SS-Gruppenführer Ludolf-Hermann von Alvensleben (1901–70). After directing the ethnic cleansing of the Crimea in 1941–43, Alvensleben returned to Germany once the Crimea was isolated by the Red Army’s advance. Although he was captured by British forces in April 1945, he managed to escape and make his way to Argentina, where he lived as a fugitive for the rest of his life. He was tried and sentenced to death in absentia by a Polish court for war crimes he committed in Poland in 1939, but was never held accountable for his crimes in the Crimea.
SS-Gruppenführer Otto Ohlendorf (1907–51). After murdering at least 90,000 people in and around the Crimea, Ohlendorf returned to staff positions in Germany in 1943. He remained close to Himmler and was captured with him in April 1945. He was tried and convicted for crimes against humanity by a US military tribunal and hanged in June 1951. Much of what we know today about Einsatzgruppe D’s activities is based upon Ohlendorf’s frank testimony, and he remained unapologetic about his actions.
General der Infanterie Karl Allmendinger (1891–65). Allmendinger was placed in reserve after the loss of the Crimea and received no further assignments. He was captured by US troops in 1945 but was released two years later.
Generalleutnant Johannes Zuckertort (1886–1969). Zuckertort continued to command HArko 306 until November 1942, at which point he was transferred to France. In May 1944 he was retired from the Wehrmacht and later died in East Germany.
Korvettenkapitän Karl-Heinz Birnbacher (1910–91). Commander of 1. Schnellbootsflottille until August 1942. In December 1943, he took command of the destroyer Z-24 at Bordeaux and survived when the ship was sunk by British bombers in August 1944. Afterwards, he commanded a naval battalion in the defense of the Fortress-South Gironde, which did not surrender to French troops until April 1945. Birnbacher was released from captivity in 1947 and joined the newly formed Bundesmarine in 1956. In 1959, he took command of the destroyer Z-1, West Germany’s first major warship. He continued to serve in senior naval positions until his retirement in 1970.
Generalleutant Gerhard Barkhorn (1919–83). Three weeks after he left the Crimea, Barkhorn was shot down and badly wounded by Soviet P-39 fighters. He returned to flight duty in October 1944, flying defensive missions over the Reich. He began flying the Me-262 jet fighter in 1945 but scored no victories in it. By the end of the war he claimed 301 aerial victories, making him the second-highest-scoring Luftwaffe pilot of World War II. After brief captivity by US forces in 1945, Barkhorn joined the Bundesluftwaffe in 1956. He commanded the 31st Fighter-Bomber Wing, initially equipped with American-made F-84F jet fighters, and then F-104 Starfighters, from 1957–62. He retired from the Luftwaffe as a Generalleutnant in 1976.
Appendix B: Comparative rank table
| US Army rank | Wehrmacht rank | Soviet rank |
|---|---|---|
| General of the Army | Generalfeldmarschall | Marshal of the Soviet Union |
| General | Generaloberst | General-Armiyi |
| Lieutenant General | General der (Infanterie) | General-Polkovnik |
| Major General | Generalleutnant | General-Leytenant |
| Brigadier General | Generalmajor | General-Major |
| Colonel | Oberst | Polkovnik |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Oberstleutnant | Podpolkovnik |
| Major | Major | Major |
| Captain | Hauptmann | Kapetan |
| First Lieutenant | Oberleutnant | Starshiy Leytenant |
| Second Lieutenant | Leutnant | Mladshiy Leytenant |
| Master Sergeant | Oberfeldwebel | Starshina |
| Technical Sergeant | Feldwebel | Starshiy Serzhant |
| Staff Sergeant | Unterfeldwebel | -- |
| Sergeant | Unteroffizier | Serzhant |
| Corporal | -- | Mladshiy Serzhant |
| Private First Class | Obergefreiter | Yefreytor |
Appendix C: The Black Sea Fleet in June 1941
| Type | No. | Class | Name | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battleships | 1 | Gangut | Parizhskaya Kommuna | 1914 |
| Heavy cruisers | 2 | Kirov | Molotov, Voroshilov | 1940–41 |
| Light cruisers | 4 | Svetlana | Krasny Krym, Krasny Kavkaz | 1928–32 |
| Admiral Nakhimov | Chervona Ukraina | 1927 | ||
| Bogatyr | Komintern | 1905 | ||
| Flotilla leaders | 3 | Tashkent | Tashkent | 1939 |
| Leningrad | Moskva, Kharkov | 1938 | ||
| Destroyers | 14 | Soobrazitel’ny (Type 7U) | Smyshlyonyi, Soobrazite’ny, Sposobnyi | 1940–41 |
| Gnevny (Type 7) | Bodry, Bystry, Bezuprechny, Bditelny, Boiky, Bezposhchadny | 1938–39 | ||
| Fidonisy | Dzherzhinsky, Zhelezniakov, Shaumyan, Nyezamozhnik | 1924–25 | ||
| Derzky | Frunze | 1914 | ||
| Submarines | 44 | S-Class | S-31, S-32, S-33, S-34 | 1940–41 |
| L-Class | L-4, L-5, L-6, L-23, L-24, L-25 | 1931–41 | ||
| M-Class | M-31 to M-36, M-51, M-52, M-54, M-55, M-58 to M-60, M-62 | 1933–41 | ||
| Shchuka | Shch-201 to Shch-216 | 1932–38 | ||
| Dekabrist | D-4, D-5, D-6 | 1929 | ||
| AG-class | A-1 to A-5 | 1922–30 | ||
| Minesweepers | 13 | Tral-class | T-401 to T-413 | 1936–41 |