The liberation of Crimea from the Nazi invaders is brief. Crimean operation during the Second World War: the essence and consequences of the offensive

Crimean operation - offensive troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander Army General F.I. Tolbukhin) and the Separate Primorsky Army (Army General A.I. Eremenko) in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet (Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky) and the Azov Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov) April 8 - May 12 with the aim of liberating Crimea from Nazi troops during the Great Patriotic War of 1941/45. As a result of the Melitopol operation on September 26 - November 5, 1943 and the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation October 31 - November 11, 1943, Soviet troops broke through the fortifications of the Turkish Wall on the Perekop Isthmus and captured bridgeheads on the southern bank of Sivash and on the Kerch Peninsula, but they failed to liberate Crimea at that time due to lack of forces. The 17th German Army was blocked and, relying on deeply echeloned defensive positions, continued to hold Crimea. In April 1944, it included 5 German and 7 Romanian divisions (about 200 thousand people, about 3,600 guns and mortars, over 200 tanks and assault guns, 150 aircraft).

Soviet troops consisted of 30 rifle divisions, 2 marine brigades, 2 fortified areas (in total about 400 thousand people, about 6,000 guns and mortars, 559 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,250 aircraft).

On April 8, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, with the support of aviation from the 8th Air Army and the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, went on the offensive, the 2nd Guards Army captured Armyansk, and the 51st Army went to the flank of the Perekop enemy group, which began to retreat. On the night of April 11, the Separate Primorsky Army went on the offensive with the support of the aviation of the 4th Air Army and the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet and captured the city of Kerch in the morning. The 19th Tank Corps, introduced into the zone of the 51st Army, captured Dzhankoy, which forced the Kerch enemy group to begin a hasty retreat to the west. Developing the offensive, Soviet troops reached Sevastopol on April 15-16...

Great Soviet Encyclopedia

THIS WAS OUR TASK ON MAY 9

I would like to dwell especially on the Crimean operation, because, in my opinion, it is not sufficiently covered...

If you look at the maps of the battles of 1855, 1920, 1942 and 1944, it is easy to see that in all four cases the defense of Sevastopol was built in approximately the same way. This is explained by the most important role that natural factors played here: the location of the mountains, the presence of the sea, the nature of the area. And now the enemy clung to points that were advantageous from the point of view of protecting the city. The new commander Allmendinger burst out with a special appeal to the search: “The Fuhrer entrusted me with command of the 17th Army... I received orders to defend every inch of the Sevastopol bridgehead. I demand that everyone defend themselves in in every sense this word; so that no one would retreat and would hold every trench, every crater and every trench. In the event of a breakthrough by enemy tanks, the infantry must remain in their positions and destroy tanks both at the front line and in the depths of the defense with powerful anti-tank weapons... The honor of the army depends on protecting every meter of the territory entrusted to us. Germany expects us to do our duty. Long live the Fuhrer!

But already on the first day of the assault on the Sevastopol fortified area, the enemy suffered a major defeat and was forced to abandon the main defensive line and withdraw troops to the internal perimeter. To eliminate the defenses on it and finally liberate Sevastopol - that was our task on May 9. The fighting did not stop at night. Our bomber aviation was especially active. We decided to resume the general attack at 8 am on May 9th. We demanded from the commander of the 2nd Guards Zakharov to eliminate the enemy on the northern side of the city in a day and reach the coast of the Northern Bay along its entire length; with the left flank corps, strike at the Ship's side and take possession of it. The commander of the Primorsky Army, Melnik, was ordered to use night infantry actions to capture the Nameless Height southwest of state farm No. 10 and ensure the entry of the 19th Tank Corps into battle.

At exactly 8 o'clock the 4th Ukrainian resumed the general assault on Sevastopol. The fighting for the city continued all day, and by the end of it, our troops reached a defensive line prepared in advance by the enemy from Streletskaya Bay to the sea. Ahead lay the last strip of Crimea that still belonged to the Nazis - from Omega to Cape Chersonese.

On the morning of May 10, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief followed: “To Marshal Soviet Union Vasilevsky. Army General Tolbukhin. The troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, supported by massive air and artillery strikes, as a result of three-day offensive battles broke through the heavily fortified long-term German defenses, consisting of three strips of reinforced concrete defensive structures, and a few hours ago stormed the fortress and the most important naval base on Black Sea - the city of Sevastopol. Thus, the last center of German resistance in Crimea was eliminated and Crimea was completely cleared of German fascist invaders" Next, all the troops who distinguished themselves in the battles for Sevastopol were listed, which were nominated for assignment of the name Sevastopol and for awarding orders.

On May 10, the capital of the Motherland saluted the valiant troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, which liberated Sevastopol.

35 DAYS

On May 7 at 10:30, with massive support from all front aviation, Soviet troops began a general assault on the Sevastopol fortified area. The troops of the front's main strike group broke through the enemy defenses along a 9-kilometer stretch and captured Sapun Mountain during fierce battles. On May 9, front troops from the north, east and southeast broke into Sevastopol and liberated the city. The remnants of the German 17th Army, pursued by the 19th Tank Corps, retreated to Cape Khersones, where they were completely defeated. At the cape, 21 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured, a large number of equipment and weapons.

On May 12, the Crimean offensive operation ended. If in 1941-1942. It took German troops 250 days to capture heroically defended Sevastopol, then in 1944. Soviet troops It turned out that only 35 days were enough to break through the powerful fortifications in Crimea and clear almost the entire peninsula of the enemy.

The objectives of the operation were achieved. Soviet troops broke through the deeply echeloned defenses on the Perekop Isthmus, the Kerch Peninsula, in the Sevastopol region and defeated the 17th Field Army of the Wehrmacht. Its losses on land alone amounted to 100 thousand people, including over 61,580 people captured. During the Crimean operation, Soviet troops and naval forces lost 17,754 people killed and 67,065 people wounded.

As a result of the Crimean operation, the last large enemy bridgehead that threatened the rear of the fronts operating in Right Bank Ukraine was eliminated. Within five days, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol, was liberated and favorable conditions were created for a further offensive in the Balkans.

Commanders

Strengths of the parties

Crimean offensive operation- liberation of the Crimean peninsula from Nazi troops in 1944. As a result of success in the battle for the Dnieper, important bridgeheads were captured on the shores of Sivash Bay and in the Kerch Strait area, and a land blockade began. The highest German military command ordered the defense of Crimea to the last, but despite desperate enemy resistance, Soviet troops managed to capture the peninsula. The restoration of Sevastopol as the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet dramatically changed the balance of power in the region.

general information

In early November 1943, troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front cut off the German 17th Army in the Crimea, depriving them of land communications with the rest of Army Group A. The Soviet fleet was faced with the task of intensifying efforts to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications. At the start of the operation, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet was the ports of the Caucasus.

Combat map

Plans and strengths of the parties

The protection of maritime transport between the ports of Romania and Sevastopol was a task of paramount importance for the German and Romanian fleets. By the end of 1943, the German group included:

• auxiliary cruiser
• 4 destroyers
• 3 destroyers
• 4 minelayers
• 3 gunboats
• 28 torpedo boats
• 14 submarines

more than 100 artillery and landing barges and other small ships.

In conditions of the general superiority of the Soviet fleet, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters counted on the rapid evacuation of enemy troops. The Black Sea Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral L.A. Vladimirsky (from March 28, 1944 - Vice Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky), was given instructions on November 4, 1943 to promptly detect the evacuation and use the entire bomber force against transport and floating assets. and torpedo bombing aircraft.
By mid-December, it became clear to the Soviet command that the enemy did not intend to evacuate troops from the Crimean Peninsula. Taking this into account, the tasks of the Black Sea Fleet have been clarified: systematically disrupt enemy communications, strengthen the supply of the Separate Primorsky Army.

• By this time, the combat strength of the Black Sea Fleet included:
• 1 battleship
• 4 cruisers
• 6 destroyers
• 29 submarines
• 3 gunboats
• 22 patrol ships and minesweepers
• 60 torpedo boats
• 98 patrol boats and small hunters
• 97 minesweeper boats
• 642 aircraft (including 109 torpedo bombers, bombers and 110 attack aircraft)

Fighting

From January to the end of April 1944, fleet aviation carried out about 70 successful attacks on ships. Several attacks on convoys were carried out by submarines and torpedo boats. The fleet's actions seriously disrupted enemy transportation to the Crimea. The Soviet fleet attacked the ports of Constanta and Sulina, and laid mines in roadsteads.

While the front line in Ukraine was moving west, the position of the Nazi troops in Crimea was getting worse and worse. The liberation of the Nikolaev-Odessa region, in which the Black Sea Fleet took an active part, made it possible to relocate part of the forces there. On March 31, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, by a special directive, approved the procedure for subordinating the fleets and assigning tasks to them. The Black Sea Fleet was withdrawn from the operational subordination of the fronts and was now subordinate directly to the People's Commissariat Navy. While developing a plan for the liberation of Crimea, the Headquarters refused to use amphibious assault. The enemy organized a powerful defense on the peninsula: installed 21 coastal artillery batteries, 50 new minefields, artillery and anti-aircraft systems and other means.

From April 8 to May 12, the Black Sea Fleet carried out an operation to disrupt enemy sea communications between the Crimean Peninsula and the ports of Romania. It was necessary for: first of all, to prevent the strengthening of the group of enemy troops in the Crimea, and secondly, to disrupt the evacuation of the defeated 17th German Army. The objectives of the operation were achieved through close interaction between submarines, torpedo boats and aircraft. To destroy ships leaving the ports of Crimea, torpedo boats were used in the coastal zone. Far from the bases off the coast of Romania, submarines fought against the convoys. At the end of April - early May, the use of torpedo boats and aircraft was hampered by difficult weather conditions, as a result of which the enemy continued to evacuate until recently. During this period, 102 different ships were sunk and more than 60 were damaged.

Aviation and torpedo boats operated successfully in the days before the assault on Sevastopol and during the battles for the city. Former chief of staff of the commander of the German naval forces on the Black Sea, G. Conradi: “On the night of May 11, panic began on the piers. Places on the ships were taken with a fight. The ships rolled away without finishing loading, since otherwise they could sink.” . The last to approach Cape Chersonesus was an enemy convoy consisting of large transports Totila, Teja and several landing barges. Having received up to 9 thousand people, the ships headed for Constanta at dawn. But aviation soon sank Totila, while Teja, with strong security, was moving at full speed to the southwest. Around noon, a torpedo hit the ship and it sank. From both transports, Conradi claims, about 400 people survived (about 8,000 died).

Simultaneously with active operations on enemy communications, the Black Sea Fleet was solving the problem of its own defense. Soviet ships were still threatened by submarines, to combat which a plan was developed and successfully implemented:

• Aircraft attacked the submarine base in Constanta
• In the middle part of the sea, planes searched for boats on their route to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus
• Certain sections of coastal communications were covered by minefields
• Ships and planes guarded transport during the sea crossing

As a result, communications between Soviet ports were not interrupted for a single day.

After the liberation of Crimea and the northern coast of the Black Sea from Perekop to Odessa, the fleet faced new tasks:

• disruption of communications and destruction Vehicle enemy
• creating a threat to the enemy's coast
• preventing the Danube from being used as a defensive means

Results

The rapid advance of the Soviet ground forces and the active actions of the Black Sea Fleet thwarted the intentions of the fascist German command to systematically carry out the evacuation of troops in the Crimea. The enemy was surprised by the rapid introduction of rocket launchers into the Navy. Their development, as well as the established interaction between boats with jet weapons and conventional torpedo boats, led to an increase in the efficiency of the fleet. Large losses during evacuation, especially at last stage, made a grave impression on the enemy. For the disaster that befell them, the army leadership brought charges against the naval command, and the latter cited the fact that the fleet was given impossible tasks.

Consequences

In the period from January to May, the USSR Navy carried out important combat missions at sea theaters to assist ground forces in the offensive, disrupt supplies and evacuate enemy troops blocked from land. The growth of the Soviet economy, which made it possible to constantly increase the strength of the fleets and improve weapons, was decisive for the accomplishment of the assigned tasks. The German command sought to retain the coastal bridgeheads at all costs, allocating for this purpose a significant number of naval forces and aviation. The active actions of the Soviet fleets played a role in thwarting these enemy attempts and, in general, defensive strategy enemy military command.

After the liberation of Crimea and such large bases as Nikolaev and Odessa, the situation on the Black Sea changed radically. Now the combat forces of the fleet were able to support the military actions of the Soviet troops to liberate Romania.

Gallery

Literature

• Grechko, A.A.; Arbatov, G.A.; Ustinov, D.F. and etc. History of the Second World War. 1939-1945 in 12 volumes. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1973 - 1982. - 6100 p.

The Crimean offensive operation of 1944 is considered one of the most important campaigns during the Great Patriotic War. It started on April 8th. Let us consider further how the liberation of Crimea from the fascist invaders took place.

The situation on the peninsula

On September 26 - November 5, 1943, the Melitopol landing operations took place, and on October 31 - November 11 of the same year, the Kerch-Eltegen landing operations took place. Soviet troops managed to break through the fortifications on the Perekop Isthmus. Bridgeheads were captured on and in the southern part of Sivash. However, there were not enough forces to completely liberate Crimea. The peninsula was occupied by a fairly large enemy group, relying on layered defense. On the Perekop Isthmus and opposite the bridgehead on Sivash, the enemy positions consisted of three, and on the Kerch Peninsula - four lines.

Positions of the parties

Having expelled the enemy from the peninsula, the USSR Black Sea Fleet could regain its key strategic base. This would improve the conditions for deploying ships and conducting battles. In addition, the Crimean Peninsula covered the strategic Balkan flank of the Germans, their main communications passing through the straits to the western part of the coast. In this regard, the German leadership, in turn, attached great importance holding territory. They believed that this would preserve the support of Turkey and the Balkan allies. The leadership of the 17th Army, based on the peninsula, was tasked with holding the area to the last. However, the enemy command developed a detailed plan "Adler" in case of retreat.

Balance of power

By the beginning of 1944, the German army was reinforced with two divisions. By the end of January, the 73rd, and by the beginning of March, the 111th infantry units arrived on the peninsula. In April, the enemy troops consisted of 12 divisions. Among them were 7 Romanian and 5 German. In addition, the forces included 2 assault brigades, different reinforcements. In general, the number of troops was more than 195 thousand people. The units had about 3,600 mortars and guns, 215 tanks. The army was supported from the air by 148 aircraft. The 4th Ukrainian Front was to play a key role in the battles on the Soviet side. The command of the troops was carried out by Gen. Tolbukhin. The troops included:

1. 51st and 2nd Guards Armies.
2. 78th and 16th fortified areas.
3. 19th Tank Corps.

Also, the 4th Ukrainian Front was supported by the 8th Air Army. The troops included a separate brigade under the command of Eremenko. Its actions were also supported by air support. Ships were involved in the battles. They were commanded by Oktyabrsky Philipp Sergeevich. His forces were supposed to support the offensive and disrupt enemy communications. In addition, the Azov military flotilla was present as part of the Soviet troops. It was commanded by Rear Admiral Gorshkov. His forces supported the advance of the Separate Maritime Army.

The total number of the Soviet group was about 470 thousand people. The troops had about 6 thousand mortars and guns, 559 self-propelled guns and tanks at their disposal. From the sea, the infantry was supported by 4 cruisers, 1 battleship and 2 patrol ships, 6 destroyers, 8 base minesweepers, 80 patrol and 47 torpedo boats, 29 submarines, 34 armored boats, 3 gunboats and other auxiliary vessels.

Active support for the Soviet Army was provided by the Crimean partisans, whose detachments were formed at the beginning of 1944. Their total number was about 4 thousand people. The detachments united into the Eastern, Northern and Southern formations. The USSR forces had a significant superiority over the enemy army. The actions of the Soviet troops were also coordinated by Voroshilov.

Problems with timing

The liberation of Crimea in 1944 was supposed to begin in February, on the 18th-19th. On February 6, the battle plan was presented. However, the start of the campaign was subsequently postponed several times. At the same time, battles took place on the coast of the Dnieper. The command headquarters sent Vasilevsky instructions to begin the offensive no earlier than the liberation of the territories up to Kherson.

Subsequently another order was given. In particular, Vasilevsky received instructions to begin the operation no later than March 1, regardless of how the liberation of the Dnieper coast would proceed. However, the head of the troops reported to Headquarters that, taking into account weather conditions, the battles would have to be postponed until mid-March. The High Command agreed with this deadline. However, already on March 16, Vasilevsky received new instructions, according to which the operation had to begin after the capture of the Nikolaev region and advance to Odessa. But after that, due to meteorological conditions, the battles had to be postponed until April 8.

The liberation of Crimea in 1944 was supposed to be carried out by a breakthrough 170 km deep. It was planned to capture enemy positions in 10-12 days. At the same time, the average daily rate of advance for the infantry was supposed to be 12-15 km, for the tank corps - 30-35 km. The command's plan was to simultaneously launch attacks from the north - from Sivash and Perekop, and from the east - from the Kerch Peninsula. Carrying out the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol, it was planned to split and eliminate the enemy group, preventing its retreat from the peninsula. The main blow was supposed to be delivered from a bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. If the action was successful, the main forces reached three Perekop enemy positions. Having captured Dzhankoy, Soviet troops were able to advance to Simferopol and the Kerch Peninsula behind German lines. An auxiliary attack was planned on the Perekop Isthmus. The Separate Primorsky Army was tasked with breaking through the defenses of the invaders north of Kerch. Its part was supposed to attack along the southern coast of the peninsula. The main forces were aimed at the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol.

Liberation of Crimea 1944: the beginning of the battles

Five days before the attack, heavy artillery strikes destroyed many long-term enemy structures. On the evening of April 7, combat reconnaissance was carried out. She confirmed the information the Soviet command had about the enemy group. On April 8, aviation and artillery preparations began. In total it took 2.5 hours. The liberation of Crimea in 1944 began with attacks by the 51st Army under the command of Lieutenant General Kreiser. The attack was carried out from a bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. Fierce fighting raged for two days. As a result, Soviet troops managed to break through the German defenses. The 51st Army invaded the flank of the Perekop group. At the same time, Zakharov’s 2nd Guards Division entered Armyansk. On the morning of April 11, the 19th was captured by Dzhankoy.

Under the command of Vasilyev, the unit successfully approached Simferopol. The Germans, escaping from encirclement, left the fortifications of the Perekop Isthmus and began to retreat from the Kerch Peninsula. On the night of 11.04, the attack was launched by the Separate Primorsky Army. By morning, the troops captured Kerch, a fortified defensive hub in the eastern part of the peninsula. The pursuit of the Germans, who were retreating to Sevastopol, began in all directions. The attack of the 2nd Guards developed along the western part of the coast. army towards Evpatoria. The 51st Army, taking advantage of the successful actions of the 19th Corps, began advancing through the steppe strip towards Simferopol. The forces of the Separate Army marched through Belogorsk (Karasubazar) and Feodosia to Sevastopol. On April 13, Soviet troops liberated Feodosia, Simferopol, Evpatoria, and on the 14-15th - Yalta, Bakhchisarai, Alushta.

Meanwhile, the Germans continued to retreat. Aviation of the 4th and 8th armies launched powerful attacks on German troops and communication centers. Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich, commanding Soviet ships, gave instructions to sink ships with evacuated invaders.

Partisans

Crimean underground fighters showed exceptional heroism and courage in battle. The partisan formations were faced with the task of destroying nodes, communication lines, and enemy rear lines, setting up ambushes and blockages at mountain crossings, destroying railroad tracks, disrupting the work of the port in Yalta, preventing the German-Romanian troops from advancing to it and evacuating. The underground also had to prevent the enemy from destroying transport and industrial enterprises and cities.

Assault on Sevastopol: preparation

On April 15-16, the Soviet Army began preparations for the attack. The main attack was expected to come from the Balaklava area. Units and formations of the center of the Separate and left flank of the 51st Army were to participate in its application. Soviet troops needed to break through the enemy’s defenses in the Sapun Mountain area and at a height northeast of Karan. Thus, the enemy group would be cut off from the bays located west of Sevastopol. The command believed that the defeat of the enemy on Sapun Mountain, despite all the difficulties that accompanied the assault, would make it possible to disrupt the stability of the enemy’s defensive positions. In the zone of the 2nd Guards. The army was planning to launch an auxiliary strike. To divert the attention of the invaders, it was supposed to be 2 days earlier than the main assault. The Soviet command set the troops the task of breaking through the defenses southeast of Belbek with units of the 55th Rifle and 13th Guards Corps. The army had to develop an offensive against eastern part Northern Bay and to push the enemy group to the water and destroy it.

Fighting

On April 19 and 23, two attempts were made to break through the main defensive positions of the Sevastopol region. However, the Soviet troops failed. The command decided to regroup forces, prepare the army, and wait for fuel and ammunition to arrive.

The assault began on May 5. Forces of the 2nd Guards. The armies went on the offensive, forcing the enemy to transfer groups from other directions. At 10:30 on May 7, the general assault began with powerful air support. The troops of the main Soviet group were able to break through the enemy defenses in a 9-kilometer area. During fierce battles, the troops captured Sapun Mountain. On May 9, Soviet soldiers broke into Sevastopol from the southeast, east and north, liberating the city. The remaining forces of the enemy's 17th Army, pursued by the 19th Corps, retreated to where they were completely destroyed. 21 thousand enemy officers and soldiers were captured. Soviet troops captured enemy equipment and weapons.

Completion of fights

In 1941-1942. It took the enemy 250 days to capture Sevastopol, whose inhabitants heroically defended its walls; Soviet troops needed only 35 days to liberate it. Already by May 15, headquarters began to receive information about parades held in formations and military units dedicated to the expulsion of the enemy from the peninsula.

Conclusion

The liberation of Crimea in 1944 made it possible to return Soviet country the most important economic and strategic region. These were the main goals of the fighting that were achieved. At the end of the battle, a reward project was created for participation in expelling the enemy from the territory of the peninsula. However, the medal for Crimea was never established at that time.

Exactly 70 years ago, March 16, 1944, headquarters Supreme Commander ordered the start of the operation to liberate Crimea. The Crimean operation itself was carried out from April 8 to May 12, 1944 by the forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla.

On May 5-7, 1944, troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander - Army General F.I. Tolbukhin) stormed German defensive fortifications in heavy battles; On May 9, they completely liberated Sevastopol, and on May 12, the remnants of enemy troops at Cape Chersonesos folded.

I dedicate this photo collection to this significant event, friends.

1. The facade of the Sevastopol Palace of Pioneers damaged by shells after the liberation of the city. May 1944

2. German minesweeper in the bay of Sevastopol. 1944

3. German attack aircraft Fw.190, destroyed by Soviet aviation at the Kherson airfield. 1944

4. Meeting of Soviet partisans and boat sailors in liberated Yalta. 1944

5. The commander of the 7th Romanian Mountain Corps, General Hugo Schwab (second from left), and the commander of the XXXXIX Wehrmacht Mountain Corps, General Rudolf Conrad (first from left), at the 37-mm RaK 35/36 cannon in Crimea. 02/27/1944

6. Meeting of Soviet partisans in liberated Yalta. 1944

7. The Soviet light cruiser "Red Crimea" enters Sevastopol Bay. 05.11.1944

8. The commander of the 7th Romanian Mountain Corps, General Hugo Schwab (second from left), and the commander of the XXXXIX Wehrmacht Mountain Corps, General Rudolf Conrad (center right) pass by a mortar crew during a review in the Crimea. 02/27/1944

9. The Black Sea squadron returns to liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser "Red Crimea", behind it the silhouette of the battleship "Sevastopol" is visible. 05.11.1944

10. Soviet soldiers with a flag on the roof of the destroyed Panorama building “Defense of Sevastopol” in liberated Sevastopol. 1944

11. Tanks Pz.Kpfw. 2nd Romanian Tank Regiment in Crimea. 03.11.1943

12. Romanian General Hugo Schwab and German general Rudolf Conrad in Crimea. 02/27/1944

13. Romanian artillerymen fire from an anti-tank gun during a battle in Crimea. 03/27/1944

14. The commander of the XXXXIX Mountain Corps of the Wehrmacht, General Rudolf Conrad, with Romanian officers at an observation post in Crimea. 02/27/1944

15. Pilots of the 3rd squadron of the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force study a map of the combat area at the airfield near Yak-9D aircraft. In the background is the plane of Guard Lieutenant V.I. Voronov (tail number “31”). Saki airfield, Crimea. April-May 1944

16. Chief of Staff of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Lieutenant General Sergei Semenovich Biryuzov, member State Committee Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, Chief of the General Staff Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky at the command post of the 4th Ukrainian Front. April 1944

17. Representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Tymoshenko with the command of the North Caucasus Front and the 18th Army is considering the plan for the operation to cross the Kerch Strait. From left to right: Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, Colonel General K.N. Leselidze, Army General I.E. Petrov. 1943

18. The Black Sea squadron returns to liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser "Red Crimea", behind it the silhouette of the battleship "Sevastopol" is visible. 05.11.1944

19. Soviet boat SKA-031 with a destroyed stern, abandoned at low tide in Krotkovo, awaiting repairs. A boat from the 1st Novorossiysk Red Banner Sea Hunter Division of the Black Sea Fleet. 1944

20. Armored boat of the Azov military flotilla in the Kerch Strait. Kerch-Eltingen landing operation. December 1943

21. Soviet troops transport military equipment and horses through Sivash. In the foreground is a 45 mm anti-tank gun. December 1943

22. Soviet soldiers transport a 122-mm M-30 model 1938 howitzer on a pontoon across the Sivash Bay (Rotten Sea). November 1943

23. T-34 tanks on the street of liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

24. Marine soldiers at the arch of Primorsky Boulevard in liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

25. The Black Sea squadron returns to liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser "Red Crimea", behind it the silhouette of the battleship "Sevastopol" is visible. 05.11.1944

26. Partisans who participated in the liberation of Crimea. The village of Simeiz on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. 1944

27. Sapper, Lieutenant Ya.S. Shinkarchuk crossed Sivash thirty-six times and transported 44 guns with shells to the bridgehead. 1943.

28. Architectural monument Grafskaya pier in liberated Sevastopol. 1944

29. Fireworks at the grave of fellow pilots who died near Sevastopol on April 24, 1944. 05/14/1944

30. Armored boats of the Black Sea Fleet are landing Soviet troops on the Crimean coast of the Kerch Strait on the bridgehead near Yenikale during the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. November 1943

31. The crew of the Pe-2 dive bomber “For the Great Stalin” of the 40th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet after completing a combat mission. Crimea, May 1944. From left to right: crew commander Nikolai Ivanovich Goryachkin, navigator - Yuri Vasilyevich Tsyplenkov, gunner-radio operator - Sergei (nickname Knopka).

32. Self-propelled gun SU-152 of the 1824th heavy self-propelled artillery regiment in Simferopol. 04/13/1944

33. Soviet soldiers cross Sivash in December 1943.

34. A Marine installs the Soviet naval flag in liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

35. T-34 tank on the street of liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

36. Transportation of Soviet equipment during the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. November 1943

37. Destroyed German equipment on the shore of Cossack Bay in Sevastopol. May 1944

38. German soldiers killed during the liberation of Crimea. 1944

39. Transport with German soldiers evacuated from Crimea docks in the port of Constanta, Romania. 1944

40. Partisans in Yalta. 1944

41. Armored boat. The Crimean coast of the Kerch Strait, most likely a bridgehead near Yenikale. Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. Late 1943

42. Yak-9D fighters over Sevastopol. May 1944

43. Yak-9D fighters over Sevastopol. May 1944

44. Yak-9D fighters, 3rd squadron of the 6th GvIAP of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force. May 1944

45. Liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

46. ​​Yak-9D fighters over Sevastopol.

47. Soviet soldiers pose on a German Messerschmitt Bf.109 fighter abandoned in the Crimea. 1944

48. Soviet soldier breaks Nazi swastika from the gates of the metallurgical plant named after. Voykova in liberated Kerch. April 1944

49. At the location of the Soviet troops - a unit on the march, washing, dugouts. Crimea. 1944

57. Liberated Sevastopol from a bird's eye view. 1944

58. In liberated Sevastopol: an announcement at the entrance to Primorsky Boulevard, left over from the German administration. 1944

59. Sevastopol after liberation from the Nazis. 1944

60. In liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

61. Soldiers of the 2nd Guards Taman Division in liberated Kerch. Soviet troops began crossing the Kerch Strait following the Germans fleeing the Taman Peninsula on October 31, 1943. On April 11, 1944, Kerch was finally liberated as a result of a landing operation. April 1944

62. Soldiers of the 2nd Guards Taman Division in the battles to expand the bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula, November 1943. With the defeat of German troops on Taman Peninsula The path to the Kerch Strait opened, which the guards took advantage of during the landing to seize a bridgehead in the Crimea still occupied by the Germans. November 1943

63. Marine landing in the Kerch area. On October 31, 1943, Soviet troops began crossing the Kerch Strait. As a result of the landing operation on April 11, 1944, Kerch was finally liberated. The severity and fierceness of the battles during the defense and liberation of Kerch is evidenced by the fact that for these battles 146 people were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 21 military unit and the formation were awarded the honorary title “Kerch”. November 1943

On this day, the offensive operation of Soviet troops was successfully completed with the goal of liberating Crimea from German troops during the Great Patriotic War.

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The operation was carried out from April 8 to May 12, 1944 by the forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla. On the Soviet side, 470,000 people, 5,982 guns and mortars, 559 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 1,250 aircraft were involved. From the German side - about 200,000 people, about 3,600 guns and mortars, 215 tanks and assault guns, 148 aircraft.
On April 8, at 8.00, artillery and aviation preparation began, with a total duration of 2.5 hours. Immediately after its completion, the front troops went on the offensive, delivering the main blow with the forces of the 51st Army from the Sivash bridgehead. On the same day, the 2nd Guards Army, operating in an auxiliary direction, liberated Armyansk.
During three days troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front led fierce battles and by the end of the day on April 10, they broke through the enemy’s defenses on the Perekop Isthmus and south of Sivash. It became possible to bring the front's mobile formations - the 19th Tank Corps - into the operational space. To conduct reconnaissance and organize interaction with the infantry, the commander of the 19th Tank Corps, Lieutenant General I. D. Vasiliev, arrived at the observation post of the 63rd Rifle Corps of the 51st Army. There, as a result of an air raid, Vasiliev was seriously wounded and his deputy, Colonel I. A. Potseluev, took command of the corps. Tank units entered a breakthrough in the 51st Army sector and rushed to Dzhankoy.


On April 11, the city was liberated. The rapid advance of the 19th Tank Corps put the Kerch enemy group in danger of encirclement and forced the enemy command to begin a hasty retreat to the west.
On the night of April 11, simultaneously with the 19th Tank Corps, the Separate Primorsky Army went on the offensive, which, with the support of aviation from the 4th Air Army and the Black Sea Fleet, captured Kerch by the morning.
Developing the offensive, Soviet troops liberated Feodosia, Simferopol, Yevpatoria and Saki on April 13, Sudak on April 14 and Alushta on April 15, and reached Sevastopol on April 16. The attempt to take the city on the move failed and soviet armies began to prepare for the assault on the city.
It made sense to combine everything ground armies under one command, therefore, on April 16, the Primorsky Army was included in the 4th Ukrainian Front and K.S. Melnik became its new commander (A.I. Eremenko was appointed commander of the 2nd Baltic Front). From April 16 to April 30, Soviet troops repeatedly attempted to storm the city, but each time they achieved only partial success. On May 3, General E. Jenecke, who did not believe in the possibility of successfully defending the city, was removed from office. The general assault on Sevastopol was scheduled by the Soviet command for May 5. Having started it according to plan, after four days After the heaviest battles, on May 9, front troops liberated the city.

On May 12, the remnants of enemy troops at Cape Chersonesus laid down their arms.
Historian Kurt Tippelskirch events last days describes the battle as follows:
"The remains of three German divisions and big number scattered groups of German and Romanian soldiers fled to the Chersonese Cape, the approaches to which they defended with the desperation of the doomed, never ceasing to hope that ships would be sent for them. However, their persistence proved useless. On May 10, they received the stunning news that the promised loading onto the ships was delayed by 24 hours. But the next day they searched in vain for rescue ships on the horizon. Trapped on a narrow piece of land, suppressed by continuous air raids and exhausted by attacks from vastly superior enemy forces, the German troops, having lost all hope of getting rid of this hell, could not stand it. Negotiations with the enemy about surrender put an end to the now meaningless wait for help. The Russians, who usually did not respect any limits of plausibility in their reports, this time, perhaps, were right in determining the losses of the 17th Army at 100 thousand people killed and captured and reporting a huge amount of captured military equipment.

Throughout the operation, Crimean partisans provided active assistance to the Soviet troops. Detachments under the command of P. R. Yampolsky, F. I. Fedorenko, M. A. Makedonsky, V. S. Kuznetsov disrupted enemy communications, staged raids on Nazi headquarters and columns, and participated in the liberation of cities.


During the retreat of the 17th Wehrmacht Army from Crimea to Sevastopol on April 11, 1944, one of the detachments of Crimean partisans captured the city of Old Crimea. Thus, the road to the units of the 98th Infantry Division from the 5th Army Corps of the 17th Army retreating from Kerch was cut off. In the evening of the same day, one of the regiments of this division, reinforced with tanks and assault guns, approached the city. During the night battle, the Germans managed to capture one of the city blocks (Severnaya, Polina Osipenko, Sulu-Darya streets), which was in their hands for 12 hours. During this time, German infantry destroyed its entire population - 584 people. Since the conditions of the battle did not allow, as was usually done, to herd the doomed to one place, the German infantrymen methodically combed house after house, shooting everyone who caught their eye, regardless of gender and age.
The Crimean operation ended in the complete defeat of the 17th German Army, whose irretrievable losses during the battle alone amounted to 120 thousand people (of which 61,580 were prisoners). To this number we must add significant losses of enemy troops during the sea evacuation (during which the Romanian Black Sea flotilla was virtually destroyed, losing 2/3 of its available naval personnel). In particular, the sinking of the German transports Totila and Teya by attack aircraft, which is included in the list of the largest maritime disasters of all time in terms of the number of casualties of all times (up to 8 thousand dead), dates back to this time. Thus, the total irretrievable losses of the German-Romanian troops are estimated at 140 thousand soldiers and officers.
During the Crimean operation, Soviet troops and naval forces lost 17,754 people killed and 67,065 people wounded.
As a result of the liberation of Crimea, the threat to the southern wing of the Soviet-German front was removed, and the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol, was returned. Having recaptured Crimea, the Soviet Union regained full control over the Black Sea, which sharply undermined Germany’s position in Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria.
For heroism and skillful actions, 160 formations and units were given the honorary names of Evpatoria, Kerch, Perekop, Sevastopol, Sivash, Simferopol, Feodosia and Yalta. 56 formations, units and ships were awarded orders. 238 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, thousands of participants in the battles for Crimea were awarded orders and medals.