View source for Crimean campaign

{{Short description|Axis invasion of Crimea during World War II}}
{{about|the 1941 Axis invasion of Crimea|the 1944 Soviet retake of Axis-occupied Crimea|Crimean offensive|other uses|Crimean War (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Crimean campaign
| image             = 01941 Sowjetische Kriegsgefangene auf der Krim am 6. 11.jpg
| image_size        = 250px
| caption           = Soviet POWs in [[Axis powers|Axis]]-occupied [[Crimea]], 6 November 1941
| partof            = [[Operation Barbarossa]]
| place             = [[Crimea in the Soviet Union|Crimean ASSR]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], Soviet Union
| date              = {{Start and end date|df=yes|1941|10|18|1942|07|04}}<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=10|day1=18|year1=1941|month2=07|day2=04|year2=1942}})
| territory         = Beginning of the [[German occupation of Crimea during World War II|German occupation of Crimea]]{{bulletedlist
| Absorption into ''[[Reichskommissariat Ukraine]]''}}
| result            = Axis victory
| combatant1        = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}<br />'''Supported by:'''<br />{{flagcountry|Fascist Italy}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Soviet Union|1936}}
| commander1        = {{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} '''[[Erich von Manstein]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} [[Erick-Oskar Hansen]]<br/>{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} [[Maximilian Fretter-Pico]]<br/>{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} [[Hans Graf von Sponeck]]<br/>{{flagdeco|Kingdom of Romania}} {{ill|Florea Mitrănescu|ro|}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Kingdom of Romania}} [[Gheorghe Avramescu]]<br/>{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} [[Wolfram von Richthofen]]}}
| commander2        = {{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Gordey Levchenko]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Ivan Petrov (army general)|Ivan Petrov]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Filipp Oktyabrsky]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Pyotr Georgyevich Novikov|Pyotr Novikov]]'''{{POW}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Dmitry Timofeyevich Kozlov|Dmitry Kozlov]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} '''[[Lev Mekhlis]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} {{ill|Alexey Pervushin|ru|Первушин, Алексей Николаевич}}{{WIA}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} {{ill|Konstantin Kolganov|ru|Колганов, Константин Степанович}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} {{ill|Vladimir Lvov (officer)|lt=Vladimir Lvov|ru|Львов, Владимир Николаевич (генерал)}}{{KIA}}<br/>{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}} [[Sergey Gorshkov]]}}
| units1            = {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}}&nbsp;[[11th Army (Wehrmacht)|11th Army]]{{bulletedlist
| {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}}&nbsp;[[LIV Army Corps]]
| {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}}&nbsp;[[XXX Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXX Corps]]
| {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}}&nbsp;[[XXXXII Army Corps (Wehrmacht)|XXXXII Corps]]
| {{flagdeco|Kingdom of Romania}}&nbsp;[[7th Army Corps (Romania)|7th Corps]]
| {{flagdeco|Kingdom of Romania}}&nbsp;[[Vânători de munte|Mountain Corps]]
| {{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}}&nbsp;[[8th Air Corps (Germany)|VIII Air Corps]]}}
| units2            = {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[Crimean Front]]{{bulletedlist
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[44th Army (Soviet Union)|44th Army]]
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[47th Army]]
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[51st Army (Russia)|51st Army]]
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;{{ill|Crimean Front VVS|ru|ВВС Кавказского фронта}}}}{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|Sevastopol Defence Region]]}}{{bulletedlist
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|1936}}&nbsp;[[Separate Coastal Army|Coastal Army]]}}{{flagdeco|Soviet Union|naval-1935}}&nbsp;[[Black Sea Fleet]]{{bulletedlist
| {{flagdeco|Soviet Union|naval-1935}}&nbsp;[[Azov Flotilla]]}}
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| casualties1       = 30,000 killed, wounded, or missing
| casualties2       = 65,000 captured<br />212 vehicles destroyed<br />672 guns destroyed
}}
{{Campaignbox Axis-Soviet War}}
{{Campaignbox Barbarossa}}
{{Campaignbox Black Sea campaigns (1941–44)}}
{{Campaignbox Crimea and Caucasus}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F016223-0024, Russland, Krim, Panzer IV im Einsatz.jpg|German [[Panzer IV]] tank and soldiers in the Crimea, 1942.|thumb|right]]

The '''Crimean campaign''' was conducted by the [[Axis powers|Axis]] as part of [[Operation Barbarossa]] during [[World War II]]. The invading force was led by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] with support from [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] and [[Fascist Italy|Italy]], while the [[Soviet Union]] took up defensive positions throughout the [[Crimea|Crimean Peninsula]]. The Axis offensive routed the [[Red Army]] and enabled the three-year-long [[German occupation of Crimea during World War II|German occupation of Crimea]].

Beginning on 26&nbsp;September 1941, the German [[11th Army (Wehrmacht)|11th Army]] and the Romanian [[Third Army (Romania)|Third Army]] and [[Fourth Army (Romania)|Fourth Army]] were involved in the fighting.<ref name=Atlas>p.&nbsp;62, Keegan</ref> They were opposed by the Soviet [[51st Army (Soviet Union)|51st&nbsp;Army]] and elements of the [[Black Sea Fleet]]. After the campaign, Crimea was occupied by Germany's [[Army Group&nbsp;A]], with the [[17th Army (Wehrmacht)|17th&nbsp;Army]] as a major subordinate formation.<ref>p.&nbsp;71, p.&nbsp;79, Bishop</ref>

[[Sevastopol]] and [[Kerch]] were the only Crimean cities that were not occupied by Axis forces during this campaign; the former was honoured by the Soviet government as a [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]] for resisting against the German and Romanian armies, and the latter was briefly recaptured by the Soviets during an amphibious operation near the end of 1941 before being taken again by the Germans during [[Battle of the Kerch Peninsula|Operation Bustard Hunt]] on 8&nbsp;May.<ref name=Atlas/><ref>see Kerch in Osvobozhdeniye gorodov on www.soldat.ru</ref> The [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)|Siege of Sevastopol]] lasted 250&nbsp;days, from 30&nbsp;October 1941 to 4&nbsp;July 1942, when the Axis finally captured the city.

In the early hours of 6 November, the Romanian submarine [[NMS Delfinul|''Delfinul'']], commanded by [[Constantin Costăchescu]], torpedoed and sank the Soviet 1,975-ton cargo ship ''Uralets'' {{Convert|4|mi|km|order=flip}} to the south of [[Yalta]]. The submarine was subsequently attacked by Soviet forces, but she followed a route along the [[Black Sea Region|Turkish coast]] and managed to evade up to 80 depth charges before safely arriving at [[Constanța]] on 7 November.<ref>Antony Preston, ''Warship 2001-2002'', Conway Maritime Press, 2001. p. 76</ref><ref>Richard Compton-Hall, ''Submarines at War 1939-1945'', Periscope Publishing, 2004, p. 127</ref><ref>Florian Bichir, ''Corsarii uitați ai adâncurilor'', p. 101 (in Romanian)</ref>

Sevastopol, the main object of the campaign, was surrounded by German forces and assaulted on 30&nbsp;October 1941. However, the Germans were repulsed by a Soviet counterattack. Later, many troops who had been [[Siege of Odessa (1941)#Aftermath|evacuated]] from the city of [[Odesa|Odessa]] contributed to defending Sevastopol. The Germans then began an encirclement of the city. Other attacks on 11&nbsp;November and 30&nbsp;November, in the eastern and southern sections of the city, failed. German forces were then reinforced by several artillery regiments, one of which included the railway gun ''[[Schwerer Gustav]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Another attack on 17&nbsp;December was repulsed at the last moment with the help of reinforcements, and Soviet troops landed on the [[Kerch Peninsula]] one day after [[Christmas]] to relieve Sevastopol. They remained in the area until being subject to a German counterattack on 9&nbsp;April and being eliminated by 18&nbsp;May. With the distraction removed, German forces renewed their assault on Sevastopol, penetrating the inner defensive lines on 29&nbsp;June.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Soviet commanders had been flown out or evacuated by submarine towards the end of the siege and the city surrendered on 4&nbsp;July 1942, although some Soviet troops held out in caves outside of the city until 9 July.<ref name=Atlas/>{{additional citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In 1944, Crimea was recaptured by the [[4th&nbsp;Ukrainian Front]] during the [[Crimean offensive]] (8&nbsp;April 1944&nbsp;– 12&nbsp;May 1944), which consisted of three sub-operations:{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}
* [[Kerch–Eltigen Operation]] (31 October 1943 – 11 December 1943)
* Perekop–Sevastopol Offensive Operation (8 April 1944 – 12 May 1944)
* Kerch–Sevastopol Offensive Operation (11 April 1944 – 12 May 1944)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Bishop, Chris, The Military Atlas of World War II, Igloo Books, London, 2005 {{ISBN|1-904687-53-9}}
* http://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-3.html Dudarenko, M.L., Perechnev, Yu.G., Yeliseev, V.T., et.el., Reference guide "Liberation of cities": reference for liberation of cities during the period of the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945, Moscow, 1985 (Дударенко, М.Л., Перечнев, Ю.Г., Елисеев, В.Т. и др., сост. Справочник «Освобождение городов: Справочник по освобождению городов в период Великой Отечественной войны 1941–1945»)
* Keegan, John, The Times Atlas of the Second World War, Crescent Books, New York

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crimea (1941), The Battle Of}}
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