{"product_id":"the-crimean-offensive-1944-the-russian-battle-for-the-crimea-paperback","title":"The Crimean Offensive, 1944: The Russian Battle for the Crimea - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eIan Baxter\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBy late 1943, the Red Army isolated German forces in Crimea, leading to a fierce but failed defense of Sevastopol, with a costly evacuation in May 1944.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy October 1943, the German 17th Army had been forced to retreat from the Kuban bridgehead across the Kerch Strait to Crimea. During the following months, the Red Army pushed back the German forces in the southern Ukraine. In November 1943, they eventually cut off the land-based connection of 17th Army through the Perekop Isthmus. Hitler prohibited a sea evacuation of 17th Army because he thought the Red Army could use the Crimean Peninsula to launch air attacks against Romanian oil refineries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn November 1943, the Russian launched a massive amphibious assault at two locations on the eastern coast of the Crimea, but its units were unable to prevent an Axis counterattack that collapsed the southern bridgehead. The Red Army held the bridgehead at Yenikale, from which they launched further offensive operations, culminating in a huge offensive in April 1944. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the 17th Army bitterly contested every bit of ground, it was unable to stop the advance. Soviet forces reached Kerch on April 11, forcing the 17th Army to retreat towards Sevastopol. The remaining Axis forces in the Crimea were concentrating around the city by the end of the third week of April.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Germans intended to hold Sevastopol as a fortress, as the Russians had done between 1941 and 1942. However, the fortifications of the city had not been restored and the city fell on 9 May. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom mid-April, Romanian and German ships undertook a huge and complex evacuation operation. The last phase of the evacuation, following the fall of Sevastopol, saw 37,000 troops transported under constant attacks from Soviet aircraft and shore artillery. Overall around 57,000 men were lost during the evacuation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFully illustrated with rare and unpublished photos, this is a detailed account of the dogged attempt to retake the Crimea in 1943-44.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 128\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 30, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47520525091037,"sku":"9781636244358","price":34.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/FFhDqO5MZL9781636244358.webp?v=1772244733","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/the-crimean-offensive-1944-the-russian-battle-for-the-crimea-paperback","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}