The Battle Of Crimea V Simeferopol on the Yaila Mountains was secured by the 30th corps but by that time the nature of the battle had changed. The torrid weather made matters increasingly difficult, and many of the Soviet troops had managed to escape, operating as partisans, using guerilla tactics, and long range sniper attacks to counter the German offensive. The terrain was ideally suited to this type of warfare and without adequate mobility the Germans couldn’t give chase. 54th Corps closed in on Sevastopol but its progress was impeded by stiffening Red Army resistance and well timed counter attacks. The problem was compounded by the onset of the Crimean winter; chunks of ice delayed the German progress and the soldiers lacked the protective gear required to sustain a prolonged war effort in winter conditions. Logistics was hit the hardest. The cold weather coupled with continuous rain turned the dirt tracks that zig zagged across the landscape into muddy unusable traps. The harsh Russian winter further north, where conditions could fall to as low as -30c hampered refurbishments of the frontlines. Trains came to a standstill and troops were running perilously low of supplies. Like in Moscow, the weather had come to the aid of the Red Army.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:27:22 +0000
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