The Crimean peninsula at all times, first for the Russian Empire, and later for the USSR, was a strategic center in the Black Sea. The Crimean operation was very important for the advancing Red Army, and at the same time, Hitler understood: if he gave up the peninsula, he would lose the entire Black Sea. Fierce battles lasted for more than a month and led to the defeat of the defending fascists.
On the eve of the operation
From the end of 1942 - the beginning of 1943, a radical turning point took place during the Second World War: if until that moment the Red Army was retreating, now it has gone on the offensive. The Battle of Stalingrad became a tragedy for the entire Wehrmacht. In the summer of 1943, the Battle of Kursk took place, called the largest tank battle in history, in which the Soviet forces strategically outplayed the Nazis, taking them in pincers, after which the Third Reich was already doomed. The generals reported to Hitler that further continuation of hostilities was becoming pointless. However, he ordered to stand and hold positions to the last.
Operation Crimean became a continuation of the glorious accomplishments of the Red Army. After the Nizhnedneprovsk offensive operation, the 17th German army was blocked on the Crimean peninsula without the possibility of replenishment and reinforcement. In addition, the Soviet troops managed to capture a convenient foothold in the Kerch region. The German high command again reminded of the hopelessness of the situation at the front. As for the Crimea itself, the generals specifically said that without a possible ground reinforcement, they remain there to certain death with further resistance. Hitler did not think so - he gave the order to keep the defense of this important strategic point. He motivated this by the fact that in the event of the surrender of the Crimea, Romania and Bulgaria would cease to ally with Germany. The order was given, but what was the attitude of ordinary soldiers to this instruction and to the war in general, when the Crimean defensive operation began for them?
War theorists often talk only about the balance of forces of the opposing sides and their strategies, assuming the outcome of the battle as a whole by the beginning of the battle, simply by counting the number of military equipment and the strength of the fighters.
Meanwhile, practitioners believe that if not decisive, then a huge role is played by fighting spirit. And what happened to him on both sides?
Fighting spirit of the Red Army
If at the beginning of the war the morale of Soviet soldiers was rather low, then in the course of its actions, and especially after Stalingrad, it grew unimaginably. Now the Red Army went into battle only for victory. Besidesour troops, in contrast to the first months of the war, were hardened in battle, and the command gained the necessary experience. All this together gave us a complete advantage over the invaders.
The morale of the German-Romanian army
At the beginning of the Second World War, the German war machine did not know defeat. In less than two years, Germany managed to capture almost all of Europe, approaching the borders of the USSR. The morale of the Wehrmacht soldiers was at its best. They considered themselves invincible. And going into the next battle, they already knew in advance that it would be victorious.
However, at the end of 1941, the Nazis met serious resistance for the first time in the battle for Moscow. During the counter-operation, the Red Army threw them back from the city at a distance of more than 200 km. It was a blow to their pride and, most importantly, to their fighting spirit.
Followed by the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, the Crimean strategic offensive operation began. The Third Reich retreated on all fronts. In addition to the fact that the German soldiers suffered defeat one after another, they were simply tired of the war. No matter how we treat them, they are also people, they had families that they loved and wanted to return home as soon as possible. They didn't need this war. Morale was at zero.
Strengths of the parties. USSR
Operation Crimean became one of the largest during the Second World War. The Red Army was represented by:
- 4th Ukrainian Front, commanded by F. I. Tolbukhin. It consisted of the 51st Army underthe command of Ya. G. Kreizer; 2nd Guards Army under the command of G. F. Zakharov; 8th Air Army under the command of T. T. Khryukin, as well as the 19th Tank Corps, originally under the command of I. D. Vasilyev, who was later replaced by I. A. Potseluev.
- Separate Primorsky Army, subordinate to General A. I. Eremenko, but on April 15, 1944, its command was entrusted to K. S. Melnik, who was a lieutenant general of the army.
- The Black Sea Fleet commanded by Admiral Oktyabrsky F. S.
- 361st Sevastopol separate radio division.
- Azov military flotilla led by Rear Admiral Gorshkov S. G.
Strengths of the parties. Germany, Romania
The defense of the captured peninsula was carried out by the 17th army of the Wehrmacht. Since May 1, 1944, its command was entrusted to General of the Infantry K. Almendinger. The army included 7 Romanian and 5 German divisions. The main headquarters is located in the city of Simferopol.
The Crimean operation by the Wehrmacht in the spring of 1944 was defensive in nature. The territorial defensive strategy of the Wehrmacht can be divided into 4 parts:
1. North. The command of these forces was located in Dzhankoy, and reserves were also concentrated there. Two formations were concentrated here:
- 49th Mountain Corps: 50th, 111th, 336th Infantry Divisions, 279th Assault Gun Brigade;
- 3rd Romanian Cavalry Corps, consisting of the 9th Cavalry, 10th and 19thinfantry divisions.
2. West. The entire coast from Sevastopol to Perekop was guarded by two regiments of the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division.
3. East. Events unfolded on the Kerch Peninsula. Defended here:
- 5th Army Corps (73rd and 98th Infantry Divisions, 191st Assault Gun Brigade);
- 6th Cavalry and 3rd Romanian Mountain Divisions.
4. South. The entire southern coast from Sevastopol to Feodosia was patrolled and defended by the 1st Romanian Mountain Rifle Corps.
As a result, the forces were concentrated as follows: the northern direction - 5 divisions, Kerch - 4 divisions, the southern and western coast of Crimea - 3 divisions.
Operation Crimean was launched precisely with this alignment of military formations.
The ratio of forces of the opposing sides
| Numbers | USSR | Germany, Romania |
| Man | 462 400 | 195,000 |
| Guns and mortars | 5982 | About 3600 |
| Tanks and self-propelled guns | 559 | 215 |
| Aircraft | 1250 | 148 |
Besides this, the Red Army had 322 units of naval equipment. These figures indicate a significant numerical superiority. Soviet army. The Wehrmacht command reported this to Hitler in order to obtain permission for the retreat of the remaining forces in the blockade.
Plans of the parties
The Soviet side saw in the Crimea, and mainly in Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. With the receipt of this object for its use, the USSR Navy could more conveniently and more successfully conduct operations at sea, which was necessary for the further advancement of troops.
Germany was also well aware of the importance of the Crimea for the overall alignment of forces. Hitler understood that the Crimean offensive strategic operation could lead to the loss of this most important foothold. Moreover, Adolf was often informed about the impossibility of containing the Red Army in this direction. Most likely, he himself already understood the hopelessness of the situation, but he no longer had other considerations. Hitler gave the order to defend the peninsula to the last soldier, in no case to surrender it to the USSR. He considered Crimea as a force that kept allies like Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey close to Germany, and the loss of this point would automatically lead to the loss of allied support.
Thus, Crimea was very important for the Soviet army. For Germany, it was vital.
Start of the Crimean offensive operation
The strategy of the Red Army consisted in a simultaneous massive strike from the north (from Sivash and Perekop) and east (from Kerch) with subsequent advance to the strategic centers - Simferopol and Sevastopol. After which the enemy neededdismembered into separate groups and destroyed, preventing evacuation to Romania.
April 3 The Soviet army, using its heavy artillery, destroyed the enemy's defenses. On April 7, in the evening, reconnaissance in force was carried out, which confirmed the disposition of the enemy forces. On April 8, the Crimean operation began. For two days, Soviet soldiers were in conditions of fierce fighting. As a result, the enemy defense was broken through. On April 11, the 19th Panzer Corps succeeded on the first attempt to capture Dzhankoy, one of the headquarters of the enemy forces. German and Romanian formations, fearing encirclement, began to retreat from the north and east (from Kerch) to Simferopol and Sevastopol.
On the same day, the Soviet army captured Kerch, after which the pursuit of the retreating enemy began in all directions with the use of aircraft. The Wehrmacht began to evacuate soldiers by sea, but the forces of the Black Sea Fleet attacked the evacuated ships, as a result of which the fascist allied forces lost 8100 people.
On April 13, the cities of Simferopol, Feodosia, Saki, Evpatoria were liberated. The next day - Sudak, another day - Alushta. The Crimean operation in the Second World War was coming to an end. The matter remained only with Sevastopol.
Partisan contributions
A separate topic of conversation is the partisan and underground activities of the Crimeans. The Crimean operation, in short, became the unification of the army and partisans in achieving a common goal. According to estimates, there were about 4,000 people in total. The objectives of their activitiesthere was the destruction of the rear of the enemy, subversive activities, a breakdown in communications and railways, blockages were made on mountain roads. The partisans disrupted the work of the port in Y alta, which greatly complicated the evacuation of German and Romanian soldiers. In addition to subversive activities, the goal of the partisans was to prevent the destruction of industrial, transport enterprises and cities.
Here is one example of active partisan activity. On April 11, during the retreat of the 17th Wehrmacht Army to Sevastopol, the partisans captured the city of Stary Krym, as a result of which they cut off the road for the retreating.
Kurt Tippelskirch, a general of the Wehrmacht, described the last days of the battles as follows: the partisans during the entire operation actively interacted with the Soviet troops and provided them with assistance.
Storm of Sevastopol
By April 15, 1944, Soviet troops approached the main base - Sevastopol. Preparations for the assault began. By that time, the Odessa operation, which took place as part of the Dnieper-Carpathian operation, had been completed. The Odessa (and Crimean) operation, during which the northern and northwestern coasts of the Black Sea were liberated, made a significant contribution to the Victory.
The first two attempts to capture the city on the 19th and 23rd were unsuccessful. The regrouping of troops began, as well as the supply of provisions, fuel and ammunition.
May 7, at 10:30, with massive air support, the assault on the fortified area of Sevastopol began. On May 9, the Red Army entered the city from the east, north and southeast. Sevastopol wasreleased! The remaining Wehrmacht troops began to retreat, but at Cape Khersones they were overtaken by the 19th Panzer Corps, where they took the last battle, as a result of which the 17th Army was completely defeated, and 21,000 soldiers (including officers) were taken prisoner together with a mass of equipment and other weapons.
Results
The last bridgehead of the Wehrmacht in Right-Bank Ukraine, located in the Crimea, represented by the 17th Army was destroyed. More than 100 thousand German and Romanian soldiers were irretrievably lost. The total losses amounted to 140,000 soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht.
For the Red Army, the threat to the southern direction of the front has disappeared. There was a return of Sevastopol - the main base of the Black Sea Fleet.
But the most important thing is that the USSR, after the Crimean operation, regained control in the Black Sea basin. This fact sharply shook Germany's previously strong positions in Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
The most terrible grief in the history of our people in the XX century - the Great Patriotic War. The Crimean operation, like all the others, had positive consequences for the offensive and strategies, but as a result of these clashes, hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions of our citizens died. The Crimean offensive operation was an important strategic goal set by the Soviet command. Germany needed in 1941-1942. 250 days to capture Sevastopol. Soviet troops had 35 days to liberate the entire Crimean peninsula, 5 of whichneeded to storm Sevastopol. As a result of a successful operation, favorable conditions were created for the advance of the Soviet armed forces to the Balkan Peninsula.
