In 1944, on May 12, the Crimean operation ended in the course of which Crimea was completely liberated from the fascist invaders.
The plan for the Crimean operation by the Soviet military leadership began to be developed in March 1944. A month later, on April 8, the Red Army's liberation offensive on the peninsula followed.
The military operation involved the personnel and combat power of the 4th Ukrainian Front, the Separate Maritime Army, as well as with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla.
Before the start of the offensive, during the successful Nizhnedneprovsk and Kerch-Eltigen landing operations, important enemy bridgeheads located near Sivash and Kerch were captured. As a result, the German 17th Army, which was the main German military power in the Crimean peninsula, was completely blocked. The 17th Army was commanded by General of the Infantry K. Almendinger. It consisted of 5 German and 7 Romanian divisions. The size of the army was at least 200,000 people, and it was armed with more than 3,000 guns and mortars, more than 200 tanks, 150 aircraft.
The top German leadership of Germany understood perfectly well that in such conditions of the blockade their army was unlikely to be able to withstand, but Hitler ordered not to surrender the Crimea. Such an order from the leader of fascist Germany showed only one thing, that the Germans had grandiose plans for the Crimean peninsula. The Fuhrer himself hoped to make "German Gibraltar" out of the Crimea, as well as to create there the largest health resort for true Aryans. At the same time, the Crimean population was planned to overpower: Jews in Palistina; Crimean Tatars to Turkey. Plans for the Russian population were not known. But because of the enmity of the fascists to the Slavs, one can only guess.
In addition, Crimea was a valuable strategic object for the Germans. The island was a barrier to the Balkan strategic flank of Nazi Germany, and also covered the sea communications laid through the Black Sea to the western coast up the Danube.
In addition to all this, the military leadership of the Third Reich was confident that the surrender of the Crimea would undermine the authority of Germany in many countries of the Black Sea coast: Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
On April 8, at exactly 8.00 o'clock, the 4th Ukrainian Front carried out shelling and air raids on enemy targets, for a total duration of 2.5 hours. Immediately after their end, Soviet troops launched an offensive. On the same day, the Red Army liberated the city of Armyansk.
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It took the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front three days to break through the enemy defenses on the Isthmus of Perekop and south of the Sivash. The enemy fiercely resisted. But on April 10, the Germans were defeated and began to retreat. Further, the 19th Panzer Corps, under the command of Lieutenant General I. D. Vasiliev, who personally directed his corps during the battle, showed its skills in battle to the enemies. As a result of the battle, he was seriously wounded, and his deputy Colonel I. A. Potseluev took over command of the corps.
Thanks to the 19th Panzer Corps and its rapid advance, the enemy began 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, occupied Kerch by morning.
The Red Army continued to ruthlessly drive the enemy. On April 13, Feodosia, Simferopol and Yevpatoria were liberated from the German occupation. In honor of their liberation and their liberators - the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, the next day a salute thundered in Moscow. On the same day, Sudak and Alushta were released.
On April 15, Soviet soldiers stood on the outskirts of Sevastopol. But it was not possible to free him immediately, so it was decided to take the city by storm.
From April 16 to April 30, Soviet troops constantly attempted to storm the city, but each time to no avail. The next assault on Sevastopol, appointed by the Soviet command, was victorious on May 5. After four days of heavy fighting, on May 9, front troops liberated the city of Sevastopol. Three days later, on May 12, at Cape Chersonesos, Hitler's troops laid down their arms. On this, the Crimea was completely liberated from the Nazi invaders.
Partisan detachments made a great contribution to the liberation of Crimea. Under command. R. Yampolsky, F. I. Fedorenko, M. A. Makedonsky, V. S. Kuznetsov: the detachments organized subversive activities in the occupied territory of the peninsula, and later, together with the Red Army, participated in the liberation of the Crimean cities.
The operation ended with the complete defeat of the 17th Hitlerite army. Its losses amounted to about 120 thousand people, of which 61,580 German and Romanian soldiers were taken prisoner.
It is worth noting that during the hostilities carried out at sea, the Romanian flotilla, which was an ally of the troops of the Third Reich, was completely destroyed.
The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to 17,754 people killed and 67,065 people wounded
As a result of the successful Crimean operation, the legacy of the Russian Empire - Crimea was completely freed from the fascist invaders. The main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation - Sevastopol - was returned. The country regained control of the Black Sea, which continues to be exercised today.
Alexander Ivanchenko