The Crimean offensive operation of 1944 is considered one of the most important campaigns during the Great Patriotic War. It started on April 8th. Let us further consider how the liberation of Crimea from the fascist invaders took place.
The situation on the peninsula
On September 26 - November 5, 1943 the Melitopol took place, and on October 31 - November 11 of the same year - the Kerch-Eltegen landing operation. 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 the complete liberation of Crimea, there was not enough strength. The peninsula was occupied by a fairly large enemy grouping, which relied on layered defense. On the Perekop Isthmus and opposite the bridgehead on Sivash, the enemy’s positions consisted of three, and on the Kerch Peninsula - of four lanes.
Positions of the parties
Having expelled the enemy from the peninsula, the USSR Black Sea Fleet could regain its key strategic base. This would improve the placement of ships and the conduct of battles. In addition, the peninsula of Crimea covered the strategic Balkan flank of the Germans, their main communications passing through the straits to the western part of the coast. In this regard, the German leadership, in turn, attached great importance to the retention of the territory. They believed that this would maintain the support of Turkey and the Balkan allies. The leadership of the 17th Army, based on the peninsula, was tasked with retaining the terrain until the last. However, the enemy command developed a detailed Adler plan in case of a retreat.
Alignment of forces
By the beginning of 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 - the 111th infantry units. In April, the enemy troops consisted of 12 divisions. Among them were 7 Romanian and 5 German. In addition, 2 assault brigades and different fortifications were present in the force. In general, the number of troops was more than 195 thousand people. The units had about 3600 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 4th Ukrainian Front. The command of the troops was carried out by the gene. Tolbukhin. The troops included:
- 51st and 2nd Guards Army.
- 78th and 16th fortified areas.
- 19th tank corps.
Also, the 4th Ukrainian Front was supported by the 8th Air Army. The troops included a separate brigade under the command of Eremenko. Her actions were also provided with air support. The battles involved ships. The command was carried out by Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich. His forces were supposed to support the offensive and disrupt enemy communications. In addition, the Azov military flotilla was part of the Soviet troops. She was commanded by Rear Admiral Gorshkov. His forces supported the advance of the Separate Maritime Army.
The total number of the Soviet group was about 470 thousand people. At the disposal of the troops were about 6 thousand mortars and guns, 559 self-propelled guns and tanks. From the sea, infantry operations were supported by 4 cruisers, 1 battleship and 2 patrol ships, 6 destroyers, 8 base minesweepers, 80 patrol boats and 47 torpedo boats, 29 submarines, 34 armored boats, 3 gunboats and other auxiliary vessels.
Active support for the Soviet Army was provided by Crimean partisans, whose units were formed in early 1944. Their total number was about 4 thousand people. Units united in the Eastern, Northern and Southern formations. The forces of the USSR had significant superiority over the army of the enemy. The actions of the Soviet troops were coordinated by Marshals Vasilevsky and Voroshilov.
Timing Issues
The liberation of Crimea in 1944 was supposed to begin in February, 18-19. On February 6, a battle plan was presented. However, subsequently the start of the campaign was postponed several times. At the same time, battles took place on the coast of the Dnieper. The command headquarters sent Vasilevsky an instruction to launch an offensive no earlier than the liberation of territories before Kherson.
Subsequently, another order was given. In particular, Vasilevsky was instructed to start the operation no later than March 1, regardless of how the liberation of the Dnieper coast would proceed. However, the head of the troops reported to Headquarters that, given the weather conditions, the battles would have to be postponed until mid-March. With this period, the High Command agreed. However, already on March 16, Vasilevsky received a new instruction, according to which the operation had to be started after the capture of the Nikolaev area and advance to Odessa. But after that, due to meteorological conditions, the battles had to be postponed until April 8.
Soviet Command Plans
The liberation of Crimea in 1944 was supposed to be carried out by a breakthrough in depth of 170 km. The capture of enemy positions was planned for 10-12 days. In this case, the average daily rate of advance of the infantry was to be 12-15 km, tank corps - 30-35 km. The intention of the command was to simultaneously strike from the north - from Sivash and Perekop, and from the east - from the Kerch Peninsula. Carrying out the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol, it was planned to split and liquidate the enemy grouping, preventing its retreat from the peninsula. The main blow was supposed to be inflicted from a bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. With the success of the action, the main forces went to the three Perekop positions of the enemy. Having captured Dzhankoy, Soviet troops were given the opportunity to advance to Simferopol and the Kerch Peninsula behind the rear of the Germans. An auxiliary strike was supposed to be on the Perekop Isthmus. The Separate Primorye Army was tasked with breaking through the defenses of the invaders north of Kerch. Part of it was supposed to attack along the southern coast of the peninsula. The main forces were directed at the liberation of Sevastopol and Simferopol.
Liberation of Crimea 1944: the beginning of the battles
Five days before the attack, many long-term enemy structures were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks. On the evening of April 7, military intelligence was carried out. She confirmed that the Soviet command had information about the enemy’s grouping. On April 8, aviation and artillery training began. In general, it took 2.5 hours. The liberation of Crimea in 1944 began with the attacks of the 51st Army under the command of Lieutenant General Kreiser. The attack was conducted from the bridgehead in the southern part of Sivash. Two days went fierce fighting. As a result, Soviet troops managed to break through the German defenses. The 51st Army invaded the flank of the Perekop group. At the same time, the 2nd Guards unit of Zakharov entered Armyansk. On April 11 in the morning, the 19th Panzer Corps was captured by Dzhanka.
Under the command of Vasiliev, the unit successfully approached Simferopol. The Germans, fleeing the encirclement, left the fortifications of the Perekop Isthmus and began to retreat from the Kerch Peninsula. On the night of 11.04, the Separate Maritime Army launched an attack. By morning, the troops captured Kerch - a fortified defensive site in the eastern part of the peninsula. In all directions, the persecution of Germans began, which retreated to Sevastopol. Along the western part of the coast, an attack of the 2nd Guards developed. army towards Evpatoria. The 51st Army, taking advantage of the successful actions of the 19th corps, began to advance to Simferopol through the steppe belt. The forces of the Separate Army marched through Belogorsk (Karasubazar) and Theodosius to Sevastopol. On April 13, Feodosia, Simferopol, Yevpatoria were liberated by Soviet troops, and Yalta, Bakhchisaray, Alushta on the 14-15th.
The Germans, meanwhile, continued to retreat. The aircraft of the 4th and 8th armies inflicted powerful strikes on the German troops and communication centers. Oktyabrsky Filipp Sergeyevich, commanding Soviet ships, gave instructions to sink ships with evacuated invaders.
Partisans
Crimean underground showed exceptional heroism and courage in the battles. The partisan formations were faced with the task of destroying enemy units, lines of communication, rear lines, setting ambushes and blockages at mountain crossings, destroying railroad tracks, disrupting the port in Yalta, preventing the German-Romanian forces from moving towards it and evacuating. Underground workers also had to prevent the destruction of enemy transport and industrial enterprises and cities.
Storming of Sevastopol: preparation
On April 15-16, the Soviet Army began preparations for the attack. The main blow was supposed to be from the Balaclava region. Parts and formations of the center of the Separate and Left Flank of the 51st Army were to participate in its drawing. Soviet troops needed to break through the enemy’s defenses on the Sapun Mountain section and at a height northeast of Karani. Thus, the enemy group would be cut off from the bays located west of Sevastopol. The command believed that the defeat of the enemy on Sapun Mountain, despite all the difficulties that accompanied the assault, would violate the stability of the enemy's defensive positions. In the band of the 2nd Guards. army planned to strike an auxiliary blow. To divert the attention of the invaders, he was supposed to be 2 days earlier than the main assault. The Soviet command set the task for the troops to break through the defenses 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 enemy’s grouping to the water and destroy it.
Fighting
On April 19 and 23, two attempts were made to break through the main defensive positions of the Sevastopol region. However, the Soviet troops failed. The command decided to regroup, prepare the army, and wait for the receipt of fuel and ammunition.
The assault began on May 5. The forces of the 2nd Guards. armies went on the offensive, forcing the enemy to transfer groups from other directions. At 10:30 on May 7, with a strong air 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. During fierce battles, the troops captured the Sapun Mountain. On May 9, Soviet soldiers broke into Sevastopol from the southeast, east and north, freeing the city. The remaining forces of the 17th enemy army, pursued by the 19th corps, retreated to Cape Chersonese, where they were completely destroyed. 21 thousand officers and soldiers of the enemy were captured. Soviet troops captured enemy equipment and weapons.
The end of the fighting
In 1941-1942 it took the enemy 250 days to seize Sevastopol, whose inhabitants heroically defended its walls, the Soviet troops needed only 35 days to liberate 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 Crimea in 1944 allowed the return of the most important economic and strategic region to the Soviet country. These were the main objectives of the hostilities that were achieved. At the end of the battle, a draft reward 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 then.