The Russian Ministry of Defense launched a section on the website dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the start of the Crimean offensive operation

The Russian Ministry of Defense is launching a historical and educational project on the military department’s website dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who liberated Crimea from the fascist occupiers. The multimedia section “The Victorious Breath of the Crimean Spring of ’44” talks about the rapid advance of the Red Army on the Crimean Peninsula, as well as the heroism of the Red Army soldiers and their exploits committed in the April battles of 1944. The history of those heroic days is presented by documents from the funds of TsAMO RFthe message says.

For example, according to archival materials published in the section, the Soviet command planned to launch the Crimean offensive operation (the third “Stalinist” strike) in early March 1944 — at the height of fierce battles for Right Bank Ukraine. Thus, the main blow was supposed to be delivered by the forces of the 51st Army of Lieutenant General Yakov Kreiser from the bridgehead occupied on the southern bank of the Sivash. However, it was subsequently decided to postpone the date.

This decision was petitioned to the country’s top leadership by the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Alexander Vasilevsky (code name in the documents — Alexandrov), who personally became familiar with the situation at the front,” the department noted.

Postponement of the operation

On March 4, Vasilevsky reported in a coded message to Joseph Stalin about the situation in the area of ​​​​upcoming actions. According to him, the recent rain has rendered the roads unusable. All vehicles are parked on the roads in the mud. Given the condition of the roads, it was impossible to begin the operation. As a result, the start of the offensive was postponed.

Having competently assessed the emerging operational-strategic situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to begin the operation at the very time when Soviet troops began fighting for Odessa and thereby deprived the Germans of the opportunity to supply their garrisons in Crimea through the port of Odessanoted the RF Ministry of Defense.

About the operation

The Crimean offensive operation began on April 8, 1944, when troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, having broken through the enemy defenses south of Sivash and on the Perekop Isthmus, rushed from the north of the peninsula towards Dzhankoy and Simferopol. The offensive ended on May 12, 1944 with the final defeat of the 200,000-strong 17th German enemy army at Cape Chersonese.

The exhibition “Crimea — 80th anniversary of the feat”, created as part of the “Liberation” cycle, will last until June 30. TASS is the general information partner.