The Red Army counter-offensive before Moscow nearly destroyed Army Group Centre and by late December 1941, early January 1942, it had come to a halt. German offensive operations came to an end along the Eastern Front: "Barbarossa" had failed. "Stab" KG 55 was reassigned from the command of "Fliegerkorps" IV to IX "Fliegerkorps". It was moved to Évreux-Fauville Air Base, along with the rest of KG 55. It was reduced to three aircraft on 7 March 1942. On 24 April 1942, KG 55 came under the command of VIII "Fliegerkorps". The bomber wing was immediately transferred to the Crimea. In December 1941 Soviet forces landed in the Crimea near Kerch, and KG 55, along with KG 27, KG 55, and KG 100, was dispatched to assist "Luftflotte" 4 and the 11th Army to destroy the Soviet beachhead in April 1942. KG 55 had immediate success, damaging the Soviet destroyer "Sposobnyy" and scoring hits on the cruiser "Frunze" for one bomber loss to Soviet fighters.