Gorshkov becomes an amphibious warfare specialist

Gorshkov led a landing force during the siege of Odessa and then took command of the Azov Flotilla. He organized the January 1942 Kerch Peninsula landings and later moved roughly 150 vessels from the Sea of Azov into the Black Sea during the Soviet withdrawal. Even after the flotilla was disbanded, he moved into senior naval and district-defence posts rather than falling out of favor. During the Caucasus fighting he temporarily commanded troops of the 47th Army, showing unusual confidence in a naval officer's ability to direct land forces. Seven mentions in Stalin's personal orders confirmed the visibility of his wartime performance.