During World War II, Crimea was a scene of some of the bloodiest battles. The Germans suffered heavy casualties in the summer of 1941 as they tried to advance through the narrow Isthmus of Perekop linking Crimea to the Soviet mainland. The German occupied most of Crimea, with the exception of the city of Sevastopol, which held out from October 1941 until July 4, 1942. However, the tide turned after the German defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk. Cut off and isolated in the Crimea, the German's faced massive Russian attacks before surrendering Sevastopol in May 1944.

Originally broadcast as an episode of Battlefield on the Discovery Channel in 2002. Special features: Test your knowledge [interactive text feature]; Excerpts from other titles in the series [previews].

Battle for the Crimea -- Manstein's first attempt -- Battle of the Sea of Azov -- Breakthrough at Perekop -- Battle for the Kerch Peninsular -- Capture of Sevastopol -- Operation Blue -- Background to the second Crimean campaign -- Soviet generals -- Final battle.