Heroic Defense of the Adzhimushkai Quarry in 1942

Discussions on WW2 in Eastern Europe.
Post Reply
User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

Heroic Defense of the Adzhimushkai Quarry in 1942

#1

Post by Kim Sung » 09 Sep 2005, 06:08

http://rkkaww2.armchairgeneral.com/Mult ... ushkai.txt
"Adzhimushkai"

Some history.

Adzhimushkai is a very famous place in Russia (it is on the territory of the Crimea now so it is Ukraine)

USSR had the two places which can be called "Russian Alamo" of WWII.

First of all, it's Brest Fortress which is the most famous "Russian Alamo".

Adzhimushkai is the second "Russian Alamo".

Adzhimushkai is a small settlement nearly Kerch' in Crimea. There are old deserted quarries
here with the long system of caves.

On May 1942 the Soviet troops in Kerch' area (Eastern Crimea) were defeated. It was a disaster.
240,000 Soviet soldiers were captured by Germans. But 10-15 thousand soldiers didn't surrender
and retreated in the caves in Adzhimushkai vicinities and continued to fight against
Germans from these old deserted quarries. They had no hope to survive, they practically
had no any water and any food (they have to take them in combats and raids) but they
proceeded with active actions against Germans. The Germans had to leave there some
combat units against that Soviet soldiers. Nazis used large amount of explosives
against Soviet soldiers there and even used some poison gas against their opponents
hiding in Adzhimushkai. Only in October, 1942 Germans could eliminate the last points of
resistance there. The soldiers of Adzhimushkai fought to death but didn't surrender,
almost nobody from them survived (as I know).
Does anyone have additional info on casualties and survivors in this heroic battle?

Source for photos: http://www.club.cris.net/crimea/htm/kerch1.htm
[edited by moderator]
Attachments
Adzhimushkai3.jpg
Adzhimushkai3.jpg (60.26 KiB) Viewed 10389 times
Adzhimushkai2.jpg
Adzhimushkai2.jpg (62.66 KiB) Viewed 10158 times
Adzhimushkai1.jpg
Adzhimushkai1.jpg (25.94 KiB) Viewed 10157 times

User avatar
Kunikov
Member
Posts: 4455
Joined: 20 Jan 2004, 20:23
Contact:

#2

Post by Kunikov » 09 Sep 2005, 15:52

First time I'm hearing about it, sounds very interesting though.


User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

#3

Post by Kim Sung » 09 Sep 2005, 16:17

Kunikov wrote:First time I'm hearing about it, sounds very interesting though.
Kunikov, this is a famous, well-known and most dramatic episode in WW2, maybe in the entrely military history of the world.

User avatar
Kunikov
Member
Posts: 4455
Joined: 20 Jan 2004, 20:23
Contact:

#4

Post by Kunikov » 09 Sep 2005, 16:19

killchola wrote:
Kunikov wrote:First time I'm hearing about it, sounds very interesting though.
Kunikov, this is a famous, well-known and most dramatic episode in WW2, maybe in the entrely military history of the world.
There were many such 'episodes' in WWII.

User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

#5

Post by Kim Sung » 09 Sep 2005, 16:24

I know. But it's remarkable that so many soldiers and civilains(20,000~40,000) resisted in this small quarry for 6 months without any external assistance and met their heroic deaths without any survivor.(Although some sources say there were 48 survivors)
It's a very rare and surprising case in the military history of the world.
Last edited by Kim Sung on 09 Sep 2005, 16:26, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Kunikov
Member
Posts: 4455
Joined: 20 Jan 2004, 20:23
Contact:

#6

Post by Kunikov » 09 Sep 2005, 16:26

killchola wrote:I know. But it's remarkable that so many soldiers and civilains(20,000~40,000) resisted in this small quarry and met their heroic deaths without any survivor.(Although some sources say there were 48 survivors)
It's a very rare case in the military history of the world.
It's rare but not unheard of, and again, it is the first time I'm hearing about it, and I've been reading on the Eastern Front for almost a decade.

Larry D.
Member
Posts: 4102
Joined: 05 Aug 2004, 00:03
Location: Winter Springs, FL (USA)

#7

Post by Larry D. » 09 Sep 2005, 19:21

I have never heard of it, either, and I've read a number of books in both German and English on von Manstein's conquest of eastern Crimea in May 1942. I have also read my way through all of the microfilmed German military records concerning Crimea (AOK 11, Militärbefehlshaber Krim, etc.) from Nov 41 through early 1944. I must have missed something.

--Larry

User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

#8

Post by Kim Sung » 10 Sep 2005, 01:53

This is another source for the heroic battle of Adzhimushkay. http://english.pobediteli.ru/
Attachments
Adzhimushkay2.jpg
Adzhimushkay2.jpg (80.58 KiB) Viewed 10046 times
Adzhimushkay1.jpg
Adzhimushkay1.jpg (77.5 KiB) Viewed 10040 times

User avatar
Victor
Member
Posts: 3904
Joined: 10 Mar 2002, 15:25
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Contact:

#9

Post by Victor » 10 Sep 2005, 08:09

killchola, this is not the first time you are in violation of the rules regarding the posting of images on the forum. Further violations will also result in deletions.

The photos posted by killchola (and more) are available on this website about Kerch: http://www.club.cris.net/crimea/htm/kerch1.htm

User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

#10

Post by Kim Sung » 10 Sep 2005, 10:45

Victor wrote:killchola, this is not the first time you are in violation of the rules regarding the posting of images on the forum. Further violations will also result in deletions.

The photos posted by killchola (and more) are available on this website about Kerch: http://www.club.cris.net/crimea/htm/kerch1.htm
I simply forgot to add the link. Not intentionally.

User avatar
Kim Sung
Member
Posts: 5039
Joined: 28 May 2005, 14:36
Location: The Last Confucian State

#11

Post by Kim Sung » 10 Sep 2005, 10:55

I'm searching for more detailed information on how the battle of Adzhimushkay was fought.

1. A more accurate number of soldiers and civilians who resisted in quarries of Adzhimushkay

2. How could such a large number of people resist for 5 months without getting any food or ammunition from the outside? It's a miracle! It's physically and physiologically impossible!

3. Under an almost imprisoned situation, what made them keep fighting for certain deaths?

4. What happened to those 48 survivors?

* I think there's no comparable case in human history in which such a large number of people chose heroic deaths in fighting and resisting in this narrow place for such a long period of time. If there's a comparable case, let me know.

User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

#12

Post by Benoit Douville » 12 Sep 2005, 02:53

I have never heard of it, either. It is quite interesting, there is always something to learn when it comes to the Eastern Front.

Regards

gewehrdork
Member
Posts: 512
Joined: 28 Jan 2004, 04:32
Location: Rural Abode, USA

#13

Post by gewehrdork » 12 Sep 2005, 03:23

This is news to me too. Is it possible this is a case of post war soviet revisionist propaganda ?.

User avatar
Kunikov
Member
Posts: 4455
Joined: 20 Jan 2004, 20:23
Contact:

#14

Post by Kunikov » 12 Sep 2005, 04:02

gewehrdork wrote:This is news to me too. Is it possible this is a case of post war soviet revisionist propaganda ?.
'soviet revisionist propaganda'? Exactly what in the history of WWII is 'soviet revisionist propaganda'?

User avatar
Victor
Member
Posts: 3904
Joined: 10 Mar 2002, 15:25
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Contact:

#15

Post by Victor » 12 Sep 2005, 06:07

I have found a mention of some 10,000 people fighting on at Adzhimushkay in a Romanian book on the battles in Crimea, but it was taken from Soviet sources, not Romanian archives, so unfortunately there weren't many more details.

Post Reply

Return to “WW2 in Eastern Europe”