| abstract | - The Battle of Sevastopol was a battle which took place in the Eastern Front at the strategically important Black Sea port of Sevastopol in the Crimea. The battle lasted from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942. The participants of the battle were the German Wehrmacht, the Romanian Land Forces, the Royal Italian Army, and the Soviet Red Army. Originally, when Operation Barbarossa began it was judged that once Moscow fell, the whole of the Soviet Union would capitulate, but after a costly air raid on a Romanian oil field that originated from Sevastopol, plans were immediately drawn to conquer the Crimean peninsula. These plans were also given high priority. The battle began with early failures for the attacking Axis forces but ended with an Axis victory over the Soviets. In total, about 4,000 German soldiers died in the fighting with approximately 20,000 wounded. Romanian casualties killed number about 2,500. Italian casualties are unknown, but it is estimated that in total, Axis losses number about 35,000. Soviet casualties number about 18,000 killed and 95,000 captured.
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