Black Sea Campaigns (1941–44)

Black Sea Campaigns

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Soviet battleship Sevastopol (Parizhskaya Kommuna)

Date	22 June 1941 – August 1944
Location	Black Sea
Result	Soviet Victory

Belligerents

Romania

Germany

Italy

Bulgaria

Croatia

Hungary

Soviet Union

Commanders and leaders

Strength

Romania
1 monitor
2 cruisers
3 destroyers
23 torpedo boats
8 submarines
15 ASW craft
1 minelayer
1 submarine tender
3 landing craft

Bulgaria
11 torpedo boats
5 ASW craft
14 landing craft

Germany
16 torpedo boats
6 submarines
49 ASW craft
100+ landing craft

Italy
7+ torpedo boats
6 submarines

Croatia
12 ASW craft

Soviet Union
1 battleship
6 cruisers
18 destroyers
84 torpedo boats
44 submarines
2 gunboats
18 minelayers

The Black Sea Campaigns were the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces.

The Black Sea Fleet was as surprised by Operation Barbarossa as the rest of the Soviet Military. The Axis forces in the Black Sea consisted of the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies together with German and Italian units transported to the area via rail and Canal. Although the Soviets enjoyed an overwhelming superiority in surface ships over the Axis, this was effectively negated by German air superiority and most of the Soviet ships sunk were destroyed by bombing. For the majority of the war, the Black Sea Fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral Filipp Oktyabrskiy, its other commander being Lev Vladimirsky.

All of the major Soviet shipyards were located in the Ukraine (Nikolayev) and Crimea (Sevastopol) and were occupied in 1941. Many incomplete ships which were afloat were evacuated to harbors in Georgia which provided the main bases for the surviving fleet. These ports such as Poti, however had very limited repair facilities which significantly reduced the operational capability of the Soviet Fleet.

On 22 June 1941, the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Navy consisted of:

At the start of the War in September 1939, the Romanian Black Sea Fleet mainly consisted of: 2 flotilla leaders (Mărăști and Mărășești; the two warships were officially classed as destroyers, but they were actually light cruisers armed with 5 x 120 mm and 4 x 76 mm), 2 destroyers (Regele Ferdinand-class), 1 minelaying destroyer escort (Amiral Murgescu), 3 torpedo boats (250t-class), 3 motor torpedo boats (Vospers), 4 escort and patrol gunboats (ex-French Friponne-class), 1 minelayer (Aurora), 1 submarine tender (Constanța) and 1 submarine (Delfinul). In addition, four cargo ships of the Romanian Merchant Marine were converted to auxiliary minelayers and served alongside the Romanian Navy.

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Wikipedia