SZ Photo - Battles for Sev­astopol, 1942

After the Wehrmacht reached Crimea in the fall of 1941 and brought large parts of the island under control, a conquest of Sevastopol over the following months was not successful. Under the code name ìOperation Stˆrfangî a second major attempt to take the port city was launched in June 1942. On July 4, 1942, after fierce fighting, the Wehrmacht achieved its goal and successfully completed the conquest of the peninsula. It remained in German hands until the ìBattle of Crimeaî in April-May 1944. In addition to over 10,000 fallen soldiers, Sevastopol was also completely reduced to rubble and ashes - This selection contains pictures from our partner agency S¸ddeutsche Zeitung Photo.