The re-formed Azov Flotilla supported landings and the logistics of the North Caucasian Front before the capture of the Taman Peninsula. Gorshkov then personally supervised preparations and troop landings for the Kerch-Eltigen operation, reinforcing his reputation as the Soviet Navy's leading amphibious practitioner. Awards connected with the recapture of Crimea marked the operational importance of that work. Army commanders subsequently requested him for the Danube Flotilla, where river transport and supply supported the advance through Romania and onward toward Belgrade and Budapest. By the end of 1944 he was a vice admiral commanding the Black Sea Fleet's squadron. Among senior officers whose wartime specialty centered on amphibious operations, Gorshkov alone went on to command an entire armed service.
Chapter · 22:56-25:23
From Azov and Crimea to Danube logistics
Repeated landings and river-logistics assignments carried Gorshkov from the North Caucasus and Crimea into the Balkans as a trusted amphibious commander.