M3A1 Stuart tanks in Soviet service after the failed landings at South Ozereika on February 4th 1943

In early February, 1943, the Soviet winter counteroffensive, starting around Stalingrad a little over 2 months previously had almost driven the Germans out of the Caucasus. The latter found themselves encircled on the Taman peninsula and pressed against the shores of the Black Sea. In order to outflank the German defense, the Northern Caucasus Front launched an amphibious landing operation at Ozereika bay. Thirty M3A1 tanks of the 563rd Independent Tank Battalion were loaded on three “bolinder“ type barges for the landings at South Ozereika. A heavy naval bombardment and air strikes began 45 minutes after midnight and lasted over two hours. For the first time in naval warfare, several vessels had “Katyusha” multiple rocket launchers mounted on them. The naval bombardment was largely ineffective due to a lack of fire correction, but it did succeed in alerting the German and Romanian defenses. In the weeks preceding the operation, numerous reconnaissance parties had landed on th