Sevastopol 1941: Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky's Dilemma

In late October 1941, the Crimean front collapses. Erich von Manstein's German 11th Army has just forced the narrow isthmus of Perekop, sweeping aside the Soviet defenses, and is surging toward the south of the peninsula. Within a few days, its armored and motorized columns reach the approaches to Sevastopol, the great naval base that harbors the Black Sea Fleet. You, Vice Admiral Filipp Oktyabrsky, command this fleet and bear responsibility for the fate of the city.

The situation is critical. The stronghold's land defenses were designed against an attack from the sea, not from inland. General Petrov's Coastal Army, falling back in disorder from the north, has not yet arrived in force, and the garrison consists for the most part of disembarked sailors, coastal batteries, and assorted units. Yet Sevastopol locks the maritime access to the entire region and stands as a considerable symbol for both Moscow and Berlin. To lose it would open the Black Sea to the enemy; to defend it would require reinforcements, ammunition, and a supply line wholly dependent on convoys exposed to aircraft and mines.

Every hour counts before Manstein tightens his vise around the city. The order you give now will seal the destiny of the fleet and the garrison.