Where the Iron Crosses Grow

Kreizer attacked the German positions around the Sapun Heights with his 63rd Rifle Corps and 1st Guards and 11th Guards Rifle Corps, supported by a strong artillery concentration and considerable close air support. Starting at 0900hrs on May 7, Soviet artillery blasted the top of the heights – held mostly by the 98. and 111. Infanterie-Divisionen – with tube and rocket artillery. At 1030hrs, the Soviet infantry attacked but encountered very strong automatic-weapons and mortar fire from the still-intact German positions. One Soviet rifle-platoon leader, Lieutenant Mikhail Y. Dzigunsky from the 1372nd Rifle Regiment, succeeded in knocking out three German positions, but was killed attempting to knock out a stone machine-gun bunker; he was the first of six men to earn a Hero of the Soviet Union on the Sapun Heights. General-Major Peter K. Koshevoi’s 63rd Rifle Corps attacked all day long, fighting its way through German barbed wire and trenches. By 1800hrs his troops were within 100–200 yards of the crest of the Sapun Heights, but his rifle and artillery units were almost out of ammunition. This was one of those moments where the enemy – not knowing that the attack had actually exhausted itself – made the mistake of pulling back to regroup. Koshevoi’s troops surged forward and overran some of the German positions atop the ridge, and even captured the commander of Grenadier-Regiment 117. Nevertheless, the Soviet foothold was tenuous and Kreizer quickly brought up the 10th Rifle Corps to solidify the Soviet hold on the Sapun Heights. Tolbukhin also ordered the 19th Tank Corps deployed to support the Coastal Army’s attack on May 8.¹²

During the night of May 7/8, Allmendinger scraped together Kampfgruppe Marienfeld and Kampfgruppe Faulhaber, supported by the last assault guns, to counterattack the flanks of the Soviet forces atop the Sapun Heights. The German counterattack began around 1000hrs and reached its climax around 1200hrs. Despite regaining some ground, the German counterattack was smothered under a barrage of Soviet artillery and Sturmovik attacks. Once it was clear that the counterattack had failed and that his last reserves were exhausted, Allmendinger reported to Generaloberst Ferdinand Schörner, the commander of Heeresgruppe Südukraine, that Sevastopol could no longer be held. The report was forwarded to the OKH, and at 2300hrs on May 8, Hitler grudgingly authorized the evacuation of AOK 17. One hour later, the Bradul 1 convoy left Sevastopol with 2,887 troops aboard, followed soon thereafter by the Bradul 2 convoy. Soviet artillery bombarded the harbor area, sinking the small German tanker Prodromos and several light craft. Two German battalions from the 50. Infanterie-Division had been isolated by Zakharov’s 2nd Guards Army north of Severnaya Bay, but managed to cross the bay in small boats during the night of May 8/9. Oberst Paul Betz, commander of the 50. Infanterie-Division, personally led a counterattack to link up with these isolated units, which enabled them to escape southward.

On the morning of May 9, Mel’nik’s Coastal Army continued its offensive with the added impetus of the 19th Tank Corps. Up to this point, Soviet armor had played little part in the battle, but now the tanks crashed through the retreating 73. Infanterie-Division and broke up the German front line. Provalov’s 16th Rifle Corps and the tankers pursued these broken fragments back to the Chersonese Peninsula. In anticipation of a last stand, Jaenecke had ensured that the Chersonese Peninsula was well stocked with supplies of food, water, and ammunition. Sevastopol’s last airfield was located here, and Axis ships could still load personnel from several beaches. With the defensive line collapsing, all elements of AOK 17 began retreating to the Chersonese Peninsula in the hope of evacuation. By 1600hrs the last German troops abandoned the ruins of Sevastopol, and Soviet troops from the 51st Army quickly moved in and reached the inner city. During the retreat, Major Willy Marienfeld, commander of Grenadier-Regiment 123, was badly wounded by a shell splinter and was flown out, but he later died of his wounds in Romania. Later that night, Oberst Paul Betz was also killed trying to make his way to the Chersonese Peninsula.