city of Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz), Soviet forces defeated a group of the German 1st Tank Army.
In the summer of 1942, the Fascist Army Group South was divided into two parts: Army Groups A and B, whose tasks were to occupy the Caucasian oil fields and Stalingrad, respectively.
The attack by the fascist German invaders on Stalingrad as part of Army Group B was initially successful, but stalled by mid-November.
The situation in the Caucasus developed in a similar way: during the offensive in late summer and early autumn, the German forces managed to capture Voroshilovsk, Armavir, Maikop, Krasnodar, Alista and part of Navorossiysk, as well as reach the Caucasus Range and the Trek River.
At the beginning of November, the Germans launched an attack on Ordzhonikidze. The Soviet command did not expect an enemy attack in the direction of Nalchik, so at the beginning of the attack the German 1st Tank Army advanced rapidly.
Thanks to the bravery of the defenders of the Caucasus and the rapid transfer of troops, it was possible to stop the enemy's advance by November 4.
On November 6, Soviet units launched a counterattack and succeeded in defeating significant forces of the First Tank Army of the Wehrmacht.
On November 12, the destruction of the opposing side's soldiers was completed. The collapse of the offensive on Ordzhonikidze meant the failure of the German Operation Blow to capture Grozny and Baku during the 1942 campaign. From that moment Soviet units began to push back the forces.
The Caucasus was finally liberated on October 9, 1943.
source.
Photo: Soviet tank wins over Pz. A Kpfw IV tank in Ordzhonikidze receives flowers of gratitude from a local resident.