Yevpatoria assault
{{Short description|WWII amphibious assault by Soviet Union}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Yevpatoria assault
| partof = the Eastern Front of World War II
| image =
| caption =
| date = 5 – 8 January 1942А. В. Сульдин. Оборона Севастополя. Полная хроника - 250 дней. М., АСТ, 2014. стр.51Н. И. Крылов. Не померкнет никогда. М., Воениздат, 1984. стр.428-429
| place = Crimea, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
| result = German victory
| combatant1 = {{flag|Soviet Union|1936}}
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
| commander1 =
| commander2 =
| strength1 = 700 marines
3 × 45-mm ATGИгорь Софронов. Евпаторийский десант. Трагедия и подвиг // журнал "Братишка", № 11, ноябрь 2012
2 × T-37A
Soviet partisans
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| notes =
| campaignbox =
}}
The Yevpatoria assault was an amphibious assault during World War II by Soviet marine battalion on 5 January 1942 at Yevpatoria aiming at diverting part of German troops attacking Sevastopol and the Kerch peninsula.
History
The assault was undertaken by a reinforced Marine battalionК. И. Воронин. На черноморских фарватерах. М., Воениздат, 1989. стр.42-47 (700 soldiers under the command of Cpt G. K. Businov and commissar A. S. Boyko).
- one battalion of 2nd Marine regiment (under the command of Cpt G. K. Businov)
- reconnaissance unit (under the command of Cpt V. V. Tomichev)
- several militsiya officers from Yevpatoria
They were carried to destination by a convoy of ships from the Black Sea Fleet under the command of Frigate captain N. V. Buslaev.
- minesweeper "Exploder" (базовый тральщик «Взрыватель»)
- seven patrol boats of "MO IV" class (МО-036, МО-041, МО-062, МО-081, МО-0102, МО-0105, МО-0125)
- tugboat "SP-14" (морской буксир «СП-14»)
The convoy left Sevastopol on 4 January 1942 at 11:30 pm and proceeded to the landings between 3 am and 6 am on the 5th. The assaillants were able to take control of the southern part of the city. Reinforcements sent by the opponent included an infantry regiment two battalions and batteries. A stormy weather prevented the soviet to get back up. They battled during 3 days against superior forces. Meanwhile, in the city occurred an uprising which participants along with local partisans joined the fight alongside the soviet troopers. Among 700 assaillants remained alive a mere hundred by the time the battle ended. The operation succeeded in distracting German forces from Sevastopol as well as allowing for troops on the Kerch peninsula more to prepare to withstand German assaults.{{cite web|title=Великая Отечественная война. Евпатория|url=http://war.evpatoriya-history.info/war/index.php}}
The marines taken prisoners along with some 3000 civilians were shot later on the Red Hill part of the 10,400 people shot here during the war.