During World War II, German forces occupied Rostov-on-Don, at first from 19/20 November 1941 to 2 December 1941, after attacks by the German First Panzer Army in the Battle of Rostov and then for seven months from 23 July 1942 to 14 February 1943. The town was of strategic importance as a railway junction and a river port accessing the Caucasus, a region rich in oil and minerals. It took ten years to restore the city from the damage during World War II.