Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942)

Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
The Eastern Front at the time of the siege of Sevastopol. (click to enlarge)
Date 30 October 1941 – 4 July 1942 Location Sevastopol, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union 44°36′17″N 33°32′28″E / 44.60472°N 33.54111°E / 44.60472; 33.54111Coordinates: 44°36′17″N 33°32′28″E / 44.60472°N 33.54111°E / 44.60472; 33.54111 Result Axis victory
Belligerents
Germany Romania  Italy  NDH	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Erich von Manstein Gheorghe Avramescu Francesco Mimbelli	Ivan Yefimovich Petrov Filipp Oktyabrskiy Gordey Levchenko
Strength
On 6 June 1942: 203,800 men	118,000 men
Casualties and losses
German casualties (for 1 November till 10 July): 17,123 killed or missing, 45,675 wounded Romanian casualties: 8,454 1,597 killed 6,571 wounded 277 missing Total Axis casualties: 71,252 Other estimates: 35,866	95,000 captured (two-thirds wounded) 5,000 wounded at least 18,000 killed

The Siege of Sevastopol also known as the Defence of Sevastopol (Russian: Оборона Севастополя, transliteration: Oborona Sevastopolya) or simply the Battle of Sevastopol (German: Schlacht um Sewastopol) was a military battle and a siege that took place on the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The campaign was fought by the Axis powers of Germany, Romania, and Italy against the Soviet Union for control of Sevastopol, a port in the Crimea on the Black Sea. On 22 June 1941 the Axis invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. Axis land forces reached the Crimea in the autumn of 1941 and overran most of the area. The only objective not in Axis hands was Sevastopol. Several attempts were made to secure the city in October and November 1941. A major attack was planned for late November, but heavy rains delayed the Axis attack until 17 December 1941. Under the command of Erich von Manstein, Axis forces were unable to capture Sevastopol during this first operation. Soviet forces launched an amphibious landing on the Crimean peninsula at Kerch in December 1941 to relieve the siege and force the Axis to divert forces to defend their gains. The operation saved Sevastopol for the time being, but the bridgehead in the eastern Crimea was eliminated in May 1942.

After the failure of their first assault on Sevastopol, the Axis opted to conduct siege warfare until the middle of 1942, at which point they attacked the encircled Soviet forces by land, sea, and air. On 2 June 1942, the Axis began this operation, codenamed Störfang (Sturgeon Catch). The Soviet Red Army and Black Sea Fleet held out for weeks under intense Axis bombardment. The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) played a vital part in the siege. The Luftwaffe made up for a shortage of Axis artillery, providing highly effective aerial bombardment in support of the ground forces. Finally, on 4 July 1942, the remaining Soviet forces surrendered and the Axis seized the port. Both sides had suffered considerable losses during the siege and attack.

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