Where the Iron Crosses Grow

When Oktyabrsky lost contact with the landing force, he decided to send a small naval reconnaissance team to ascertain their status. A 13-man reconnaissance team was landed from the submarine M-33 near the Yevpatoriya lighthouse on the evening of January 8. It did not take long before they realized that Buzinov’s battalion had been annihilated, but before they could re-embark, the stormy weather returned in full force. For six days the team remained near the lighthouse, awaiting a chance to return to the submarine, but the Germans eventually detected them and destroyed the team, except for a sole survivor. The Soviet landing at Yevpatoriya proved to be a forlorn hope that was mostly undone by adverse weather conditions and rapid enemy reaction.

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General-Major Aleksei N. Pervushin’s position at Feodosiya seemed very good on January 1, 1942: his 44th Army had three rifle divisions with 23,000 troops ashore and the enemy forces in front of him were weak and disorganized. General-Lieutenant Vladimir N. Lvov’s 51st Army was advancing to join him with another four rifle divisions and, together, they would crush the Axis forces before they could establish a firm defense across the narrow neck of the Kerch Peninsula. Yet while the Black Sea Fleet had brilliantly pulled off the surprise landing at Feodosiya, the Red Army proved less adept at exploiting this victory. Pervushin’s three divisions had occupied so much ground around Feodosiya that he lacked the manpower to mass for a real offensive to destroy either the Romanian Mountain Corps of XXXXII Armeekorps. Gruppe Hitzfeld had arrived and had established a rock-solid defense in the gap between the Romanian Mountain Corps and XXXXII Armeekorps. Instead, Pervushin settled into a semi-defensive posture around Feodosiya, waiting for Lvov’s army to arrive before mounting a joint offensive. Unfortunately, this decision handed the initiative back to Manstein’s AOK 11.

Once it was clear that the Soviet forces in Feodosiya were not pushing westward in any strength, Manstein resolved to organize a counteroffensive to retake the city. Although the Germans was not particularly adept or equipped for winter offensive operations, Manstein sensed an opportunity to inflict a reverse upon an overconfident and overextended enemy. He began by sending General der Infanterie Franz Mattenklott, former commander of the 72. Infanterie-Division, to replace Sponeck as commander of XXXXII Armeekorps. Mattenklott was an iron-willed officer who would hold the line until reinforcements arrived. Initially, Manstein was only going to send the 170. Infanterie-Division to reinforce XXXXII Armeekorps, but he decided to add the 132. Infanterie-Division and two battalions from the 72. Infanterie-Division as well. The only remaining armor support was three StuG IIIs from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 190 and a handful from the newly arrived Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 197, which were sent as well. Committing this many reinforcements required AOK 11 to abandon some of the hard-won positions gained in the December offensive, which irritated Hitler, but Manstein argued that a counteroffensive capable of achieving operational-level objectives required this kind of tactical sacrifice. The Romanian also agreed to send Brigadier-General Nicolae Costescu’s 18th Infantry Division to reinforce XXXXII Armeekorps.

For the next two weeks, the front assumed a static character with only minor combat activity on either side. The vanguard of Lvov’s 51st Army reached the Parpach Narrows by January 5, but took no offensive action against the opposing 46. Infanterie-Division. Lvov’s army moved into place very slowly, and even by January 12 he still had only two rifle divisions deployed forward. Meanwhile, Axis reinforcements poured in, and by January 13 Manstein had amassed more than four divisions outside Feodosiya. He also brought up the XXX Armeekorps staff, now under Generalmajor Maximilian Fretter-Pico, to spearhead the counteroffensive while Mattenklott occupied the attention of Lvov’s 51st Army. Manstein also requested greater help from the Luftwaffe, and General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim was sent to Sarabus airfield in the Crimea to take charge of the Sonderstab Krim (Special Staff Crimea).