чтение
HA yPOKE
Battle of Sevastopol 1941-1942
Pre-reading task
Before you start reading the text, do the following task.
1) When was World War II? How is it different from the Great Patriotic War?
2) How many battles of Sevastopol were there in history? When did they take place?
3) What is meant by the 'Axis powers'?
4) What is 'Wehrmacht'?
5) What is Operation Barbarossa? What was its aim?
The Battle of Sevastopol was a World War II battle which was fought between German forces and the Red Army. The main aim was to get control over the main Soviet Black Sea Fleet naval base, the port city of Sevastopol. The battle took place on the Crimean Peninsula, from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942.
When Operation Barbarossa was launched on June 22, 1941, the Crimean Peninsula was not even in the German plans. They believed that when Moscow fell under German control, the entire Soviet Union would just crumble down.
That thinking quickly changed in July 1941, when the Soviet air forces attacked the oil fields in Romania, destroying 11,000 tons of oil. The attacks were launched from Sevastopol. Thus Adolf Hitler issued Directive 33 which not only called for Crimea to be taken over, but that it was to be done as a matter of priority. On August 21, Hitler stated that "the seizure of the Crimean Peninsula has colossal importance for the protection of oil supplies from Romania".
The assault on Sevastopol was carried out by the 11th Army, under the command of Erich von Manstein.
The 11th Army was part of the German southern forces and consisted of 9 German infantry divisions. The Nazis were assisted by their allies. Romania sent two additional infantry divisions. Italy supported the main land forces with naval ships and Bulgaria provided its harbors to get the troops into the Black Sea. Additionally, the Luftwaffe (German air force) provided extensive support with several hundred aircraft.
The city was defended by the Soviet Coastal Army led by General Ivan Petrov. This force consisted of about 106,000 men, 600 artillery guns, 100 mortars and 38 tanks. Petrov only had 55 planes at his disposal. So the German forces greatly outnumbered the Soviet defenders.
The first offensive on Sevastopol
The Battle of Sevastopol began on October 30, 1941, when the German infantry division tried to enter Sevastopol. The Germans tried to burst into the city from the north, north-east and east, but they had to fall back when the Soviet army counterattacked. The Germans then encircled the city preparing for their next offensive.
Meanwhile, Soviet forces received reinforcements from troops that had been evacuated from Odessa.
Manstein then decided to attack the southern flank, because of its poorer fortifications. But the terrain in the south was extremely difficult. As a result on November 11 over 60,000 German and Romanian troops attempted to push their way through the city of Sevastopol again. This second attack was once more repulsed after ten days.
The defending Soviet troops really made heroic efforts and continued to resist fierce German attacks. Naval ships were also committed to the defence of the city.
The next German attack began on December 17. It was a five-day artillery barrage of the city. On December 21, the Germans prepared for their final push. The Soviet Army launched a counterattack, forcing them back. This was made possible due to the fact that the Soviet Army had received help from the newly arrived Naval Infantry Brigade. So, the second storming attempt also failed.
By January 4, 1942 every Axis unit had been stopped by Soviet counterattacks. Shortly thereafter the Soviet winter offensive began, producing the Wehrmacht's so-called "Winter Crisis".
The Soviet landing at Kerch
The German forces directed their efforts to driving the Soviets out of the Kerch area.
The Soviet people landed on Kerch and in this way tried to regain the initiative in Crimea and relieve the pressure against Sevastopol. The Soviet Forces were successful at first. A series of attacks and counterattacks followed. The last Soviet attack was launched on April 9, 1942. Six divisions and 160 tanks tried to push back the Germans, but they failed after just two days. Once this was finished with, Manstein again focused on the siege of Sevastopol.
The second offensive on Sevastopol
After expelling the Soviets from the Kerch area, the German attention turned once again to Sevastopol. General von Manstein had at his disposal some of the largest guns ever built, such as the super-heavy 600mm Mörser Karl mortar and the 800mm "Gustav" railway gun.
This second offensive on Sevastopol became known as Operation Sturgeon.
On May 21, 1942, the Germans launched a bombing and bombardment of the city. On June 2 the main barrage began. It continued for five days before the main attack started.
In June of 1942, most of the Soviet defence lines were finally breached. However, some defences still remained, particularly the heroic "Sapun" line. The line was broken and on July 4, 1942 the city finally was in German hands, however small pockets of Soviet troops still fought in caves until July 9, 1942.
Aftermath
The Germans said that over 90,000 Red Army soldiers had been taken captive, and an even greater number killed. The Soviets reported that there were very few Soviet troops who survived the German offensive.
Although a success in the end, the operation had taken much longer than the Germans had imagined. Operation Blau, the southern Army's advance towards Stalingrad and the Caucasus was just beginning, and the Germans did not have the 11th Army to support them. The heroic defence of Sevastopol lasted for 250 days; the city defenders displayed total dedication, firmness and valour throughout the fierce fighting.
Task 1. Match the word and its definition.
1) infantry a) the continuous firing of a large number of guns in a particular direction
2) division b) a heavy gun that fires bombs and shells high into the air
3) troops c) a military operation in which large numbers of soldiers take part
4) counterattack, v d) soldiers, especially in large groups
5) barrage e) a unit of an army, consisting of several brigades or regiments
6) offensive f) to break through a protection line
7) mortar g) to make an attack in response to the attack of an enemy
8) breach, v h) soldiers who fight on foot
Task 2. Fill in the gaps with prepositions.
1. The plan focused ... three main problems.
2. The general had a limited number of troops ... his disposal.
3. The city fell ... enemy control.
4. The enemy fell ... as our troops advanced.
5. Later they resumed the offensive ... the city.
Task 3. Mark the statements as True, False or Not Stated.
1. The battle of Sevastopol was originally part of Barbarossa.
2. Hitler sent the best troops to conquer Sevastopol.
3. The German Army got help from other European countries.
4. The Soviet forces attacked the German troops from the air.
5. The first offensive ended with a German victory.
6. The Soviet troops lost Kerch to the Nazis.
7. Operation Sturgeon was named by von Manstein.
8. The conquest of Sevastopol did not go as planned. Task 4. Answer the questions.
1. Why did Hitler decide to capture Sevastopol?
2. What German and Soviet troops took part in the battle?
3. What was the first offensive on the city like?
4. Why did the Soviets land on Kerch?
5. What was the second offensive on the city like?
6. What was the aftermath of the battle?
7. When and how was Sevastopol liberated?
НА УРОКЕ
Keys
Task 1: 1 h, 2 e, 3 d, 4 g, 5 a, 6 c, 7 b, 8 f. Task 2: 1 on, 2 at, 3 under, 4 back, 5 on. Task 3: 1 F, 2 NS, 3 T, 4 NS, 5 F, 6 T, 7 NS, 8 T.
О.И. Кирдяева
Сведения об авторе: Кирдяева Ольга Ивановна, старший преподаватель кафедры английской филологии ИИЯ, Московский городской педагогический университет, Москва. E-mail: olyaok81@yandex.ru
Ключевые слова: battle of Sevastopol, pre-reading task, reading task, keys.
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a) Clovis
b) Charles Martel
c) Pépin le Bref
2. Qui est son père ?
a) Charles Martel
b) Mérovée
c) Charlemagne
3. Qui est son fils ?
a) Louis le Pieux
b) Charlemagne
c) Pépin le Bref
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a) à Verdun
b) à Aix-la-Chapelle
c) à Strasbourg
5. Qui est le fils de Charlemagne lui succédant ?
a) Charles le Chauve
b) Louis Ier le Pieux
c) Robert le Fort
6. Quel roi parvient à réunir l'Empire carolingien ?
a) Charles le Gros
b) Charles III le Simple 20 ]
c) Henri Ier
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a) Carloman
b) Lothaire
c) Robert
8. Qui est le père de Louis IV d'Outremer?
a) Charles le Gros
b) Charles III le Simple
c) Louis III
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