The Kerch battle had barely finished, when a crisis broke out further north. A Soviet offensive near Kharkov caught the Wehrmacht off-guard and StG 77 was rushed north to prevent a break-through; the entire wing was present within48 hours from 13 May. In the first two days, the Stukas of Fliegerkorps IV, of which StG 77 was the only unit, claimed 54 tanks destroyed.