Where the Iron Crosses Grow

Manstein knew that Petrov’s forces were in bad shape as well, and that the Soviet commander would mass everything he had left to hold Inkerman and the Gaytani Heights. However, Petrov could not possibly protect the entire length of the southern side of Severnaya Bay, and Manstein believed that an assault crossing of the bay might catch the Soviets flat-footed and cause the defense at Inkerman to collapse, just as had occurred during Operation Trappenjagd. When Manstein raised this idea with Hansen and Wolff, whose 22. Infanterie-Division would have to mount the crossing, they were aghast. Wolff’s division was completely spent, with fewer than 400 infantrymen still combat-ready. Even the energetic Choltitz was badly wounded in the arm. Hitzfeld’s IR 213 was attached to the 22. Infanterie-Division, but, having suffered 70 percent losses, it too was judged “unsuitable for attack missions.”⁷⁸ Nevertheless, the 902 and 905 Sturmboote-Kommando assembled a total of 130 assault boats, which were enough to move one battalion across the bay at a time, each crossing taking at least 20 minutes. Hansen and Wolff believed it highly likely that the Soviets would detect a night crossing, and even a few machine guns and mortars would be enough to decimate the single assault battalion. Or worse, one battalion might make it across, then find itself isolated and overwhelmed once the Soviets reacted to the landing. Yet Manstein knew that he had neither the time nor the resources to blast his way through Inkerman, so he ordered Hansen and Wolff to begin preparations for a crossing. In order to further increase the chances of a Soviet collapse, he ordered Hansen to prepare an assault upon Inkerman with the 50. Infanterie-Division when the time was right and for Fretter-Pico’s entire XXX Armeekorps and the Romanians to simultaneously attack Novikov’s forces on the Sapun Heights. Manstein reckoned that one last all-out attack by AOK 11 would break Petrov’s defenses. If it did not, AOK 11 would be fought out and unable to complete its mission.