The siege of Sevastopol, a key Soviet naval base on the Black Sea, lasted from October 30, 1941 to July 4, 1942. At the beginning of June 1942, around 204,000 soldiers were involved in the battle on the side of the Axis countries (Germany and Romania), supported by around 1,400 guns, mortars and around 450 tanks. At the same time, around 107,000 people were fighting on the Soviet side, supported by around 600 cannons and mortars. The genesis of the siege of Sevastopol dates back to the Operation Barbarossa, during which Romanian and German troops occupied a large part of the Crimean peninsula in the fall of 1941. The only point of resistance to the Axis forces was Sevastopol, located in the very south of the peninsula. Despite the attacks of Axis units in October and November 1941, the city was not seized. Moreover, in December 1941, the Soviets carried out landing operations on the Kerch, which delayed German and Romanian actions in the Sevastopol area. The regular siege of the city lasted until June 7, 1942, when the army, mainly German under the command of General Erich von Manstein, began the operation "Störfang", which led to the capitulation of the city and the port of Sevastopol by July 4, 1942. It is estimated that the Soviet side lost about 120,000 people killed, wounded and captured during the siege, while the Axis countries lost about 36,000 killed, wounded and missing.