Liberation of the Crimea, 1944. Crimean offensive operation

The Crimean Offensive Operation of 1944 is considered one of the most important campaigns during the Great Patriotic War. It began on 8 April. Let us further consider how the liberation of the Crimea from the fascist invaders was carried out.

The situation on the peninsula

September 26 - November 5, 1943 Melitopolskaya was held, and on October 31 - November 11 of the same year - the Kerch-Eltegensky landing operations. Soviet troops managed to break through the fortifications on the Perekop Isthmus. The bridgeheads on the Kerch Peninsula and in the southern part of Sivash were captured. However, for complete liberation of the Crimea there was not enough strength. The peninsula was occupied by a fairly large grouping of the enemy, based on the echeloned defense. On the Perekop Isthmus and opposite the bridgehead at Sivash the enemy's positions consisted of three, and on the Kerch Peninsula - of four bands.

Positions of the parties

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

The alignment of forces

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

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

Also, the 4th Ukrainian Front was supported by the 8th Air Army. As part of the troops there was a separate brigade under the command of Eremenko. Her actions were also supported by air support. In the battles were involved ships. They were commanded by Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich. His forces were supposed to support the offensive and disrupt the enemy communications. In addition, the Azov military flotilla was part of the Soviet troops. It was commanded by Rear Admiral Gorshkov. His forces supported the offensive of the Separate Maritime Army.

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

The active support of 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 units were united in the Eastern, Northern and Southern formations. The forces of the USSR had a significant superiority over the enemy's army. The actions of the Soviet troops were coordinated by Marshals Vasilevsky and Voroshilov.

Problems with deadlines

The liberation of the Crimea in 1944 was supposed to begin in February, 18-19 numbers. On February 6, the battle plan was presented. However, the campaign was postponed several times afterwards. At the same time, fighting took place on the Dnieper coast. The command rate sent Vasilevsky an order to begin the offensive not before the liberation of the territories to Kherson.

Subsequently, another order was given. In particular, Vasilevsky was instructed to begin the operation no later than March 1, regardless of how the liberation of the Dnieper's coast will pass. However, the commander reported to GHQ that, given the weather conditions, fighting would have to be postponed until mid-March. With this deadline, the High Command agreed. However, already 16.03 Vasilevsky received a new instruction, according to which the operation was necessary to begin after the seizure of the Nikolayev district and advance to Odessa. But after that, in view of meteorological conditions, fighting had to be postponed until April 8.

The plans of the Soviet command

The liberation of the Crimea in 1944 was supposed to be carried out by a breakthrough deep into 170 km. The enemy positions were to be seized in 10-12 days. At the same time, the average daily rate of infantry was 12-15 km, the tank corps 30-35 km. The plan of the command consisted in simultaneous strikes from the north - from Sivash and Perekop, and from the east - from the Kerch Peninsula. While 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 inflicted from the bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. With the success of the action, the main forces emerged into three enemy positions. Having captured Dzhankoy, the Soviet troops were able to advance to Simferopol and the Kerch Peninsula in the rear of the Germans. Auxiliary impact was assumed on the Perekop Isthmus. Before the Separate Maritime Army was tasked to break through the invaders' defense north of Kerch. Its part was to attack along the southern coast of the peninsula. The main forces were aimed at the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol.

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

Five days before the attack, many long-term enemy structures were destroyed by heavy artillery. On April 7, military intelligence was conducted in the evening. She confirmed the information available to the Soviet command about the grouping of the enemy. On the eighth of April aviation and artillery preparation began. In general, it took 2.5 hours. The liberation of the Crimea in 1944 began with the strikes of the forces of the 51st Army under the command of Lieutenant-General Kreiser. The attack was fought from the bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. Fierce fighting was going on for two days. As a result, Soviet troops managed to break through the defense of the Germans. The 51st Army invaded the flank of the Perekop group. At the same time Zakharov's 2nd guards division entered Armiansk. April 11 morning 19-tank corps was captured by Dzhankoy.

Under the command of Vasiliev, the unit successfully approached Simferopol. The Germans, escaping from the encirclement, left the fortifications of the Perekop Isthmus and began to retreat from the Kerch Peninsula. On the night of 11.04 the attack began Separate Primorsky Army. By morning the troops had seized Kerch, a fortified defensive knot in the eastern part of the peninsula. In all directions, the persecution of the Germans began, which retreated to Sevastopol. Along the western part of the coast an attack of the 2nd Guards developed. Army in the direction of Evpatoria. The 51st Army, taking advantage of the successful actions of the Nineteenth Corps, began to advance to Simferopol through the steppe belt. The forces of the Separate Army marched through Belogorsk (Karasubazar) and Feodosia to Sevastopol. On April 13, Soviet troops liberated Feodosia, Simferopol, Evpatoria, and on the 14-15th day - Yalta, Bakhchisaray, Alushta.

Meanwhile the Germans continued to retreat. Aviation of the 4th and 8th armies inflicted powerful blows on the German troops and communication hubs. October Filip Sergeevich, commanding Soviet ships, gave instructions to sink vessels with evacuees.

Partisans

The Crimean underground showed exceptional heroism and courage in battle. Before the partisan formations, the task was to destroy the units, lines of communication, the rear of the enemy, ambush and blockages on the mountain crossings, destroy the railway tracks, disrupt the port in Yalta, preventing the German-Romanian troops from advancing to it and evacuating. The underground fighters also had to prevent the enemy from destroying transport and industrial enterprises, cities.

Storming of Sevastopol: preparation

April 15-16, the Soviet Army began preparations for an attack. The main blow was expected from the Balaklava area. In its drawing, parts and connections of the center of the Separate and the Left flank of the 51st Armies were to participate. Soviet troops needed to break through the enemy's defense in the Sapun-mountain area and at a height north-east of Karani. Thus, the grouping of the enemy would have been cut off from the coves west of Sevastopol. The command believed that the defeat of the enemy on Sapun Mountain, in spite of all the difficulties that accompanied the assault, would have made it possible to disrupt the stability of the defensive positions of the enemy. In the 2nd gv band. The army planned to inflict a secondary strike. To distract the attention of the invaders, he was supposed to 2 days before the main assault. The Soviet command set before the troops the task of breaking through the defenses to the southeast of Belbek by units of the 55th Rifle and 13th Guards Corps. The army was to develop an offensive on the eastern part of the Northern bay and the Mekenziev mountains in order to push the grouping of the enemy 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 district. However, Soviet troops failed. The command decided to regroup the forces, prepare the army, wait for fuel and ammunition.

The assault began on May 5. Forces of the 2nd Guards. The armies went over to the offensive, forcing the enemy to transfer the groupings from other directions. At 10:30 on May 7, with a strong aviation support, a general assault began. The troops of the main Soviet group were able to break through the enemy defenses on a 9-kilometer stretch. In the course of fierce fighting, the troops seized 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 Cape Khersones, where they were completely destroyed. In captivity was 21 thousand officers and soldiers of the enemy. Soviet troops captured the enemy's weapons and equipment.

Completion of the battles

In 1941-1942 years. The enemy took 250 days to seize Sevastopol, whose inhabitants heroically defended its walls, it took the Soviet troops only 35 days to free it. By May 15, the headquarters began to receive information about the parades held in the formations and military units dedicated to the expulsion of the enemy from the peninsula.

Conclusion

The liberation of the Crimea in 1944 enabled the return of the most important economic and strategic region to the Soviet state. These were the main goals of the military operations 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.