Odessa was the key commercial port of the former Russian Empire, mostly exporting grain. In terms of wealth and cultural significance, the city's only rivals at the time were St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Nazi invaders saw the Odessa operation as a mere cakewalk, seeking to make it a center of a future Third Reich local governorship.
However, the enemy's plans completely failed as the city stood strong against the invaders. The siege lasted from August 5 to October 16, 1941, and became a national symbol of heroic resistance.
Once the city was defended, the Soviet command decided to evacuate the local population and leave Odessa for strategic purposes. The evacuation covered Odessa-based manufacturing facilities, about 300,000 civilians, as well as the Black Sea forces alongside artillery. The evacuation was carried out by land and sea and allowed the Soviet Army to regroup and prepare for the upcoming offense to force the Nazis out of the region.
Soviet forces launched the Odessa offensive on March 26, 1944, during which the armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front liberated the city. It followed the Soviet Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive in early March which pushed the German 6th Army back to behind the Southern Bug River and allowed the Red Army to occupy better ground and move through the area.
A red banner raised over the Odessa Opera Theater on April 10 became a symbol of the city's liberation from the occupants.
Check out Sputnik's gallery to get a look at one of the most important chapters of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).