The liberation of the Crimea and Sevastopol in April-May 1944 was one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War: The Soviet Union defeated the 200,000th German-Romanian group and regained control of the Black Sea. Sevastopol was the last to be liberated on the peninsula - on May 9th. But on May 10, 1944, Moscow saluted the soldiers, sailors and officers of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Primorsky Army also because this victory was symbolic: the liberators were regaining places that have always been and will be associated with the military glory of Russia. recalls how the Crimean offensive operation took place.

Kerch landing

The Red Army made attempts to enter the Crimea on the move until 1944. In the autumn of 1943 troops North Caucasian Front liberated the Taman Peninsula. The Supreme High Command set the task of capturing a bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula. At the beginning of November the ships Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla, units of the 18th and 56th armies landed on the eastern outskirts of Crimea - soldiers and officers were transported on torpedo boats, longboats and fishing schooners. Soviet troops drove the Germans from a small piece of land - from the edge of the coast to the outskirts of Kerch. The paratroopers held out on this bridgehead until the beginning of April, when the Crimean offensive operation began. By that time, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front had already occupied a bridgehead in the north of Crimea. Back in November 1943, they crossed the Sivash and made their way on the Perekop Isthmus to Armyansk.

“With the release of our troops to the lower reaches of the Dnieper, to the Perekop Isthmus, to the Sivash and with the simultaneous capture of a bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula, the enemy group (17th german army and a number of Romanian formations), defending in the Crimea, turned out to be blocked and cut off from the rest of the enemy ground forces, ”the marshal, who then held the post of chief, described the situation on the peninsula in his memoirs before the start of the Soviet offensive.

The defending Germans were about 200 thousand, with 3600 guns and mortars, 215 tanks and assault guns and 150 aircraft. The shock group of the Red Army consisted of 470 thousand people, a little less than 6 thousand guns and mortars, more than 500 tanks and self-propelled gun mounts, 1250 aircraft.

Behind enemy lines

According to the plans of the Soviet command, the offensive was to begin simultaneously from the north - by the forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front, and from the east, from the bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula - by units of the separate Primorsky Army (the former 56th Army). The purpose of the operation was to split the German-Romanian group and destroy it, preventing it from evacuating from the peninsula. Vasilevsky explained that the Soviet command decided to deliver the main blow from the positions behind Sivash, hoping to take the enemy by surprise. “Besides, the strike from Sivash, if successful, would bring our troops to the rear of all enemy fortifications on Perekop, and, therefore, allowed us to break out to the expanses of Crimea much faster,” the marshal detailed in his memoirs.

The 4th Ukrainian Front advancing from the north was supposed to liberate Dzhankoy, and then attack in the direction of Simferopol. A separate Primorsky army was tasked with advancing from the east to Simferopol and Sevastopol, and part of the forces along the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula.

Due to bad weather and storms on the Sea of Azov, the start of the operation was postponed. Finally, on April 8, after artillery preparation, the Red Army went on the offensive; a few days later, the Soviet units reached the flank of the grouping of German troops at Perekop and took Dzhankoy. To avoid being surrounded, units of the Wehrmacht began to roll back. The fears of the Soviet command that the Wehrmacht would use the mountainous terrain of the peninsula for stubborn defense were not confirmed: in general, the operation developed as planned.

At the same time, the Separate Primorsky Army was advancing through Karasubazar (Belogorsk - approx. "Tapes.ru") and Feodosia to Sevastopol. On April 13, Soviet troops liberated Evpatoria, Simferopol and Feodosia, by April 16 the Wehrmacht was driven out of Bakhchisaray, Alushta and Yalta.

“The Red Army was strong in armored vehicles, and its command chose the direction of attack on tank-accessible terrain - along the Yalta highway. The Germans abandoned this tactic in 1942, because they had more artillery and fewer tanks, and they feared the impact of the Black Sea Fleet - the shelling of Soviet ships. In general, the Black Sea Fleet acted on the principle of fleet on being, as the British say, - it was in action, fettered the forces of the enemy: having superiority at sea, the Soviet command could strike where it was convenient for it, ”says a military historian, candidate of historical sciences.

General assault on Sevastopol

Two attempts to take Sevastopol failed on the move - the Germans repulsed the attacks on April 19 and 23. On May 7, after the regrouping of forces, the Red Army launched a general assault on the Sevastopol fortified area, breaking through enemy positions on the same day, and broke into Sapun Mountain. As Isaev notes, contrary to legends about heavy losses during the assault on Sapun Mountain, several dozen Red Army soldiers and officers died - the Soviet units competently used their advantage in firepower and air supremacy. “The impression was that there was not a single square meter clean land: all of it seemed to consist of solid firing points ... From the air, an avalanche of fire also fell on Sapun Mountain. In this flow of metal, attack aircraft pilots managed to fix firing points and methodically suppressed them, ”recalled the pilot, Hero Soviet Union who then fought in the Crimea.

Communication by sea for the blockaded group of German-Romanian troops at the very beginning of the assault on Sevastopol became problematic due to the mistakes of its command. “When the Soviet troops took a key height - Sapun Mountain, the commander of the German 17th Army, Karl Almendinger, almost without a fight, surrendered the northern side, where there were good positions: the 365th battery, the 30th battery, where the Red Army was in 1942 stubbornly defended. The Soviet units went to the bay, German and Romanian ships entering the harbor were shot immediately from field guns, ”explains Isaev.

German units were driven out of the city on May 9th. The next day, fireworks were fired in Moscow in honor of the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, who had liberated Sevastopol. The remnants of the German 17th Army and the Romanian units withdrew to a piece of land near Cape Khersones. As in the battle of Stalingrad, in the last days of the liberation of the Crimea, the evacuation became another tragedy for the German army and its Romanian allies. “The Germans began to evacuate everything that was in the Crimea already in April 1944, until Hitler called Sevastopol a fortress and ordered to stay in it to the last. From the group that defended Sevastopol, only a small part was taken out. In addition, Soviet aviation arranged several "Titanics" at sea: they drowned several loaded transports, for example, four thousand German soldiers and officers on the Romanian motor ship "Totila". If you look at this episode from the point of view of German documents - for example, the report of the commander of the German naval forces on the Black Sea, Helmut Brinkmann, - then it was a disaster, ”says Isaev.

Photo: Alexander Sokolenko / RIA Novosti

One of the German soldiers who survived the evacuation from Sevastopol recalled: “In order not to drown, we threw overboard all the weapons, ammunition, then all the dead, and anyway, when we arrived in Constanta, in the holds we stood in the water up to the throat, and the lying wounded all drowned ... In the hospital, the doctor told me that most of the barges were half full of the dead.

In some ways, exactly the opposite, the situation was repeated when, on the 20th of June 1942, the German units, having occupied the northern side of the city, excluded the possibility of supplying the city normally, which predetermined the collapse of its defense, and the remnants of the Primorsky Army, deprived of the opportunity to evacuate, fought at Cape Khersones. Thus ended more than a six-month defense of the Crimea by Soviet troops. In 1944 they will liberate the peninsula in 35 days.

"Not a single name is pronounced in Russia with such reverence"

From the point of view of military art, the liberation of Crimea and the battles for Sevastopol are also interesting because the Wehrmacht tried to apply Hitler's new concept there: to make fortresses out of the defended cities. “The concept was outlined in order number 11 of March 8, 1944. The Fuhrer named the cities that the German army had to hold even in the event of encirclement. This was a reference to the experience of the 17th-19th centuries, the experience Napoleonic Wars. For the Germans - the theorists of maneuverability, lightning war, it was a rollback in the art of war. But, despite the catastrophic consequences of the application of this concept, it was used in the defense of the Crimea until 1945, even on the territory of Germany - and with the same result, ”says Isaev.

The historian emphasizes that the liberation of Crimea was one of the turning points in the war: “In August 1944, the Antonescu regime fell in Romania, Bucharest ceased to be an ally of Berlin. One of the impetus for this was the defeat of the Romanian army in the Crimea with a large number of prisoners. The liberation of Sevastopol also influenced Turkey's position towards the Germans: before that, Ankara, formally being a neutral party, secretly supplied chrome ore to the Reich. And for the Soviet Union, this meant not only the return of their land, but also the restoration of control over the Black Sea.

The total irretrievable losses of German and Romanian troops on the peninsula amounted to about 100 thousand people, the 17th Wehrmacht Army actually ceased to exist, the Soviet Union regained control over the Black Sea. The successful completion of the Crimean offensive operation also had a symbolic meaning. “When General Karl Almendinger took command of the 17th German Army in the Crimea, he appealed to soldiers and officers to defend Sevastopol, because no name is pronounced in Russia with such reverence as the name of this city, - this is an almost verbatim quote from his order,” says Isaev.

160 formations and units of the Red Army received honorary names associated with the Crimea: Evpatoria, Kerch, Perekop, Sevastopol, Sivash, Simferopol, Feodosia and Yalta. More than two hundred Red Army soldiers and officers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Sevastopol and Kerch Soviet time was awarded the title of Hero Cities. Feodosia became the city of military glory of Russia in 2015, after the peninsula returned to its native harbor.

Crimean operation 1944


	Crimea, USSR
	USSR victory
Opponents

Commanders
Fedor Tolbukhin	Erwin Gustav Jeneke
Andrey Eremenko	Carl Almendinger
Philip Oktyabrsky
Side forces
462400 people 5982 guns and mortars 559 tanks and self-propelled guns	195,000 people approx. 3600 guns and mortars 215 tanks and self-propelled guns

84 thousand people, of which 17.7 thousand are irretrievably	Soviet data: 140 thousand killed and captured. German data: more than 100 thousand killed and captured.

Crimean operation of 1944- offensive operation Soviet troops with the aim of liberating Crimea from German troops during the Great Patriotic War. It 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.

General situation before the start of the operation

As a result of the Nizhnedneprovsk offensive operation, Soviet troops blocked the 17th German army in the Crimea, while capturing an important bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash. In addition, the troops of the Separate Primorsky Army during the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation captured a bridgehead in the Kerch region. The top leadership of the Wehrmacht believed that in the conditions of a land blockade, the further retention of the Crimea militarily seemed inappropriate. However, Hitler ordered Crimea to be defended to the last possible, believing that leaving the peninsula would push Romania and Bulgaria to leave the Nazi bloc.

Forces and composition of the parties

USSR

4th Ukrainian Front under the command of General of the Army F.I. Tolbukhin consisting of:

51st Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Ya. G. Kreizer)
2nd Guards Army (commanded by Lieutenant General G. F. Zakharov)
19th Tank Corps (commanded by Lieutenant General tank troops I. D. Vasiliev, since April 11, Colonel I. A. Potseluev)
8th Air Army (Commander Colonel-General of Aviation T. T. Khryukin)

Separate Primorsky Army under the command of Army General A. I. Eremenko, and from April 15, Lieutenant General K. S. Melnik
Black Sea Fleet under the command of Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky
Azov military flotilla under the command of Rear Admiral S. G. Gorshkov

A total of 470,000 people, 5982 guns and mortars, 559 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1250 aircraft.

Germany

The 17th Army under the command of General E. Yeneke, and from May 1, General of the Infantry K. Almendinger, consisting of 5 German and 7 Romanian divisions. In total, about 200,000 people, about 3600 guns and mortars, 215 tanks and assault guns, 148 aircraft.

Operation progress

On April 8, at 8.00, artillery and aviation preparation began in the zone of the 4th Ukrainian Front, total duration 2.5 hours. Immediately upon its completion, the troops of the front 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, acting in an auxiliary direction, liberated Armyansk. For three days, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front fought fierce battles and by the end of the day on April 10 broke through the enemy defenses on the Perekop Isthmus and south of Sivash. It became possible to bring to the operational space the mobile formations of the front - the 19th tank corps. To conduct reconnaissance and organize interaction with the infantry, the commander of the 19th Tank Corps, Lieutenant General I. D. Vasilyev, 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 the gap in the sector of the 51st Army and rushed to Dzhankoy. On April 11, the city was liberated. The rapid advance of the 19th Panzer Corps put the enemy's Kerch grouping under the threat 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 Panzer Corps, the Separate Primorskaya Army went on the offensive, which, with the support of aviation from the 4th Air Army and the Black Sea Fleet, captured Kerch by morning.

Developing the offensive, the Soviet troops liberated Feodosia, Simferopol and Evpatoria on April 13, Sudak and Alushta on April 14, and reached Sevastopol on April 15. An attempt to take the city on the move failed and the Soviet armies began to prepare to storm the city. It was advisable to unite all the land 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. Yeneke, who did not believe in the possibility of successfully defending the city, was removed from his post. The general assault on Sevastopol was appointed by the Soviet command for May 5th. Starting it according to plan, after four days of hardest fighting, on May 9, the troops of the front liberated the city. On May 12, the remnants of the enemy troops at Cape Chersonese laid down their arms.

Kurt Tippelskirch events last days The battle is described as follows:

Remains of three German divisions and big number scattered groups of German and Romanian soldiers fled to the Cape of Chersonesos, the approaches to which they defended with the desperation of the doomed, not for a moment ceasing to hope that ships would be sent for them. However, their stamina proved futile. On May 10, they received the stunning news that the promised loading on ships was delayed by 24 hours. But the next day they looked in vain on the horizon for saving ships. Squeezed into a narrow patch of land, crushed by continuous air raids and exhausted by attacks by far 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 senseless expectation of help. The Russians, who in their reports usually did not observe any limits of plausibility, this time were perhaps right in placing the losses of the 17th Army in killed and captured at 100,000 people and reporting a huge amount of captured military equipment.

All the time during the operation, active assistance to the Soviet troops was provided by the Crimean partisans. Detachments under the command of P. R. Yampolsky, F. I. Fedorenko, M. A. Makedonsky, V. S. Kuznetsov violated enemy communications, raided the headquarters and columns of the Nazis, and participated in the liberation of cities.

During the retreat of the 17th army from the Crimea to Sevastopol on April 11, 1944, one of the detachments of the Crimean partisans captured the city of Stary Krym. Thus, the road was cut off by units of the 98th Infantry Division from the 5th Army Corps of the 17th Army retreating from Kerch. In the evening of the same day, one of the regiments of this division came out to the city, reinforced with tanks and assault guns. 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, the German infantry destroyed its entire population - 584 people. Since the conditions of the battle did not allow, as was usually done, to drive the doomed to one place, the German infantrymen methodically combed house after house, shooting everyone who caught their eye, regardless of gender and age.

Results

The Crimean operation ended with the complete defeat of the 17th German army, only the irretrievable losses of which during the battles amounted to 120 thousand people (of which 61,580 were prisoners). To this number must be added significant losses of enemy troops during the sea evacuation (during which the Romanian Black Sea flotilla was actually destroyed, having lost 2/3 of the available ship's composition). In particular, the flooding of the German transports "Totila" and "Teia", which is included in the list of the largest in terms of the number of victims of maritime disasters of all time (up to 8 thousand deaths), belongs to this time. Thus, the total irretrievable losses of the German-Romanian troops are estimated at 140 thousand soldiers and officers. 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 the Crimea, the Soviet Union regained full control over the Black Sea, which sharply shook Germany's position in Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

Crimean peninsula due to features geographical location was an exceptionally important strategic position in the Black Sea basin. Possessing the Crimea, the enemy kept the Soviet troops operating in the south of Ukraine under the constant threat of a strike from the rear, making it difficult for our Black Sea Fleet to operate. The decision of the Nazi command to defend the Crimea was also determined by political considerations. The loss of the Crimea would mean for Germany a sharp drop in prestige in the countries of South-Eastern Europe and in "neutral" Turkey, which served as important sources of oil and other scarce strategic materials. In addition, Crimea covered the Balkan strategic flank of the troops. Nazi Germany and its important maritime communications going through the Black Sea straits to the ports of the western coast of the Black Sea.

However, the defense of the Crimea from the very beginning was a difficult problem for the enemy. While Army Group A managed to hold a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, south of Nikopol, the fascist German command still hoped to organize counter strikes by the forces of the 17th Army, blockaded in the Crimea, and the Nikopol grouping and restore land communications between them. But over time, these hopes became more and more shaky, and after the defeat of the German troops near Nikopol and Krivoy Rog, they collapsed altogether. The exit of the Red Army to the region of Odessa and the Dniester estuary put the German fascist group in the Crimea in even more plight. Its supply became more complicated, the morale of soldiers and officers fell.

The enemy troops blocked in the Crimea continued to dig in, build new and improve old defensive positions. The nature of the terrain in the northern part of the Crimean peninsula and in the Kerch region contributed to the creation of a powerful, in-depth defense. The enemy paid special attention to strengthening the defense in the northern part of the Crimea. Three strong defense lines were equipped on the Perekop Isthmus to a depth of 35 kilometers. In front of the bridgehead of our troops on the southern bank of the Sivash, the enemy, using numerous inter-lake defiles and heights, created two or three defensive lines. Equipped with a dense network of trenches and communication passages, they had a large number of bunkers, pillboxes and were covered by engineering barriers. Four defensive lines were built on the Kerch Peninsula to a depth of 70 kilometers.

Blocked in the Crimea, the 17th army of the enemy in January - March 1944 was reinforced by two divisions and by the beginning of April consisted of five German and seven Romanian divisions, as well as a large number of special units and subunits (engineering, security, construction, etc.). The main forces of the army - five divisions - were located in the northern part of the Crimea, and four divisions and infantry regiment. Three Romanian divisions guarded the Crimean coast. The army had a total of more than 195 thousand people, about 3600 guns and mortars, over 200 tanks and assault guns. They were supported by 150 aircraft located in the Crimea, and part of the aviation based on the airfields of Romania.

As early as the end of 1943, Soviet troops made an attempt to seize the Crimean Isthmus and break into the Crimea. But she was not successful. Taking into account the difficulties associated with conducting an operation against an enemy who had entrenched himself in advantageous positions, the Soviet Supreme High Command decided to carefully prepare this offensive. It was originally planned to start the operation in March 1944, however bad weather in the Crimean region and severe storms on the Sea of Azov did not allow the deployment of active fighting. Then it was decided to go on the offensive after the Red Army entered the Odessa region. At the same time, it was taken into account that with the withdrawal of Soviet troops to Odessa, the position of the Crimean group would worsen even more, the stability and morale of the fascist troops would sharply decrease. In addition, the clearing of the enemy from the Black Sea coast between the Crimea and Odessa gave the Soviet fleet and aviation the opportunity for wider operations on enemy communications.

To carry out the operation to liberate the Crimea, the 4th Ukrainian Front was involved as part of the 2nd Guards Army under the command of Lieutenant General G.F. Zakharov, the 51st Army, Lieutenant General Ya.G. - Lieutenant of Aviation T. T. Khryukin, Lieutenant General I. D. Vasiliev of the 19th Tank Corps; Separate Primorsky Army, commanded by General of the Army A. I. Eremenko; 4th Air Army Colonel-General of Aviation K. A. Vershinin; The Black Sea Fleet under the command of Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky and the Azov military flotilla, commanded by Rear Admiral S. G. Gorshkov. The troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army at the beginning of the operation consisted of 30 rifle divisions, 2 fortified areas, 2 brigades marines and in total there were about 470 thousand soldiers and officers, they had 5982 guns and mortars (without jet and 50-mm mortars), 772 guns of military anti-aircraft artillery, 559 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations. They were supported by 1250 aircraft (including the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet). Thus, our troops outnumbered the enemy in men by 2.4 times, in guns and mortars by 1.7 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns by 2.6 times.

The balance of forces at sea was also in our favor. The main forces of the Black Sea Fleet were based on the ports of the Caucasian coast. The enemy fleet was based in the Crimean ports, as well as in Constanta, Sulina, Varna and Burgas.

The idea of the operation was to simultaneously strike from the north - from Perekop and Sivash - and from the east - from the Kerch region - in the general direction to Simferopol - Sevastopol, dismember the enemy troops, prevent their evacuation from the Crimea, that is, completely destroy the enemy grouping.

The 4th Ukrainian Front delivered the main blow from the bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash with the forces of the 51st Army and the 19th Tank Corps in the direction of Simferopol - Sevastopol, and the auxiliary blow - on the Perekop Isthmus with the forces of the 2nd Guards Army the main blow in the direction of Simferopol - Sevastopol, and part of the forces - along the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula.

The Black Sea Fleet was entrusted with the task of blocking the Crimea, striking at enemy communications, assisting ground forces on the coastal flanks and being ready for tactical landings. The forces of the fleet were distributed as follows: torpedo boats were to operate on the near approaches to Sevastopol, submarines were to destroy warships, transports and other vessels on communications in the northwestern and western parts of the Black Sea. The Azov military flotilla was tasked with assisting the Separate Primorsky Army in its offensive on the Kerch Peninsula and continuing to transport troops and cargo through Kerch Strait.

The partisans of the Crimea were ordered to attack the rear of the enemy, destroy the nodes and lines of communication, prevent the planned withdrawal of enemy troops, destroying certain sections of the railways, arranging blockages and ambushes on mountain roads, and also preventing the Nazis from destroying cities, industrial enterprises. In addition, the task of disrupting the work of the Yalta port was assigned to the Southern Partisan Connection.

In the days of the preparation of the operation, all types of reconnaissance carefully studied the defense of the enemy and the grouping of his troops. Along with ground surveillance and searches for reconnaissance groups, enemy positions were photographed from the air. Serious importance was attached to the combat training of units and subunits, to improving their skills at a fast pace to break through heavily fortified enemy defenses.

The command and political administration of the front paid special attention to promoting the glorious traditions of the Red Army associated with the struggle for the Crimea. These traditions began with the defeat of the Wrangel troops and the liberation of the Crimea by the Red Army in 1920. The heroic defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942, which developed these traditions, inspired Soviet soldiers to heroic deeds in battles against the fascist invaders throughout the war years. Commanders and political workers acquainted soldiers and officers with the experience of breaking through troops into the Crimea Southern Front under the command of M.V. Frunze. The Soviet soldiers listened with great attention to the stories of the participants in the legendary crossing of the Sivash and the assault on Perekop. The heroic past of the Red Army was associated with the combat missions facing the troops. Political organs and party organizations took into account the peculiarity of the upcoming battles - a breakthrough of the enemy's heavily fortified positions. In accordance with the battle formations adopted for the assault, the communists and Komsomol members were placed.

With the receipt of the combat order, the commanders and political workers, in the few hours that remained before the start of the offensive, introduced each soldier to his combat mission, gave instructions to the communists and Komsomol members. Where the situation allowed, three to five hours before the start of the offensive, party and Komsomol meetings and meetings of personnel were held.

Troops of the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies of the 4th Ukrainian Front went on the offensive on 8 April. After powerful artillery and aviation preparation, the infantry went on the attack, despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, wedged into his defenses. Already on the first day, the 2nd Guards Army captured Armenian, but its further advance was stopped by the stubbornly resisting enemy. On this day, the 51st Army, advancing from the bridgehead south of Sivash, broke through the enemy's main line of defense on its left flank. This forced the Nazi command to make a decision to withdraw its troops on the night of April 9 from the Isthmus of Perekop to the Ishun positions. The enemy, who had withdrawn from the Armyansk area, intended to gain a foothold in well-equipped Ishun positions. However, the offensive of the 51st Army created a threat of encirclement for the enemy defending here. Therefore, already on April 10, the Nazis began to retreat from the Yishun positions. On the morning of April 11, in the zone of the 51st Army, the 19th Tank Corps was introduced into the breakthrough, which began to pursue the enemy troops and on the same day liberated the important road junction, the city of Dzhankoy. To pursue the enemy in other sectors, mobile detachments from the combined arms formations were advanced.

The success achieved in the northern part of the Crimea created favorable conditions for the offensive of Soviet troops on the Kerch Peninsula. On the night of April 11, the Separate Primorsky Army went on the offensive, and already in the morning of the same day Kerch was liberated. The enemy, defending on the Kerch Peninsula, began to hastily retreat to the west.

On April 12, a relentless pursuit of the Nazi troops, retreating to Sevastopol, unfolded throughout the Crimea. On April 13, the enemy was driven out of Evpatoria and Simferopol, on April 14 - from Bakhchisaray and Sudak, and on April 15, the mobile units of the 4th Ukrainian Front reached the outer defensive bypass of Sevastopol. In the battles for Simferopol and Bakhchisaray, the troops of the J 9th Tank Corps under the command of Lieutenant General I. D. Vasiliev and the 63rd Rifle Corps under the command of Major General P. K. Koshevoy acted skillfully and selflessly. At the same time, the troops of the Separate Primorsky Army were rapidly advancing along the coastal highway, freeing the health resorts of the southern coast of Crimea. On April 16, they captured Yalta and approached Sevastopol from the east.

During the pursuit of the enemy, the aircraft of the 8th and 4th air armies operated effectively. Soviet bombers, fighters and attack aircraft delivered massive strikes against the retreating Nazi troops, enemy vehicles, road and railway junctions, and also conducted continuous reconnaissance, which contributed to the rapid advance of the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army.

With the beginning of the operation, aviation and ships of the Black Sea Fleet intensified their operations, striking at enemy ships and transports in ports and on communications that connected Crimea with the ports of the western part of the Black Sea. On April 11, bombers and attack aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet attacked enemy transports in Feodosia and Yalta. On April 13, 80 attack aircraft, escorted by 42 fighters, attacked the concentration of enemy troops and transports in Sudak, sinking 5 self-propelled barges with troops and damaging 2 barges. No less effective were the strikes of the Black Sea pilots on enemy ships and on the high seas. Suddenly attacked the enemy and torpedo boats, the activity of which increased with the relocation to Yalta and Evpatoria.

The Crimean partisans fought courageously and bravely. Fulfilling the tasks assigned to them, the partisan formations suddenly attacked the enemy, inflicted damage on him in manpower and equipment, and prevented the destruction by the Nazis of industrial and municipal structures, bridges and residential buildings.

On the roads leading from Simferopol to Alushta and Karasubazar, the Northern partisan unit operated. On April 13, the second brigade of this formation occupied the city of Karasubazar and held it until the Red Army units approached. During the liberation of Simferopol, the 17th and 19th partisan detachments, led by the commander of the 1st brigade, F.I. Fedorenko, interacted with the troops. They occupied the telephone exchange, garages, warehouses, mills and other facilities, preventing the enemy from blowing them up.

The fighting on the roads between Yalta and Sevastopol deployed the Southern Connection. The 12th detachment of this formation captured the Massandra region and prevented the destruction of the famous Massandra wine cellars. The eastern connection was active on the Simferopol - Feodosia and Feodosia - Sudak highways. On April 11, the Komsomol youth detachment of this formation ambushed and attacked a column of enemy artillery near the village of Izyumovka. Having seized the guns and captured the servants, the partisans opened fire on the city of Stary Krym and forced the Nazis to flee in panic. The underground workers of Sevastopol transmitted by radio to the command of the Black Sea Fleet information about the entry into the port and the exit from there of enemy ships, helping our aircraft and submarines to destroy them. in Evpatoria battle groups underground workers shot fascist torchbearers who tried to set fire to buildings, and also helped the troops of the 2nd Guards Army to liquidate the enemy garrison.

Having suffered a severe defeat and having lost almost the entire Crimea, the enemy decided to keep at least the Sevastopol bridgehead, where the remnants of the Crimean group retreated. To reinforce these troops, the enemy sent about 6,000 soldiers and officers by air and sea. For defense, a powerful system of fortifications on the outskirts of the city was used, which consisted of three lanes. The strongest node of resistance was Sapun Mountain, which had six tiers of continuous trenches covered with anti-personnel and anti-tank minefields and several rows of barbed wire. The Mekenzievy Gory, Sugar Loaf, Inkerman were also powerful nodes of resistance.

Having reached the approaches to Sevastopol, our troops began to prepare for the assault on the city. It was decided to strike the main blow with the forces of the left flank of the 51st Army and the Primorsky Army in the Sapun-Gora - Karan sector, break through the enemy defenses and go to the main berths of Sevastopol, which the enemy could use for evacuation. An auxiliary strike was delivered by the 2nd Guards Army from the east and northeast, and somewhat earlier, in order to divert enemy forces from the direction of the main attack. The Black Sea Fleet, by active operations of aviation and ships, was supposed to disrupt the evacuation of fascist troops.

Preparations for the assault on Sevastopol included a wide range of important and difficult questions. It was necessary to carefully reconnoiter the enemy's fortifications and fire weapons, to organize well aviation and artillery preparation, and to skillfully build the combat formations of infantry and tanks. During the preparation period, assault groups were created in all parts, which were trained in fighting in the mountains and in the city. As part of the assault groups, there were strong party and Komsomol organizations. To the best warriors communists and Komsomol members were entrusted with the honorable task of hoisting red flags at the key heights near Sevastopol, on administrative buildings in the city itself.

Six days before the start of the assault on Sevastopol, long-range bombers and the 8th Air Army carried out preliminary aviation preparations for the offensive. They dropped over two thousand tons of bombs on the enemy fortifications.

On May 5, after artillery and aviation preparation, the 2nd Guards Army went on the offensive. In two-day battles, the troops broke through two, and in some places three lines of trenches. Believing that the main blow was being dealt here, the enemy began to transfer infantry and artillery to this sector from the right flank of his defense.

The offensive of the Soviet troops in the direction of the main attack began on May 7 after an hour and a half of artillery and aviation preparation. From the very first minutes, heavy bloody battles ensued. However, the fierce resistance of the enemy could not contain the offensive impulse of the troops of the 51st and Primorsky armies. By the end of the day, the enemy was knocked out of Sapun Mountain.

The assault on Sapun Mountain is one of the brilliant pages in the annals of the Great Patriotic War. An exciting story will be passed on from generation to generation about how heroically, with unshakable courage and perseverance, the soldiers of the 63rd Rifle Corps, commanded by Major General P.K. Koshevoy, and the 11th Guards Rifle Corps, commanded by Major General S. E. Rozhdestvensky. The standard-bearers were out of order, but the red flags, passed from hand to hand under the enemy's hurricane fire, steadily moved forward, calling for a feat of fighters who stormed enemy fortifications. Captain N. V. Shilov, senior lieutenant P. M. Kalinichenko, lieutenants V. F. Zhukov and M. Ya. Dzigunsky, junior lieutenant V. F. Gromakov, foreman A. M. Fisenko, senior sergeant distinguished themselves in the battles for Sapungora F. N. Skoryatin, corporal V. I. Drobyazko, privates S. P. Evglevsky, I. K. Yatsunenko, Dadash Babadzhanov, Ashot Markaryan and many other brave soldiers and officers of the 51st and Primorsky armies.

On the same day, the Sugar Loaf height was occupied, covering the entrance to the Inkerman Valley. The troops of the 2nd Guards Army, having captured the Mekenzievy Gory station after a four-hour battle, were advancing towards the North Bay.

On May 8, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front reached the inner perimeter of Sevastopol. The next day, they broke the enemy's resistance here, crossed the North Bay and broke into the city. With coordinated strikes from the north, east and southeast, our troops defeated the enemy and on May 9 completely liberated the city of Russian, Soviet glory - Sevastopol - from fascist invaders. The scattered remnants of the enemy troops fled to Cape Khersones, where they were soon eliminated.

The Crimean offensive operation ended on May 12 with the victory of the Red Army. The 17th German army, consisting of 12 divisions, was crushed. 100 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were killed or captured. Soviet troops took over military equipment enemy. In addition, our aviation and ships of the Black Sea Fleet sank a large number of ships with troops and military cargo. If in 1941-1942. It took the Nazi troops 250 days to capture Sevastopol, which the Soviet soldiers selflessly defended, then in 1944 the Red Army hacked into the powerful fortifications of the enemy in the Crimea in just 35 days and utterly defeated the two hundred thousandth enemy group.

The heroic feat of the Soviet troops was highly appreciated by the Motherland. Moscow saluted five times valiant warriors army and navy, which liberated the Crimea from the Nazi invaders. Many formations and units were given the honorary names "Perekop", "Sivash", "Kerch", "Feodosiya", "Simferopol" and "Sevastopol". 126 Soviet soldiers received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, among them Major General E. Ya. Savitsky, Captain F. D. Dibrov, Senior Lieutenant L. I. Beda, Lieutenants M. Ya. I. Ozerin, privates I. I. Polikakhin, I. K. Yatsunenko. Squadron commander Hero of the Soviet Union V. D. Lavrinenkov was awarded the second Gold Star medal. Thousands have received government awards. Only in the 2nd Guards Army, 5229 soldiers and officers were awarded orders and medals, of which 3743 were communists and Komsomol members. All this testified to the mass heroism of the Soviet soldiers, who turned out to be worthy successors to the glorious traditions of the Red Army. Crimea - the most important strategic position on the Black Sea - was wrested from the hands of the enemy. The situation in the Black Sea basin has changed dramatically. The liberation of Sevastopol - the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet - and Odessa allowed our fleet to take more advantageous positions to participate in subsequent operations of Soviet troops in the Balkans. After the expulsion of the fascist invaders from the Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet stepped up operations on enemy communications, using aircraft, submarines and torpedo boats for this.

The military operations of the Armed Forces of the USSR to liberate the Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea were of great political, economic and strategic importance.

In interconnected operations carried out during January-May 1944, Soviet troops defeated the enemy's largest strategic grouping, pushed it back 250-400 kilometers to the west, and liberated Crimea. From January 1 to May 12, 22 divisions and 1 brigade of the enemy were destroyed, 8 divisions and 1 brigade were disbanded, 8 divisions lost up to 75 percent and 61 divisions lost up to 50 percent of their composition. According to K. Tippelskirch, this was the largest defeat "since the time when the German armies walked the thorny path from the Volga and the Caucasus, retreating to the Dnieper."

Such heavy losses could not pass without a trace for the enemy. They seriously weakened his forces not only on the Soviet-German front, but also in European countries. To restore the front in the southern sector, the fascist command was forced to pull up during January - April 34 divisions and 4 brigades from Romania, Hungary, France, Yugoslavia, Denmark and Germany, as well as 9 divisions from other sectors of the Soviet-German front, not counting the current replenishment of the troops operating here with people, military equipment and weapons.

As a result of the successful offensive of the Red Army, the metallurgy of the South, the ore of Krivoy Rog, Nikopol and Kerch, the fertile lands between the Dnieper and the Prut, Crimea, first-class ports on the Black Sea - Sevastopol, Odessa, Nikolaev were returned to the Motherland. Our troops liberated a significant territory of Soviet Moldavia and the western regions of Ukraine. Millions of Soviet people were rescued from fascist slavery. Carrying out the historic mission of liberating the Soviet land occupied by the enemy, the Red Army entered the southwestern border of the Soviet Union and transferred the fighting to the territory of Romania.

The defeat of the largest German fascist group, the cleansing of the Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea from the invaders radically changed the strategic situation in the south. By reaching the Carpathians, our troops split the enemy's strategic front, as a result of which the interaction of the army groups "Northern Ukraine" and "Southern Ukraine" was very difficult. Soviet troops got the opportunity to develop strikes in the Ljubljana direction - to the flank and rear of Army Group Center, to Lvov, and also through Romania to the Balkans. The liberation of the Crimea and Odessa provided favorable conditions for the basing and operations of our fleet on the Black Sea. The troops of the Red Army found themselves on the outskirts of Germany's vital sources of Romanian oil and Balkan raw materials.

The entry of the Soviet Armed Forces into Rumania sharply aggravated the political situation in the countries of Southeast Europe allied with Germany and caused panic and confusion among the ruling classes of these countries. The Nazi puppets who were in power understood how close and inevitable the collapse of Nazi Germany was. They began to look for ways out of the Nazi bloc. At the same time, the victorious offensive of the Red Army greatly contributed to the intensification of the national liberation struggle in these states.

An important role in achieving victories was played by political bodies, party and Komsomol organizations, all of whose activities were aimed at fulfilling combat missions. Communists and Komsomol members were the true inspirers of the soldiers, the cementing force of units and subunits. In the most difficult moments battle, in the most crucial areas of battles they were always ahead, inspiring the fighters to heroic deeds by personal example. Countless examples of courage and courage shown by our soldiers in the battles for the Motherland - vivid expression Soviet patriotism of soldiers, sailors, officers, generals and admirals of the Red Army and Navy, their boundless devotion to their people, their native Communist Party and the Soviet government.

The successes gained by the Armed Forces of the USSR testified to high level Soviet military art. They overturned the previously existing idea of the impossibility of conducting large-scale military operations in the conditions of spring thaw. During the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine, the Red Army carried out a complex of simultaneous and successive offensive operations, the largest of which were Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya, Proskurov-Chernovitskaya, Umansko-Botoshanskaya, Odessa. The operations of the Soviet troops were characterized by great scope, decisiveness and swiftness, a variety of forms of hostilities, and good support. During the offensive, such a method of action as the encirclement and destruction of enemy groups was used. A striking example of this is the Korsun-Shevchenko operation. In addition, strikes were also made on a wide front in order to crush the enemy and destroy him piece by piece. This is how the offensive of the troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts was organized in March 1944. The strikes of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts, delivered to a great depth, led to the dismemberment of the entire strategic front of the enemy.

For offensive operations in the Right-Bank Ukraine, the use of large forces of armored and mechanized troops is very characteristic. In the history of the Great Patriotic War, there is no other strategic operation in which six tank armies would simultaneously participate. Despite the mudslide and the relatively weak manning of the tank armies, their combat operations were distinguished by high maneuverability and a great depth of penetration of the enemy defenses. Tank armies, as well as separate tank and mechanized corps

were used massively to solve the main tasks of encircling the enemy, the rapid development of success in depth, capturing important lines and objects, and repelling attacks from large enemy tank groups.

During operations, the Soviet command skillfully carried out the interaction of the fronts, as well as ground forces with aviation and navy, coordinating their efforts in time and purpose. This fettered the enemy on a wide front, deprived him of freedom of maneuver, and ensured the rapid defeat of enemy groupings. So it was in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky and Nikopol-Krivoy Rog operations, so it was in the March offensive. A clear coordination of the efforts of the ground forces, aviation and the Black Sea Fleet made it possible to defeat the Nazi group in the Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet played an important role in solving the operational and strategic tasks facing the troops of the Red Army. Aviation, submarines and torpedo boats of the fleet, acting on enemy communications, disrupted the delivery of troops and military equipment to the Crimea, as well as the evacuation of the remnants of the defeated enemy grouping. The Azov military flotilla carried out the transfer of troops and military equipment of the Separate Primorsky Army. From January to May, she transported more than 77 thousand people, a lot of military equipment and various cargoes to the Kerch Peninsula.

The success of the offensive in the Right-Bank Ukraine and in the Crimea was largely determined by the activities of the rear, which proceeded in extremely difficult conditions. A difficult problem was the supply of troops. In order to solve this problem, the military councils and the rear services of the fronts and armies took, first of all, the most resolute measures to restore the railways as soon as possible. Personnel railway troops and special units of the NKPS of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, despite the mudslide, during January-May restored about 7 thousand kilometers of railway lines. In February-April, 400 thousand wagons with troops and cargo were delivered to the Ukrainian fronts. Spring thaw extremely complicated the work of vehicles. In some sections, the average daily mileage of cars was 70-80 kilometers, and in some cases only 10-15 kilometers. Sometimes it was necessary to take cars in tow, for which all means were used, including tanks. And yet, vehicles transported a significant amount of material resources. Only the 20th automobile brigade during the Uman-Botoshansk operation delivered over 100 thousand tons of cargo to the troops. Particularly great difficulties arose when transporting goods from army warehouses. Therefore, almost all armies created horse-drawn and horse-pack columns, special teams from the local population. Ammunition, fuel and food were delivered to the troops and aviation. From March 12 to March 17 alone, the aviation of the 2nd Air Army made about 1,200 sorties to deliver cargo to the 3rd Guards and 4th Tank Armies. From April 7 to April 15, 2 million 160 thousand rounds of ammunition, more than 27 thousand shells and mines were deployed for the 1st Tank Army. over 50 tons of fuel, 24 guns of 76-mm caliber and other cargoes. On return flights, the planes took out the wounded.

During the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea, partisans blew up railway tracks, bridges on highways, hampered the transfer of fascist troops, the supply of ammunition, food, fuel. They attacked retreating enemy troops, smashed their rears, captured river crossings, holding them until the Red Army units approached, conducted reconnaissance behind enemy lines. The data of this intelligence, transmitted across the front line, helped our command to make more appropriate decisions. Ukrainian partisans saved hundreds of thousands of Soviet people from being driven into fascist slavery, prevented the German invaders from completely taking out the stolen property and food.

The workers of the liberated cities and villages joyfully greeted the Soviet troops, provided them with active support: they restored roads, bridges, brought up and brought ammunition and food, and helped care for the wounded. Residents of the liberated regions voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Army in order to contribute with weapons in their hands to the common cause of defeating the enemy.

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.

This significant event I dedicate this photo collection, 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 Soviet partisans and boat sailors 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" is included in 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 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 Conrad 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 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. 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 installs 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 from 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 guardsmen 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

P.P. Sokolov-Skalya. Liberation of Sevastopol Soviet army. May 1944

On April 8, 70 years ago, the Crimean strategic offensive operation began. It went down in history as one of the most important offensive operations of the Great Patriotic War. Its goal was the liberation of the Crimean peninsula, an important strategic foothold in the Black Sea theater of operations, by defeating the 17th German Army, Colonel General E. Eneke, who held the Crimea.

As a result of the Melitopol (September 26 - November 5, 1943) and (October 31 - November 11, 1943) Soviet troops broke through the fortifications of the Turkish Wall on the Perekop Isthmus, captured bridgeheads on the southern coast of the Sivash and on the Kerch Peninsula, but immediately liberated Crimea failed - there was not enough strength. A large grouping of German troops continued to remain on the peninsula, relying on defensive positions in depth. On the Perekop Isthmus and against the bridgehead on the Sivash, the defense consisted of three, and on the Kerch Peninsula - of four lanes.

The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (VGK) considered the Crimea as a strategically important area, and its liberation as the most important opportunity for the return of the main base of the Black Sea Fleet - Sevastopol, which would significantly improve the conditions for basing ships and conducting military operations at sea. In addition, the Crimea covered the Balkan strategic flank of the German troops and their important sea lanes, going along the Black Sea straits to the western coast of the Black Sea. Therefore, the German leadership also attached great military and political significance keeping Crimea in their hands, which, in their opinion, was one of the factors for maintaining support for Turkey and its allies in the Balkans. In this regard, the command of the 17th Army was obliged to hold the peninsula to the last.

At the beginning of 1944, the German army was reinforced with two divisions: at the end of January 1944, on the peninsula by sea the 73rd, and in early March, the 111th Infantry Division was delivered. By April, the army had 12 divisions: 5 German and 7 Romanian, 2 assault gun brigades, various reinforcement units and numbered more than 195 thousand people, about 3600 guns and mortars, 215 tanks and assault guns. She was supported by 148 aircraft.

The Soviet leadership entrusted the task of defeating the Crimean enemy grouping and liberating Crimea to the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander General of the Army), which included the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies, the 19th Tank Corps, the 16th and 78th th fortified areas, aviation support was provided by the aviation of the 8th Air Army and the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet; A separate Primorsky Army (commander General of the Army), whose operations were provided by the aviation of the 4th Air Army; the Black Sea Fleet (commander admiral), whose forces supported the offensive on the coastal flanks and disrupted the enemy's sea communications; Azov military flotilla (commander Rear Admiral), which supported the offensive of the troops of the Separate Primorsky Army.

In total, the Soviet strike force consisted of about 470 thousand people, 5982 guns and mortars, 559 tanks and self-propelled guns (ACS), 1250 aircraft, including the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet. By April 1944, the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla included battleship, four cruisers, six destroyers, two patrol ship, eight base minesweepers, 47 torpedo and 80 patrol boats, 34 armored boats, 29 submarines, three gunboats and other auxiliary vessels. In addition, the troops were supported by the Crimean partisan detachments. Created in January 1944, the partisan forces of the Crimea, numbering almost 4 thousand people, were combined into three formations: Southern, Northern and Eastern. Thus, the forces of the USSR significantly exceeded the forces of the enemy.

The ratio of forces and means of the parties to the beginning of the Crimean strategic offensive operation

Forces and means	Troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army	Troops of the 17th German Army
Divisions (estimated)	2,6	1
Total People	2,4	1
Guns and mortars	1,7	1
Tanks and self-propelled guns	2,6	1
combat aircraft	4,2	1

The actions of the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the Separate Primorsky Army were coordinated by representatives of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Marshal.

Preparations for the Crimean offensive began in February 1944. On February 6, Chief of the General Staff A.M. Vasilevsky and the Military Council of the 4th Ukrainian Front submitted to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command their views on the conduct of the Crimean operation, which was supposed to begin on February 18-19.

However, in the future, the start date of the operation was repeatedly postponed. So, on February 18, Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky, in accordance with the instructions of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, ordered Army General F.I. Tolbukhin to begin the Crimean operation after the entire coast of the Dnieper up to Kherson, inclusive, is liberated from the enemy. Despite this, the Headquarters, in its further instructions, demanded that the operation begin no later than March 1, regardless of the course of the operation to liberate the Right-Bank Dnieper from the enemy. A.M. Vasilevsky reported to Headquarters that, given weather, The Crimean operation can only be started between March 15 and 20. The Headquarters agreed with the scheduled date, but on March 16 the front received new instructions that the Crimean operation "begin after the troops of the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front have captured the area of the city of Nikolaev and advance them to Odessa." However, due to bad meteorological conditions, the front was able to start the operation only on April 8, 1944.

The entire operation of the 4th Ukrainian Front was planned to a depth of up to 170 km for a duration of 10-12 days with an average daily advance rate of 12-15 km. The rate of advance of the 19th Panzer Corps was determined at 30-35 km per day.

The idea of the Crimean operation was to use the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front from the north - from Perekop and Sivash, and the Separate Primorskaya Army from the east - from the Kerch Peninsula, to deliver a simultaneous blow in the general direction to Simferopol and Sevastopol, to dismember and destroy the enemy grouping , preventing her evacuation from the Crimea. It was planned to strike the main blow from the bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash. If successful, the main grouping of the front went to the rear of the enemy's Perekop positions, and the capture of Dzhankoy opened up freedom of action towards Simferopol and the Kerch Peninsula to the rear of the enemy grouping located there. An auxiliary blow was delivered on the Perekop Isthmus. A separate Primorsky army was supposed to break through the enemy defenses north of Kerch, deliver the main blow to Simferopol, Sevastopol, and part of the forces along the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula.

On April 8, 1944, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front went on the offensive. Five days before, heavy artillery destroyed a significant part of the enemy's long-term structures. On the evening of April 7, reconnaissance in force was carried out, which confirmed the previous information about the grouping of Wehrmacht troops in the area of Perekop and Sivash. On the day the operation began at 8:00 in the zone of the 4th Ukrainian Front, artillery and aviation preparation began with a total duration of 2.5 hours. Immediately after its completion, the troops of the front went on the offensive, striking with the forces of the 51st army of the lieutenant general from the bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash. After two days of fierce fighting, thanks to the courage of the Soviet soldiers, the enemy's defenses were broken through. The 51st Army reached the flank of the German Perekop group, and the 2nd Guards Army of Lieutenant General liberated Armyansk. On the morning of April 11, Lieutenant General's 19th Tank Corps captured Dzhankoy on the move and successfully advanced on Simferopol. Fearing the threat of encirclement, the enemy left the fortifications on the Perekop Isthmus and began to withdraw from the Kerch Peninsula.

The troops of the Separate Primorsky Army, having launched an offensive on the night of April 11, in the morning captured the fortress city of Kerch, a fortified enemy resistance center on the eastern coast of Crimea. In all directions, the pursuit of enemy troops retreating to Sevastopol began. The 2nd Guards Army developed an offensive along the western coast towards Evpatoria. The 51st Army, using the success of the 19th Panzer Corps, rushed across the steppes to Simferopol. A separate Primorsky army advanced through Karasubazar (Belogorsk) and Feodosia to Sevastopol. As a result, Evpatoria, Simferopol and Feodosia were liberated on April 13, Bakhchisaray, Alushta, Yalta on April 14-15.

The German troops continued their retreat. Aviation of the 8th and 4th air armies delivered massive strikes against the retreating enemy troops and communication centers. The forces of the Black Sea Fleet sank its ships and transports with evacuated troops. From attacks on sea convoys and single ships, the enemy lost 8,100 soldiers and officers.

Crimean strategic offensive operation April 8 - May 12, 1944

The Crimean partisans and underground fighters fought courageously. Crimean partisan formations were given the task of destroying the rear, nodes and communication lines of the enemy, destroying railways, setting up blockages and ambushes on mountain roads, disrupting the work of the Yalta port and thereby preventing the withdrawal of German-Romanian troops to it and other places of loading for evacuation to Romania . The partisans were also entrusted with the task of preventing the enemy from destroying cities, industrial and transport enterprises.

On April 15-16, Soviet troops reached Sevastopol and began preparations for the assault on the city. In accordance with the decision of the commander of the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, approved by the representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky, it was planned to deliver the main blow from the Balaklava region with formations and units of the left flank of the 51st and the center of the Primorskaya Army, which became part of the 4th Ukrainian Front on April 18. They had to break through the enemy defenses in the area of Sapun Mountain and the heights northeast locality Karan with the task of cutting it off from the bays located west of Sevastopol. In the opinion of the front command, the defeat of the enemy on Sapun Gora, with all the difficulty of its assault, should have made it possible to quickly violate the stability of the German defense. The auxiliary strike was planned in the zone of the 2nd Guards Army and, in order to divert the attention of the enemy, was planned two days earlier than the main strike. The army was to break through the enemy defenses in the area southeast of Belbek with the forces of the 13th Guards and 55th Rifle Corps and develop an offensive on the Mekenzievy mountains and the eastern shore of the North Bay in order to press the German group to the sea and destroy it.

On April 19 and 23, the front troops made two attempts to break through the main defensive line of the Sevastopol fortified region, but they ended in failure. A new regrouping and training of troops was required, as well as the supply of ammunition and fuel to them. On May 5, the assault on the fortifications of the city began - the 2nd Guards Army went on the offensive, which forced the enemy to transfer troops to Sevastopol from other directions.

On May 7 at 10:30, with the massive support of the entire aviation 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.

Soviet tanks on Frunze Street (now Nakhimov Avenue) during the days of the city's liberation from German invaders. May 1944

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.

Fireworks in the liberated Sevastopol. May 1944. Photo by E. Khaldei

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.

Combat composition, the number of Soviet troops and casualties *

Name of associations and terms of their participation in operation	Combat squad and troop strength to the beginning of the operation		Loss of life in operation
	amount connections	number	irrevocable	sanitary	Total	average daily
4th Ukrainian Front (all period)	sd - 18, tk - 1, otbr - 2, UR - 2	278 400	13 332	50 498	63830	1 824
Separate seaside and 4th Air Army (all period)	sd - 12, sbr -2, selection - 1
Black Sea Fleet and Azov military flotilla (all period)
Total	Divisions-30, buildings-1, brigades-5, UR - 2	462 400	17 754 3,8%	67 065	84819	2 423

List of abbreviations: otbr - separate tank brigade, sbr - rifle brigade, sd - rifle division, shopping mall - tank corps, UR - fortified area.

The victory in the Crimea returned an important economic region to the country. In general, the territory was liberated, occupying an area of about 26 thousand square meters. km. During the years of occupation, the Nazi invaders inflicted enormous damage on Crimea: more than 300 industrial enterprises were put out of action, the livestock was almost completely exterminated, cities and resorts were badly destroyed - Sevastopol, Kerch, Feodosia and Evpatoria were especially affected. So, in Sevastopol, by the time of liberation, there were 3 thousand inhabitants out of 109 thousand people available in the city on the eve of the war. Only 6% of the housing stock survived in the city.

Considering the course and evaluating the results of the Crimean operation, it is clear that its successful completion was predetermined by the skillful choice by the Soviet command of the directions of the main attacks, the good organization of the interaction of strike groups of troops, aviation and navy forces, the decisive dismemberment and defeat of the main enemy forces (the Sivash direction), mastery of key defensive positions in a short time (storming of Sevastopol). The mobile groups (vanguard detachments) of the armies were skillfully used to develop the offensive. They quickly penetrated into the operational depth of the enemy's defense, preventing the withdrawing troops from gaining a foothold on intermediate lines and in defense areas, which ensured a high rate of advance.

For heroism and skillful actions, 160 formations and units were awarded 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 the Crimea were awarded orders and medals.

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.

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* Great Patriotic War without the stamp of secrecy. The book of losses. The latest reference edition /G.F. Krivosheev, V.M. Andronikov, P.D. Burikov, V.V. Gurkin. - M.: Veche, 2010. S. 143.

Anna Tsepkalova,
employee of the Research Institute
military history of the Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces Russian Federation,
Candidate of Historical Sciences