Blood And Iron: The German Conquest Of Sevastopol Page

Despite the overwhelming fire, the Soviet defenders—comprising the Coastal Army and sailors of the Black Sea Fleet—fought with a tenacity that shocked the German command. Soldiers lived in the rubble and the "city of caves," emerging only to engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Every ravine, like the infamous "Kamyshovaya Bay," became a killing field.

By late 1941, the German High Command (OKH) viewed the Crimea as a "stationary aircraft carrier." From its airbases, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and the Red Air Force could strike the Romanian oil fields—the lifeblood of the Wehrmacht. To secure the southern flank for the eventual push toward the Caucasus (Operation Blue), General Erich von Manstein and the 11th Army were tasked with neutralizing Sevastopol, the most heavily fortified naval base in the world. The Fortress of Sevastopol Blood and Iron: The German Conquest of Sevastopol

The Soviet "no retreat" policy, fueled by Order No. 227, meant that the garrison fought long after the situation became hopeless. When the city finally fell on July 4, 1942, the Germans took nearly 100,000 prisoners, though thousands of Soviet troops were left behind to perish in the coastal cliffs or attempt desperate, suicidal escapes by sea. Legacy and Aftermath By late 1941, the German High Command (OKH)