During the Great Patriotic War, the Kerch Peninsula became one of the places of the longest and toughest battles. The peninsula was under the complete control of the Nazis for one year - Soviet soldiers fought in the Kerch area, even when the front advanced far to the west and the main battles were already under Nalchik.

Unruly peninsula

The Nazis broke into the Crimea in September 1941. At the end of October, Hitler's troops under the command of Erich von Manstein were able to break through the defense of the Red Army and divide its group into two parts — the south-west in the Sevastopol area and the northeast, retreating to Kerch. The remnants of the 51st Soviet Army, weakened by fierce battles, tried to hold out on the Kerch Peninsula, but were drained of blood and finally, by decision of the command, were evacuated to Taman by November 16. However, the Soviet leadership did not intend to leave Kerch in the hands of enemies, so it was decided to fight for it to the end.

“The importance of the Kerch Peninsula is due to its geographical position. This is the road connecting the Crimea to the mainland and leading to the North Caucasus, to the oil fields.

And without oil, as we know, tanks do not travel or planes fly. Therefore, it was so important for the Germans in 1941–1942 to capture the Kerch Peninsula and try to keep it in their hands, ”said Valentina Klimchuk, senior researcher of the department of the Great Patriotic War, East-Crimean Historical and Cultural Reserve, in an interview with RT.

In addition, the Soviet troops in Kerch created a potential threat to the entire Crimean group of Nazi troops.

Crimea was vitally important for Hitler, since Soviet aviation from its territory could reach Romania and bomb its oil fields used by the Third Reich.

In addition, in Kerch in 1941, a number of industrial enterprises were located, many of which, with the beginning of the war, were redeveloped to produce military products.

“The Nazis, capturing Kerch, established a cruel occupation regime in the city and launched repressions against the civilian population,” said Dmitry Surzhik, methodologist of the Victory Museum, candidate of historical sciences, in an interview with RT.

On December 2, 1941, 7 thousand civilians were shot in an anti-tank ditch near Kerch.

However, the Nazis did not last long on the shore of the Kerch Strait.

  • Kerch landing operation. Soldiers of marines in the area of ​​Kerch. 1941
  • © Alexander Brodsky / RIA News

Taking advantage of the fact that Manstein pulled off almost all the forces at his disposal to Sevastopol, the Soviet command ordered to start on December 29, 1941, the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation, in which 8 rifle divisions, 2 rifle brigades and 2 rifle regiments that landed near the shore took part straight into the ice mash.

The German division and the Romanian units, in spite of the order of Manstein to keep the defense, abandoned their positions and retreated deep into the Crimea. The Nazis urgently began to transfer troops and managed to create a barrier at the turn of the spurs of Yayly - the coast of Sivash, the Romanian mining units were reinforced by Wehrmacht officers.

In early January, the entire Kerch Peninsula returned under the control of the Red Army, and in late February - early March 1942, Soviet troops launched an offensive. But by this time, Manstein received powerful reinforcements, and the tanks and aircraft received at his disposal allowed the Wehrmacht to go on the offensive in May and drive out the main forces of the Red Army in the Taman region.

A detachment of Soviet soldiers left to cover the retreat did not have time to cross the mainland. As a result, a Red Army group of about 13 thousand people was formed near Kerch. It consisted of reserve units, cadets of military schools and military personnel of the NKVD. By order of the commander of the consolidated unit Colonel Pavel Yagunov, they, together with several thousand civilian refugees, retreated to Adzhimushkay quarries on the outskirts of Kerch and soon shook the Wehrmacht fighters with a surprise attack.

  • Residents of Kerch laying flowers at the mass grave in the underground museum of the Adzhimushkay quarries.
  • RIA News

The nazis pulled large forces to the quarries, destroyed the wells with water, bombarded some of the passages, forced smoke into the underground passages and, according to some sources, used chemical weapons against the people under the ground. Despite this, the defense of the Adzhimushkay quarries lasted 170 days.

It was from here, at the command of Colonel Yagunov, that the famous radiogram was transmitted: “To all the peoples of the Soviet Union! We, the defenders of the defense of the city of Kerch, are choking on gas, dying, but not surrendering to captivity. ”

When the Nazis launched a decisive offensive on October 30, 1943, only a few dozen Soviet soldiers remained alive. Some of them were captured by the Nazis, the rest were killed in the last battle.

After establishing final control over Kerch, the Nazis killed 14 thousand civilians and 15 thousand Soviet prisoners of war. Another 14 thousand people were driven into slavery.

First step to release

In the fall of 1943, after the defeat of Hitler's troops in the Caucasus, the Soviet command faced the issue of the liberation of the Crimea. At the end of October, the Red Army broke into the southern part of the Kherson region, to the isthmus separating the Crimean peninsula from the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. However, the Nazis concentrated in the northern part of the peninsula such a powerful grouping that they could afford not only to keep the Crimea, but also counterattack. This sharply actualized the issue of the liberation of the peninsula in one more direction - through the Kerch Strait.

“Realizing the potential threat, the Hitler command gathered 85 thousand soldiers and officers, including the select 98th division, on the Kerch Peninsula. The Kerch Strait was completely mined - about 6 thousand mines were installed in it. In addition, the Nazis placed tanks, artillery and combat vessels here, allowing them to operate in shallow waters, ”said Valentina Klimchuk.

  • Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. Kerch 1943
  • © Alexander Sokolenko / RIA News

However, despite the best efforts of the fascists, on October 31, 1943, Soviet troops launched the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. In Taman, from 130 to 150 thousand Red Army men, over 2 thousand guns and mortars, 125 tanks, over a hundred fighting boats, as well as aircraft and auxiliary vessels were assembled.

Immersed in the evening of October 31 in torpedo boats and civilian watercraft, the first paratroopers, despite a strong storm, set about a secret landing in the Crimea.

“The landing in general occurred at two points: in the north-east of Kerch and south of the city, in the area of ​​the village of Eltigen,” Valentina Klimchuk noted.

Fighters of the 18th Army created a bridgehead of 5 km along the front and 2 km in depth near Eltigen. And when the main forces of the Nazis were thrown into the settlement area, the Azov flotilla was able to transport units of the 56th army to the coastline north of Kerch. By early December, under the fire of the enemy, it was possible to transport 75 thousand troops, 769 guns and 128 tanks.

  • Diorama with the image of the landing and other exhibits in the Museum of the history of the Eltigen landing (the museum is dedicated to the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation during the Great Patriotic War).
  • © Valery Melnikov / RIA News

The bridgehead in the region of Eltigen, on which about 9,500 Soviet fighters defended, was completely blocked by the Nazis from land and sea. Despite this, the paratroopers managed to hold out for 36 days. And only when their position became completely hopeless, did the command allow the withdrawal. Nevertheless, during the retreat, a detachment of about 1,700 paratroopers managed to break through the enemy defenses, forced an impassable swamp on the outskirts of Kerch, and captured Mount Mithridates. The appearance in the rear of the Soviet fighters demoralized the Nazis. The paratroopers were able to crush the headquarters of one of the Romanian units and seize its banners, after which they were evacuated to Taman from December 10-11.

Liberation of the Crimea

Immediately develop the offensive from the bridgehead to the north-east of Kerch, the Soviet troops failed. However, the Nazi command was forced to begin a large-scale transfer of troops to the Kerch Peninsula, which deprived itself of reserves, which could potentially allow the Nazis to go on a counterattack in the Perekop region. The counter-strike on the forces of the 4th Ukrainian Front was thwarted.

  • Burning Nazi planes at the airport Chersonese during the Soviet offensive on Sevastopol. Spring 1944.
  • © Vladislav Mikosha / RIA News

“The heroism shown by Soviet soldiers during the Kerch-Eltigen operation was simply incredible. He surprised even the fascists. 129 participants in the operation were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, and almost half of them are participants in the landing at Eltigen, ”said Valentina Klimchuk.

According to Dmitriy Surzhik, the bridgehead captured by the paratroopers played an important role during the hostilities in the spring of 1944.

“On April 11, the Separate Maritime Army, together with the ships and aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet and with the support of the 4th Air Army, liberated Kerch. The next day, her troops captured the Ak-Monai positions - the last fortified line of defense of the German army on the Kerch Peninsula. On April 13, the army units liberated Feodosia, and with the assistance of the Crimean partisans, Stary Krym and Karasubazar (Belogorsk). On April 14, the fascists left Sudak, and then, on April 15-16, in cooperation with the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and with the assistance of the Crimean partisans, Alushta, Alupka and Yalta were liberated. After that, the Soviet army reached the fortified positions of the Germans near Sevastopol, ”he said.

According to Valentina Klimchuk, although during the Kerch-Eltigen operation, not everything went according to the plan originally developed by the Soviet command, its role can hardly be overestimated.

“The operation became a prologue to the defeat of the most powerful Hitler group and the liberation of the whole Crimea,” the expert concluded.