Kuban bridgehead

The Kuban bridgehead (German: Kuban-Brückenkopf), also known as Gotenkopf (Gothic head), was a German retreat position on the Taman Peninsula, which existed from January to October 1943. It had originally been held by the Germans after the retreat from the Caucasus to allow a new attack on the oil fields of the Caucasus. After the withdrawal of the German Army to the Panther-Wotan line, the troops located in the bridgehead were evacuated across the Strait of Kerch to the Crimea. The German 17th Army under the command of Generaloberst Richard Ruoff, later under the command of General der Pioniere Erwin Jaenecke, was tasked with the defense of the bridgehead.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuban bridgehead