Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
10 May 1944
[No. 111]

ORDER

OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

To Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky

To Army General Tolbukhin

Troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front, supported by massed strikes of aircraft and artillery, as a result of three days of offensive fighting broke through the heavily fortified permanent German defences consisting of three lines of reinforced-concrete defensive works, and a few hours ago captured by storm the fortress and most important naval base on the Black Sea — the city of Sevastopol.

Thereby the last centre of German resistance in the Crimea has been eliminated, and the Crimea has been completely cleared of the German-fascist invaders.

In the fighting for Sevastopol, distinction was won by troops of Lieutenant-General Zakharov, Lieutenant-General Kreizer, Lieutenant-General Melnik, Lieutenant-General Chanchibadze, Lieutenant-General Kolomiets, Major-General Lovyagin, Lieutenant-General Missan, Major-General Neverov, Major-General Koshevoi, Major-General Provalov, Major-General Luchinsky, Major-General Rozhdestvensky; artillerymen of Colonel-General of Artillery Krasnopevtsev, Major-General of Artillery Strelbitsky, Major-General of Artillery Telegin, Major-General of Artillery Sokolsky, Major-General of Artillery Tveretsky, Colonel Kobzev, Colonel Frolov; tankmen of Colonel Potseluyev, Colonel Barabash, Colonel Zhidkov; airmen of Marshal of Aviation Golovanov, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Khryukin, Major-General of Aviation Savitsky, Major-General of Aviation Filin, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Yermachenkov, Major-General of Aviation Fedorov, Major-General of Aviation Rubanov, Major-General of Aviation Kuznetsov, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Tupikov, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Loginov, Major-General of Aviation Volkov, Major-General of Aviation Shchetnikov, Colonel Prutkov, Colonel Getman, Colonel Chuchev, Colonel Geibo, Colonel Volkov, Colonel Kanarev, Lieutenant-Colonel Korzunov, Lieutenant-Colonel Manzhosov, Lieutenant-Colonel Rozhdestvensky, Colonel Lyubimov; seamen of Admiral Oktyabrsky, Rear-Admiral Boltunov, Captain 1st Rank Filippov, Captain 1st Rank Solovyev, Captain 2nd Rank Protsenko, Captain 2nd Rank Dyachenko; sappers of Major-General of Engineering Troops Kolesnikov, Colonel Pavlov, Colonel Koryavko, and signallers of Lieutenant-General of Signal Troops Korolev.

To commemorate the victory, the formations and units which distinguished themselves most in the fighting for the liberation of Sevastopol shall be recommended for conferment of the title "Sevastopol" and for award of orders.

Today, 10 May, at 1 hour, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, on behalf of the Motherland, salutes the valiant troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front that captured the city of Sevastopol with twenty-four artillery salvoes from three hundred and twenty-four guns.

For excellent combat operations I express my thanks to the troops under your command who participated in the fighting for the liberation of Sevastopol.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the fighting for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

10 May 1944 [No. 111]

NOTE

29 Liberated on 9 May 1944.