Crimean Offensive The Crimean Offensive ( 8 April - 12 May 1944 ) — known in German sources as the Battle of the Crimea — was a series of offensives by the Red Army directed at the German - held Crimea . The Red Army ' s 4th Ukrainian Front engaged the German 17th Army of Army Group A , which consisted of German and Romanian formations . The battles ended with the evacuation of the Crimea by the Germans . The German and Romanian forces suffered considerable losses during the evacuation . Setting the stage . During late 1943 and early 1944 , the " Wehrmacht " was pressed back along its entire frontline in the east . In October 1943 , the 17th Army ( Army Group A ) withdrew from the Kuban bridgehead across the Kerch Strait into the Crimea . During the following months , the Red Army pushed back the " Wehrmacht " in southern Ukraine , eventually cutting off the land - based connection of 17th Army through the Perekop Isthmus in November 1943 . The " Wehrmacht " was able to successfully hold on to the Crimea even after it had been cut off by land due to their ability to supply it via the Black Sea . Holding the Crimea was considered important as its loss would negatively affect the attitude of Turkey and put the Romanian oilfields under risk of Soviet air attacks . Aside from Soviet landings across the Kerch Strait and in the north - eastern sector near Sivash at the end of 1943 , the Soviet Army largely ignored the Crimea for the next five months . Von Kleist was removed from command of Army Group A in March , 1944 . There was no successor that replaced him . From then on Erwin Jaenicke theoretically controlled both 17th Army and Army Group A , though by this time the army group only consisted of the 17th Army . Progress of the battle . An assault across the Perekop Isthmus was launched on 8 April by elements of the 4th Ukrainian Front ' s 2nd Guards and 51st Armies . The 17th Army fought well but was unable to stop the advance . Kerch was reached by the Separate Coastal Army on 11 April ; Simferopol , about northeast of Sevastopol , followed two days later . The 17th Army was retreating toward Sevastopol by 16 April , with remaining Axis forces in the Crimea concentrating around the city by the end of the third week of April . The OKH intended to hold Sevastopol as a fortress , as the Red Army had done during the first battle for the Crimea in 1941 - 1942 . However , the fortifications of the city had never been restored and Sevastopol was not the strong defensive position that it had been in 1941 . Fighting broke out in the city outskirts towards the end of April and the city fell on 9 May , less than a month after the start of the offensive . The Axis sea evacuation to Constanța was attacked by Soviet land - based bombers . The last Axis pockets in the Crimea were destroyed on 12 May . Consequences . In a meeting with Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden , Jaenecke had insisted that Sevastopol should be evacuated and his cut off Army of 235 , 000 men withdrawn . After the loss of the Crimea , he was held responsible , arrested in Romania and court - martialed . Only the intervention of Heinz Guderian saved his life . He was dismissed from the army on 31 January 1945 . The German and Romanian formations suffered the loss of 57 , 000 men , many of whom drowned during the evacuation . The sinking of the " Totila " and " Teja " on 10 May alone caused up to 10 , 000 deaths . The table below is based on information from Glantz / House " When Titans Clashed " . : German losses : Killed and missing : 31 , 700 Wounded : 33 , 400 Total : 65 , 100 Romanian losses : Killed and missing : 25 , 800 Wounded : 5 , 800 Total : 31 , 600 Total Axis : Killed and missing : 57 , 500 Wounded : 39 , 200 Total : 96 , 700 Soviet losses ( according to Krivosheev ) : Killed and missing : 17 , 754 Wounded : 67 , 065 Total : 84 , 819 Tanks : 171 Artillery : 521 Aircraft : 179