Crimean Front
Encyclopedia
The Crimean Front was one of the Soviet Army
front
s of World War II
. It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich Kozlov and was made up of the Soviet 44th
, 47th
and 51st Armies. It also had operational control of the North Caucasus Military District
, the Black Sea Fleet
, the Sevastopol Defence Region, the Azov Flotilla
and Kerch Naval Base.
It was formed on 28 January 1942 by splitting the Caucasian front and included the armies then in the Kerch
and Taman
peninsulas and the region of Krasnodar, along with operational control of other forces. It was tasked with assisting the troops in the troops of Sevastopol Defence Area, strike at Karasubazar and threaten the rear of the German force blockading Sevastopol. Its troops went on the offensive three times from February 27 to April 13 1942, but made no significant progress and after a minor advance they were forced onto the defensive. On 21 April 1942 the troops in the North Caucasus were added to it.
On 8 May that year the Germans launched an offensive on the Kerch Peninsula
and recaptured it on 16 May, forcing the Soviet troops of the Crimean Front to be evacuated to the Taman Peninsula. Some troops were unable to evacuate and fought the Germans at Adzhimushkay until the end of October the same year, with no stocks of food, water, medicine, arms and ammunition. The Red Army lost over 300,000 men in the Kerch landings, including around 170,000, and a large amount of its heavy weaponry. The landings' failure was also a major factor in the Soviet loss of Sevastopol and made possible the German summer offensive in the Caucasus. On 19 May 1942 the Crimean Front was abolished and its troops handed over to the command of the North Caucasian Front
.
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
front
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
s of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich Kozlov and was made up of the Soviet 44th
44th Army
The 44th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active during World War Two. Initially part of the Transcaucasian Front, its main actions included the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran and the Kerch amphibious landings , before being transferred to the Southern Front on 6...
, 47th
47th Army
The 47th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1946.The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's border defenses with Iran...
and 51st Armies. It also had operational control of the North Caucasus Military District
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
, the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
, the Sevastopol Defence Region, the Azov Flotilla
Azov Flotilla
The Azov Flotilla or Azov Naval Flotilla was the name given to several Russian naval forces operated on the Sea of Azov as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, by both the Soviets and the White Russians during the Russian Civil War, and as part of the Soviet Navy during World War II.-Russo-Turkish...
and Kerch Naval Base.
It was formed on 28 January 1942 by splitting the Caucasian front and included the armies then in the Kerch
Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. Kerch, founded 2600 years ago, is considered as one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
and Taman
Taman, Russia
Taman is a village in Temryuksky District of Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the coast of the Taman Bay. Population: -History:Taman occupies the site of the ancient cities of Hermonassa and Tmutarakan...
peninsulas and the region of Krasnodar, along with operational control of other forces. It was tasked with assisting the troops in the troops of Sevastopol Defence Area, strike at Karasubazar and threaten the rear of the German force blockading Sevastopol. Its troops went on the offensive three times from February 27 to April 13 1942, but made no significant progress and after a minor advance they were forced onto the defensive. On 21 April 1942 the troops in the North Caucasus were added to it.
On 8 May that year the Germans launched an offensive on the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula was a World War II offensive by German and Romanian armies against the Soviet Crimean Front forces defending the Kerch Peninsula, in the eastern part of the Crimea. It was launched on 8 May 1942 and concluded around 18 May 1942 with the near complete destruction of...
and recaptured it on 16 May, forcing the Soviet troops of the Crimean Front to be evacuated to the Taman Peninsula. Some troops were unable to evacuate and fought the Germans at Adzhimushkay until the end of October the same year, with no stocks of food, water, medicine, arms and ammunition. The Red Army lost over 300,000 men in the Kerch landings, including around 170,000, and a large amount of its heavy weaponry. The landings' failure was also a major factor in the Soviet loss of Sevastopol and made possible the German summer offensive in the Caucasus. On 19 May 1942 the Crimean Front was abolished and its troops handed over to the command of the North Caucasian Front
North Caucasian Front
The North Caucasian Front or North Caucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated...
.