In 1903, the French writer L. Bussenard, the author of well-known adventure novels, argued: "The masters of the Crimea will always be the masters of the Black Sea." 40 years later, representatives of the military command of the USSR and Germany agreed with his opinion. The Crimean offensive operation of 1944 was designed to provide the Soviet fleet with unequivocal dominance in the local waters and finally turn the tide of the war in favor of the anti-Hitler coalition.

preliminary alignment

The situation that developed in the Crimea at the beginning of 1944 was somewhat reminiscent of the situation in which he found himself. The forces of the aggressive bloc were blocked from land as a result of the successful conduct of two landing operations by the USSR - Melitopol and Kerch-Etilgen at the end of 1943. But they had reliable fortification systems and were numerous, only about 200 thousand people:

• 17th Army,
• several mountain rifle and cavalry corps and divisions,
• 215 tanks,
• more than 3500 pieces of artillery.

True, almost half of the personnel were Romanian units, and the leader of Romania, Antonescu, protested against their use in Tauris and even demanded evacuation. The Odessa operation put an end to these requirements - it became simply impossible to withdraw the Romanians from the Crimea.

Disposition of forces before the start of the Crimean operation

Some of the German military also offered Hitler to leave the Crimea. But he opposed, stating that then Romania, Bulgaria and would inevitably fall away from Germany. In this he was absolutely right.

The troops of the Union were in a much better position than in 1920. By the beginning of the year, they already owned bridgeheads in the Kerch region and on the southern coast of the Rotten Sea, and also overcame. Maritime capacities were of great importance - the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov flotilla operated from the sea coast.

They all had a significant advantage over the enemy in terms of the number of soldiers who had the appropriate attitude - during the year the Red Army won significant victories. The Union sought to return the Crimea as an ideal base for the Black Sea Flotilla - then it would really be possible to control the Black Sea. Ideology also played a role - the Nazis should have "remembered" 255 days of the Second Sevastopol Defense.

Strategic plans

The leadership of the operation was entrusted to experienced commanders. The main force was to be the 4th Ukrainian Front (under the command of General F.I. Tolbukhin) and the Primorye Army (with General A.I. Eremenko). Troopers, guardsmen and a tank corps also participated. The general leadership and control from the headquarters was carried out by marshals K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Vasilevsky.

Initially, the start of the operation was planned for mid-February. But then it was postponed several times - both for tactical and natural reasons. First, it was decided to finally gain a foothold on the right bank of the Dnieper region (the Odessa operation can also be considered a particle of this idea). Then a storm and prolonged heavy rains prevented, interfering with the crossing of troops.

The alignment of forces of Nazi Germany

The last option for the start of the offensive was a new date - April 8th. By this time, Odessa was practically over: the “pearl by the sea” was taken by the Red Army on the 9th, therefore, the enemy units were completely blocked in the Crimea.

Wide grip

The beginning of the operation also resembled the actions of M.V. Frunze in 1920. After a powerful artillery preparation on April 8, the Fourth Ukrainian Front went on the offensive simultaneously from the Sivash bridgehead and at Perekop. On the 11th, the coastal army struck at and took the city on the same day.

For a week (from April 8 to April 16), our troops also liberated Armyansk and Evpatoria and Simferopol, and Dzhankoy, Belogorsk, and Sudak, went to Sevastopol. The last city on the list required three assaults. The attempts made on 19 and 23 April produced no tangible results, with only marginal success. The capture from where the Germans fired artillery was of great difficulty.

The last assault was scheduled for May 5th. By this time, the USSR could already afford to regroup troops, since a significant part of the combat missions in the Crimea had already been completed. The 2nd Guards Army went to the forefront of the attack - such detachments did not retreat. But all the same, it took 4 days for the final release of the “pride of Russian sailors”. The remnants of the Nazis retreated to the Chersonese region. They were promised evacuation, but the attack aircraft of the Land of Soviets thwarted all plans - instead of saving the Nazis, the Black Sea became a grave for 42 thousand of them.

The Crimean partisans made a huge contribution to the success of the offensive. They cut communication channels and communication routes, obtained intelligence information, and prevented the destruction of enterprises and infrastructure. The city of Stary Krym was liberated by one of the formations, the partisan scouts did not give it away, although the Nazis, when trying to counterattack, captured one city block and killed everyone they found there - almost 600 people. On May 12, 1944, the Crimean operation ended with the unconditional victory of the Soviet troops.

Further west!

The results of the operation were impressive. In general, the losses of the aggressor in the Crimea are estimated at 140,000 irretrievable losses (killed and captured). Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, the losses of the Red Army were noticeably less - about 40 thousand killed and less than 70 thousand wounded. The whole operation took 35 days. At one time, one resisted the enemy for more than 250 days.

Hitler was not mistaken - the authority of Germany among the allies after the defeat in the Crimea fell sharply. And the Red Army, on the contrary, once again proved its strength. Now a safe rear and a reliable base for the fleet opened up opportunities for her to further advance - to the Balkans, beyond the Danube, to the west. Symbolically - the day of the liberation of Sevastopol is celebrated on May 9! So convincingly the Crimean operation predicted the Great Victory over fascism and Nazism!

Commanders

Side forces

Crimean offensive operation- liberation of the Crimean peninsula from the Nazi troops in 1944. As a result of the success in the battle for the Dnieper, important bridgeheads were captured on the shores of the Sivash Bay and in the area of ​​the Kerch Strait, and a land blockade began. The highest German military command ordered to defend the Crimea to the last, but despite the desperate enemy resistance, the 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, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front cut off the 17th German Army in the Crimea, depriving land communications with the rest of the forces of Army Group A. The Soviet fleet was faced with the task of intensifying actions to disrupt the enemy's sea lanes. At the time of the start of the operation, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet was the ports of the Caucasus.

Combat map

Plans and forces of the parties

The protection of maritime traffic 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. For the transportation of troops and cargo, there were (by March 1944) 18 large transport ships, several tankers, 100 self-propelled landing barges and many small ships with a displacement of over 74 thousand gross tons.

In the conditions of the general superiority of the Soviet fleet, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief counted on the speedy evacuation of enemy troops. On November 4, 1943, the Black Sea Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral L. A. Vladimirsky (from March 28, 1944 - Vice Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky), was instructed to detect evacuation in a timely manner and use the entire bomber against transports and floating craft. and torpedo aircraft.

By mid-December, it became clear to the Soviet command that the enemy did not intend to evacuate troops from the Crimean Peninsula. With this in mind, the tasks of the Black Sea Fleet have been clarified: to systematically disrupt enemy communications, to strengthen the supply of the Separate Primorsky Army.
By this time, the combat structure of the Black Sea Fleet included:

• 1 battleship
• 4 cruisers
• 6 destroyers
• 29 submarines
• 22 patrol ships and minesweepers
• 3 gunboats
• 2 minelayers
• 60 torpedo boats
• 98 patrol boats and small hunters
• 97 boats - minesweepers
• 642 aircraft (including 109 torpedo bombers, bombers and 110 attack aircraft)

fighting

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

While the front line in Ukraine was moving west, the position of the Nazi troops in the 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 approved the procedure for subordinating the fleets and setting tasks for them by a special directive. The Black Sea Fleet was withdrawn from the operational subordination of the fronts and was now directly subordinate to the People's Commissariat of the Navy. Developing a plan for the liberation of the Crimea, the Headquarters refused to use amphibious assault. The enemy organized a powerful defense on the peninsula: he installed 21 batteries of coastal artillery, 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, preventing the strengthening of the grouping of enemy troops in the Crimea, and secondly, disrupting the evacuation of the defeated 17th German Army. The goals of the operation were achieved by close cooperation between submarines, torpedo boats and aviation. To destroy ships leaving the ports of Crimea, torpedo boats were used in the coastal zone. Away from the bases off the coast of Romania, submarines fought the convoys. In late April - early May, the use of torpedo boats and aviation 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 successfully operated in the days before the storming of 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. Konradi: “On the night of May 11, panic began on the berths. . The last enemy convoy approached Cape Khersones, 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 aircraft soon sank Totila, while Teja, with strong guards, was heading southwest at full speed. Around noon, a torpedo hit the ship and it sank. From both transports, Konradi 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 Konstanz
• In the middle part of the sea, aircraft searched for boats on their way to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus
• Separate sections of coastal communications covered minefields
• Ships and planes guarded transports at the sea crossing

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

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

• disruption of communications and destruction of enemy vehicles,
• creating a threat to the enemy's coast
• prevention of the use of the Danube as a defensive means

Results

The rapid offensive of the Soviet ground forces and the active actions of the Black Sea Fleet frustrated the intentions of the Nazi command to systematically carry out the evacuation of troops in the Crimea. A surprise for the enemy was the rapid introduction of rocket launchers into the Navy. Their development, as well as the well-established interaction between boats with rocket weapons and conventional torpedo boats, led to an increase in the efficiency of the fleet. Large losses during the evacuation, especially at the last stage, made a heavy impression on the enemy. For the catastrophe that befell them, the army leadership charged the naval command, and the latter referred to the fact that the fleet had been given impossible tasks.

Effects

During the period from January to May, the USSR Navy solved important combat missions at sea theaters to assist ground forces in the offensive, disrupt supplies and evacuate enemy troops blockaded from land. Of decisive importance for the fulfillment of the tasks assigned was the growth of the Soviet economy, which made it possible to constantly increase the strength of the fleets and improve their weapons. The German command sought to keep the coastal bridgeheads at all costs, allocating a significant amount of naval forces and aviation for this. The active actions of the Soviet fleets played their part in frustrating these attempts by the enemy and, in general, the defensive strategy of the enemy military command.

After the liberation of the 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 operations 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, 1973 - 1982. - 6100 p.

Exactly 70 years ago, on March 16, 1944, the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered the start of the Crimea liberation operation. 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, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander - General of the Army F.I. Tolbukhin) stormed the German defensive fortifications in heavy battles; On May 9, they completely liberated Sevastopol, and on May 12, the remnants of the enemy troops on Cape Chersonesus laid down.

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

1. Shelled facade of the Sevastopol Palace of Pioneers 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 aircraft at the Kherson airfield. 1944

4. Meeting of Soviet partisans and boatmen in the liberated Yalta. 1944

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

6. Meeting of Soviet partisans in the liberated Yalta. 1944

7. The Soviet light cruiser "Red Crimea" enters the Sevastopol Bay. 11/05/1944

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

9. The Black Sea squadron returns to the liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser Krasny Krym, behind it is the silhouette of the battleship Sevastopol. 11/05/1944

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

11. Tanks Pz.Kpfw. 2nd Romanian tank regiment in the Crimea. 03.11.1943

12. Romanian General Hugo Schwab and German General Rudolf Konrad in the Crimea. 02/27/1944

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

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

15. Pilots of the 3rd Squadron of the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force are studying a map of the combat area at the airfield near Yak-9D aircraft. In the background is the aircraft of the Guards 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 of the State Defense Committee 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. Timoshenko, with the command of the North Caucasian Front and the 18th Army, is considering an operation plan to cross the Kerch Strait. From left to right: Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, Colonel General K.N. Leselidze, General of the Army I.E. Petrov. 1943

18. The Black Sea squadron returns to the liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser Krasny Krym, behind it is the silhouette of the battleship Sevastopol. 11/05/1944

19. Soviet boat SKA-031 with a destroyed stern, thrown out at low tide in Krotkovo, waiting for repairs. A boat from the 1st Novorossiysk Red Banner division of sea hunters 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 the Sivash. In the foreground is a 45 mm anti-tank gun. December 1943

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

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

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

25. The Black Sea squadron returns to the liberated Sevastopol. In the foreground is the guards light cruiser Krasny Krym, behind it is the silhouette of the battleship Sevastopol. 11/05/1944

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

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

28. Architectural monument Grafskaya pier in the 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 carry out the landing of Soviet troops on the Crimean coast of the Kerch Strait to 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 - Sergey (nickname Button).

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

33. Soviet soldiers cross the Sivash in December 1943.

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

35. Tank T-34 in the street of the liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

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

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

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

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

40. Partisans in Yalta. 1944

41. Armored boats. 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 fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109 abandoned in the Crimea. 1944

48. A Soviet soldier tears off the Nazi swastika from the gates of the metallurgical plant. Voikov in the liberated Kerch. April 1944

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

59. Sevastopol after the liberation from the Nazis. 1944

60. In the liberated Sevastopol. May 1944

61. Fighters of the 2nd Guards Taman Division in the 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. Fighters of the 2nd Guards Taman Division in the battles for the expansion of the bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula, November 1943. With the defeat of the German troops on the Taman Peninsula, the path to the Kerch Strait opened up, which was used by the guards during the landing to seize the bridgehead in the Crimea still occupied by the Germans . November 1943

63. Landing of the marines in the area of ​​Kerch. 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 fighting 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 units and formations were awarded the honorary title "Kerch". November 1943

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 further consider how the liberation of Crimea from the fascist invaders took place.

The situation on the peninsula

On September 26 - November 5, 1943, the Melitopol, 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, for the complete liberation of the Crimea, there were not enough forces. The peninsula was occupied by a fairly large enemy grouping, based on a layered defense. On the Perekop Isthmus and opposite the bridgehead on the Sivash, the enemy's positions consisted of three, and on the Kerch Peninsula - of four bands.

Positions of the parties

By driving the enemy out of the peninsula, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet would be able to regain its key strategic base. This would improve the conditions for the placement of ships and the conduct of 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 to holding the territory. They believed that this would keep the support of Turkey and the Balkan allies. The leadership of the 17th Army, based on the peninsula, was given the task of 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, various reinforcements. In general, the number of troops was more than 195 thousand people. The units had about 3600 mortars and guns, 215 tanks. Air support for the army was provided 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 Panzer Corps.

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

The total number of the Soviet grouping 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, infantry operations were 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 in early 1944. Their total number was about 4 thousand people. The detachments were united in the Eastern, Northern and Southern formations. The forces of the USSR had a significant superiority over the army of the enemy. The actions of the Soviet troops were also coordinated by Voroshilov.

Timing issues

The liberation of the 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, fighting took place on the coast of the Dnieper. The headquarters of the command sent Vasilevsky an instruction to start the offensive no earlier than the liberation of the territories to Kherson.

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

The liberation of the Crimea in 1944 was supposed to be carried out by a breakthrough deep into 170 km. It was planned to capture enemy positions in 10-12 days. At the same time, the average daily rate of advance of the infantry was to be 12-15 km, of the tank corps - 30-35 km. The idea of ​​the command was to simultaneously strike 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 liquidate the enemy grouping, preventing its retreat from the peninsula. The main blow was supposed to be delivered from the bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. With the success of the actions, the main forces went to the three Perekop positions of the enemy. Having captured Dzhankoy, Soviet troops were able to move towards Simferopol and the Kerch Peninsula to the rear of the Germans. An auxiliary strike was supposed to be on the Perekop Isthmus. The Separate Primorsky Army was tasked with breaking through the defenses of the invaders north of Kerch. Its part was to attack along the southern coast of the peninsula. The main forces were directed to the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol.

Liberation of the Crimea in 1944: the beginning of the battles

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

Under the command of Vasiliev, the unit successfully approached Simferopol. The Germans, fleeing the encirclement, left the fortifications of the Perekop Isthmus and began to retreat from the Kerch Peninsula. On the night of April 11, the Separate Primorsky Army launched an attack. By morning, the troops captured Kerch - a fortified defensive center in the eastern part of the peninsula. In all directions, the persecution of the Germans began, who retreated to Sevastopol. Along the western part of the coast, the attack of the 2nd Guards developed. army towards Evpatoria. The 51st Army, taking advantage of the successful actions of the 19th Corps, began to advance towards Simferopol through the steppe. The forces of the Separate Army went through Belogorsk (Karasubazar) and Feodosia to Sevastopol. On April 13, Feodosia, Simferopol, Evpatoria were liberated by Soviet troops, and on the 14-15th - Yalta, Bakhchisaray, Alushta.

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

partisans

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

Assault on Sevastopol: preparation

On April 15-16, the Soviet Army began preparations for the attack. The main attack was supposed to come from the Balaklava area. Units and formations of the center of the Separate and the left flank of the 51st Army were to participate in its application. The Soviet troops needed to break through the enemy defenses in the Sapun Mountain sector and at a height northeast of Karani. Thus, the enemy grouping would be cut off from the bays located west of Sevastopol. The command believed that the defeat of the enemy on Sapun Gora, despite all the difficulties that accompanied the assault, would have made it possible to disrupt the stability of the enemy's defensive positions. In the band of the 2nd Guards. the army planned 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 was supposed to develop an offensive on the eastern part of the North Bay and to push the enemy grouping 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, wait for the arrival of fuel and ammunition.

The assault began on May 5th. Forces of the 2nd Guards. armies went on the offensive, forcing the enemy to transfer groupings from other directions. At 10:30 on May 7, with powerful air support, a general assault began. The troops of the main Soviet grouping were able to break through the enemy defenses in a 9-kilometer section. 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 17th army of the enemy, pursued by the 19th corps, retreated to where they were completely destroyed. 21 thousand officers and soldiers of the enemy were captured. Soviet troops seized equipment and weapons of the enemy.

End of fights

In 1941-1942. it took the enemy 250 days to capture Sevastopol, whose inhabitants heroically defended its walls, it took the Soviet troops only 35 days to liberate it. By May 15, the 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 the Crimea in 1944 made it possible to return the most important economic and strategic region to the Soviet country. These were the main goals of the hostilities that were achieved. At the end of the battle, a draft award was created for participating in the expulsion of the enemy from the territory of the peninsula. However, the medal for the Crimea was never established at that time.

The Crimean operation is an offensive operation of the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander General of the Army F. I. Tolbukhin) and the Separate Primorsky Army (General of the Army 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 the 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 on 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 coast of the Sivash and on the Kerch Peninsula, but at that time they liberated Crimea. failed due to lack of resources. The 17th German Army was blockaded and, relying on defensive positions in depth, continued to hold the Crimea. In April 1944, it included 5 German and 7 Romanian divisions (about 200 thousand people, about 3600 guns and mortars, over 200 tanks and assault guns, 150 aircraft).

Soviet troops numbered 30 rifle divisions, 2 marine brigades, 2 fortified areas (about 400 thousand people in total, about 6000 guns and mortars, 559 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1250 aircraft).

On April 8, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, supported by the aviation of 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 enemy's Perekop grouping, 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 in the zone of the 51st Army, captured Dzhankoy, which forced the Kerch enemy grouping to begin a hasty retreat to the west. Developing the offensive, the Soviet troops reached Sevastopol on April 15-16 ...

Great Soviet Encyclopedia

THIS WAS OUR TASK FOR MAY 9

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

If you look at the maps of the hostilities 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 played here by the natural factor: the location of the mountains, the presence of the sea, the nature of the terrain. And now the enemy clung to points that were advantageous in terms of protecting the city. The new commander, Almendinger, burst out with a special appeal to the search: “The Führer instructed me to command the 17th Army ... I received an order to protect every inch of the Sevastopol bridgehead. I demand that everyone be on the defensive in the full sense of the word; so that no one retreats and holds every trench, every funnel and every trench. In the event of a breakthrough of enemy tanks, the infantry must remain in their positions and destroy tanks both at the forefront and in the depths of the defense with powerful anti-tank weapons ... The honor of the army depends on the defense of 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 region, the enemy suffered a major defeat, was forced to leave the main defensive line and withdraw troops to the inner bypass. To liquidate the defense on it and finally liberate Sevastopol - that was our task for May 9th. 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. From the commander of the 2nd Guards Zakharov, we demanded to eliminate the enemy on the northern side of the city in a day and go to the coast of the Northern Bay along its entire length; with the left-flank corps, strike at the Ship Side and take it. The commander of the Primorsky Army, Melnik, was ordered to capture the Nameless Hill southwest of state farm No. 10 by night infantry operations and ensure the entry into battle of the 19th tank corps.

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

On the morning of May 10, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief followed: “To Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky. Army General Tolbukhin. The troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, with the support of massive air and artillery strikes, as a result of three days of offensive battles, broke through the heavily fortified long-term defense of the Germans, consisting of three lines 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 the Crimea was liquidated and the Crimea was completely cleared of the Nazi invaders. Further, all the troops that distinguished themselves in the battles for Sevastopol were listed, which were presented for the assignment of the name of Sevastopol and for awarding orders.

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

35 DAYS

On May 7 at 10:30, with the massive support of the entire aviation of the front, Soviet troops began a general assault on the Sevastopol fortified area. The troops of the main shock group of the front broke through the enemy defenses on a 9-kilometer sector and captured Sapun Mountain in the course of 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 Panzer Corps, retreated to Cape Khersones, where they were finally defeated. On the cape, 21 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were taken prisoner, a large amount of equipment and weapons were captured.

On May 12, the Crimean offensive operation ended. If in 1941-1942. It took the German troops 250 days to capture the heroically defended Sevastopol, but in 1944 it took only 35 days for the Soviet troops to crack the powerful fortifications in the Crimea and clear almost the entire peninsula of the enemy.

The goals of the operation were achieved. Soviet troops broke through the defense in depth on the Isthmus of Perekop, the Kerch Peninsula, in the region of Sevastopol and defeated the 17th field army of the Wehrmacht. Its losses on land alone amounted to 100 thousand people, including over 61,580 prisoners. Soviet troops and fleet forces during the Crimean operation lost 17,754 people killed and 67,065 people wounded.

As a result of the Crimean operation, the last major enemy bridgehead that threatened the rear of the fronts operating in the 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 attack on the Balkans.