Black Sea campaigns (1941–44)

For the World War I campaigns in the same theatre, see Naval warfare of World War I.
Black Sea Campaigns
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
Date22 June 1941 – August 1944
LocationBlack Sea
Result Soviet Victory
Belligerents
Romania Romania
Nazi Germany Germany
Kingdom of Italy Italy
Bulgaria Bulgaria
Hungary Hungary[1]		 Soviet Union Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Horia Macellariu
Nazi Germany Helmut Rosenbaum
Nazi Germany Clemens Schöler
Nazi Germany Klaus Petersen
Kingdom of Italy Francesco Mimbelli		 Soviet Union Filipp Oktyabrskiy
Soviet Union Lev Vladimirsky
Strength
Romania Romania
4 Destroyers
12 Torpedo Boats
4 Gunboats
3 Submarines
5 Midget Submarines
5 Minelayers
4 Minesweepers
4 River monitors
Nazi Germany Germany
6 Type IIB U-boats
10 S-boats
23 R-boats
Kingdom of Italy Italy
4 Torpedo Boats
6 Midget submarines		 Soviet Union Soviet Union
1 Battleship
5 Cruisers
18 Destroyers
44 Submarines
2 Gunboats
18 Minelayers
84 Torpedo Boats

The Black Sea Campaigns are the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces, and non-combat operations.

The Black Sea Fleet was as surprised by Operation Barbarossa as the rest of the Soviet Military. The Axis forces in the Black Sea consisted of the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies together with German and Italian units transported to the area via rail and Canal. Although the Soviets enjoyed an overwhelming superiority in surface ships over the Axis, this was effectively negated by German air superiority and most of the Soviet ships sunk were destroyed by bombing. For the majority of the war, the Black Sea Fleet was commanded by Filipp Oktyabrskiy, its other commander being Lev Vladimirsky.

All of the major Soviet shipyards were located in the Ukraine (Nikolayev) and Crimea (Sevastopol) and were occupied in 1941. Many incomplete ships which were afloat were evacuated to harbors in Georgia which provided the main bases for the surviving fleet. These ports such as Poti, however had very limited repair facilities which significantly reduced the operational capability of the Soviet Fleet.

Soviet naval strength

On 22 June 1941, the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Navy consisted of:

Ship Type Number Note/class
Battleship 1 Parizhskaya Kommuna
Cruisers 5 Molotov, Voroshilov, Chervona Ukraina, Krasnyi Krym and Krasny Kavkaz
Destroyer Leaders 3 Leningrad-class destroyer and Tashkent-class destroyer
Destroyers (Modern) 11 6 Type 7, 5 Type 7U,
Destroyers (old) 4 Novik type
Submarines 44
Escort Vessels/Gunboats 2
Mine warfare vessels 18
Motor Torpedo Boats 84

Axis naval strength

Romanian Navy

The Royal Romanian Navy consisted of four destroyers (two Mărăști-class, two Regele Ferdinand-class), six fleet torpedo boats, three submarines (Delfinul/The Dolphin, Rechinul/The Shark and Marsuinul/The Sea Hog), five midget submarines (CB class),[2] two minelayers and seven motor torpedo boats.

Bulgarian Navy

Despite Bulgaria's neutral status in the German-Soviet war, the Bulgarian navy was involved in escort duties to protect Axis shipping against Soviet submarines in Bulgarian territorial waters. The small Bulgarian navy consisted of four small torpedo boats plus some motor torpedo boats and patrol boats.

Hungarian Merchant Navy

Hungary became landlocked in the aftermath of World War I, but some Hungarian merchant ships were able to reach the black sea via the Danube River. Hungarian cargo ships like the Kassa and Budapest were operated as part of Axis sea transport forces on the Black Sea, and thus participated in the Axis evacuation from Crimea.

Germany and Italy

As Turkey was neutral during World War II, the Axis could not transfer warships to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus. However, several small ships were transferred from the North Sea via rail, street and canal networks to the Danube. These included six Type IIB U-boats of the 30th U-boat Flotilla which were dis-assembled and shipped to Constanza in 1942. The Germans also transported 10 S-boats (Schnellboote) and 23 R-boats (Räumboote) via the Danube and built armed barges and KTs ( kriegstransporter, literally war transports ) in the captured Nikolayev Shipyards in Mykolaiv. Some ships were obtained in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and then converted to serve the German cause, such as the S-boat tender Romania, the minelayer Xanten and the Anti-submarine trawler UJ-115 Rosita. Additional vessels were built in German or local shipyards, captured from Soviets, or transferred from the Mediterranean nominally as merchant ships. The German Black Sea fleet ultimately operated hundreds of medium and small warships or auxiliaries before its self-destruction immediately prior to the defection of Bulgaria. Very few vessels were able to make good their escape via the Danube.

The Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) dispatched a small force to the Black Sea. The force dispatched included six CB class midget submarines and a flotilla of Torpedo Armed Motorboats (Motoscafo Armato Silurante, or MAS). The MAS were commanded by Francesco Mimbelli and were based in Yalta.

Romanian naval production

Between 1938 and 1944, 11 warships were built in Romania, all of them at the Galați shipyard. These were 2 submarines, 4 minesweepers, 4 cutters and 1 minelayer. In addition to these, there were also 4 old river monitors assembled at the Galați shipyard between 1907 and 1908.

NMS Amiral Murgescu

The minelayer NMS Amiral Murgescu was the first warship ever built in Romania and the only Romanian-built surface ship of the Second World War. Construction started in 1938 and she was launched on 14 June 1939. She had a crew of 80, a displacement of 838 tons, a length of 77 meters, a beam of 9 meters and a draught of 2.5 meters. She was powered by two Krupp diesel engines generating 1,100 horse power each, had a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 3,400 nautical miles. Her armament consisted of 2 x 102 mm naval guns, one in the front and one in the rear, 2 x 37 mm Rheinmetall anti-aircraft guns (possibly Romanian-built), 4 x 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and two 13.2 mm machine guns, as well as being able to carry up to 135 mines.

Between 1941 and 1944, she destroyed 12 enemy planes, deployed 31 mine barrages which destroyed several Soviet submarines and participated in numerous escort missions, including the evacuation of Crimea. After the war, she was confiscated by the Soviets and served as Don until being scrapped in late 1989.[3]

NMS Rechinul

NMS Rechinul was the first Romanian-made submarine and was built between 1938 and 1941. However, it formally entered service in May 1943 and was declared ready for action in April 1944. It had a crew of 45, a displacement of 585 tons on surface and 680 tons in imersion, a length of 58 meters, a beam of 5.6 meters and a draught of 3.6 meters. It's top speed was of 17 knots on surface and 9 knots in imersion and had a range of 7,000 miles. It's armament consisted of 1 x 88 mm C/35 naval gun in the front and 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun in the rear, as well as 6 torpedo tubes.

Soon after taking part in the evacuation of Crimea, Rechinul performed the longest patrol mission in Romanian submarine history, taking place between 15 June and 29 July 1944, near the Soviet port of Novorosiysk. After the war, it was captured by the Soviets and used for 15 years before being returned back to Romania. The submarine was subsequently scrapped.[4][5]

NMS Marsuinul

NMS Marsuinul was the second Romanian-made submarine, after Rechinul, and was also built between 1938 and 1941. However, it formally entered service in July 1943 and was declared ready for action in April 1944. It had a crew of 45, a displacement of 508 tons on surface and 630 tons in imersion, a length of 68.7 meters, a beam of 6.5 meters and a draught of 3.6 meters. It's top speed was of 16 knots on surface and 9 knots in imersion and had a range of 8,000 miles. It's armament consisted of 1 x 88 mm C/35 naval gun in the front and 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun in the rear, as well as 6 torpedo tubes.

Marsuinul carried out only one patrol mission, between 10-27 May 1944, near the Soviet port of Batumi, as part of the evacuation of Crimea. The patrol soon turned into an escape mission, as German boats and planes mistook the submarine for an enemy one and chased it through the Northern Turkish waters all the way back home. It was also spotted by the Soviets, but managed to avoid their attacks as well. After the war, it was captured by the Soviets and used for 15 years before being returned back to Romania. The submarine was subsequently scrapped.[6][5]

Minesweepers

Between 1943 and 1944, four minesweepers were built at the Galați shipyard. They had a full-load displacement of 775 tons, a length of 62.3 meters, a beam of 8.5 meters and a draft of 2.3 meters. The minesweepers had a top speed was of 17.2 knots and a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles. Armament consisted of two 88 mm naval guns.[7]

River Monitors

Between 1907 and 1908, four river monitors were built at the Galați shipyard. They had a displacement of 680 tons, a length 63.5 meters, a beam of 10.3 meters and a draft of 1.6 meters. They had a top speed of 13 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles. Their armor ranged between 50 and 75 mm. Their armament during World War II consisted of three 120 mm naval guns in separate turrets, as well as well as anti-aircraft artillery of 20 and 37 mm.[8]

Operations in 1941

The Soviets began the war in the Black Sea by a bombardment of Constanța on 26 June. During this operation, the destroyer leader Moskva was intercepted by the Romanian destroyer Regina Maria and after a brief fight, Moskva hit a mine and sank.w[9] The Black Sea Fleet supplied the besieged garrison in Odessa and evacuated a significant part of the force (86,000 soldiers, 150,000 civilians) at the end of October, but lost the destroyer Frunze and a gunboat to Stukas in the process. The Black Sea Fleet played a valuable part in defeating the initial assault on Sevastopol. In December, there was an amphibious operation against Kerch which resulted in the recapture of the Kerch Peninsula. A naval detachment including the cruiser Krasnyi Krym remained in Sevastopol to give gunfire support. Soviet submarines also raided Axis shipping on the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, sinking 29,000 long tons (29,000 t) of shipping. During fall of 1941, both sides laid many mine fields in southern Black Sea: Romanian defensive minefields sunk at least 5 Soviet submarines during this period (M-58,[10] S-34,[11] ShCh-211,[12] M-34,[13] M-59[14]), however during such operations the Axis forces lost the Romanian minelayer Regele Carol I,[15] sunk by a mine laid by Soviet submarine L-4: 2 of the 5 Soviet submarines (M-58 and ShCh-211) will be later sunk on that same minelayer's fields, after the sinking of the ship, in addition to another submarine sunk in 1942. In total, up 15 Soviet submarines were sunk by Romanian defensive minefields until the end of the War.[16] Another Romanian minelayer was lost, the Aurora, when the ship was destroyed by Soviet bombers on 15 July.[17]

Operations in 1942

Operations in 1942 were dominated by the Siege of Sevastopol. During the winter, Soviet warships including the only battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna provided fire support and supply missions near Sevastopol. The Soviets continued supply missions until 27 June, losses were heavy and included the cruiser Chervonnaya Ukraina, destroyer leader Tashkent and six modern destroyers. The cruiser Voroshilov and destroyers tried to intervene without success in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula in May and the Soviets could not prevent a landing across the Kerch strait in the Taman Peninsula in September. The remainder of the Black Sea Fleet evacuated to ports in the Caucasus that had very limited facilities. Soviet submarines were active in the western part of the Black Sea where they attacked Axis shipping. Unfortunately this included sinking the refugee ships Struma and Çankaya.

Operations in 1943

In 1943, the Black Sea Fleet was reduced to the following ships:

All of these ships suffered from poor maintenance due to a lack of facilities.

Operations initially consisted of several offensive operations by the Soviets including the defence of Malaya Zemlya in Novorossiysk and some coastal bombardments and raids.

As the war was going badly for the Axis on other fronts, the Germans began to evacuate the Kuban bridgehead in September. This was successfully accomplished. Kharkov and two destroyers—Sposobny and Besposchadny—were sunk by Stukas while raiding the Crimea. As a result of this loss, Stalin insisted on personally authorizing the use of any large ships. The Kerch-Eltigen Operation followed in November.

Operations in 1944

By early 1944, the Soviet surface fleet was practically nonoperational due to a poor state of repair. Most of the offensive work was carried out by small vessels and the Soviet Naval air force. The land situation had significantly deteriorated for the Axis. The area around Odessa was liberated in March trapping the Axis forces in the Crimea. The last Axis forces near Sevastopol surrendered on 9 May 1944 and a considerable number of men were evacuated. (See Battle of the Crimea (1944) for details).

On 20 August 1944, the Soviets carried on an unexpected large air raid against the main Axis base in Black Sea. A number of targets were sunk including the German U-boat U-9,[18] and the old Romanian torpedo boat Naluca.[19] U-18[20] and U-24 [21] were both damaged and were scuttled few days later. The Naval war in Black Sea was now almost over, but U-boats remained operative until they consumed their fuel: with a single strike, Soviet aviation had halved the German submarine force, but the effect could have been greater if such an attack had been carried out earlier.

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

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