Editing Sevastopol (section)

===World War II===
{{main|Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)}}
During [[World War II]], Sevastopol withstood intensive bombardment by the Germans in 1941–42, supported by their Italian and Romanian allies during the [[Battle of Sevastopol]]. German forces used [[railway artillery]]—including history's largest-ever calibre railway artillery piece in battle, the 80-cm calibre ''[[Schwerer Gustav]]''—and [[Karl-Gerät|specialised mobile heavy mortars]] to destroy Sevastopol's extremely heavy fortifications, such as the [[Maxim Gorky Fortresses]]. After fierce fighting, which lasted for 250 days,<ref>{{cite book|first=Barrie|last=Pitt|url={{GBurl|id=Q94762dwrPsC|q=Axis+forces%2Bsevastopol%22250+days%22}}|title=History of the Second World War|volume=5|year=1966|publisher=Purnell|oclc=	1110288057}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Willmott|first=H. P.|url={{GBurl|id=IRIcZeEZB8QC|pg=PT269}}|title=The Great Crusade: A New Complete History of the Second World War|page=269|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|year=2008|isbn=978-1-61234-387-7|oclc=	755581494}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Michael Clement |last=Hall|url={{GBurl|id=iIuUBgAAQBAJ|p=52}}|title=The Crimea. A very short history|page=52|year=2014|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-304-97576-8|oclc=980143992}}</ref> the fortress city finally fell to Axis forces in July 1942.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ww2aerialreconstudies.com/sevastopol-.html|title=WW2 Aerial Reconnaissance Studies - Sevastopol, Balaclava and the Crimea 1942-1943|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180712052743/https://www.ww2aerialreconstudies.com/sevastopol-.html|archive-date=12 July 2018|url-status=live|access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref> It was intended to be renamed to "''Theodorichshafen''"<ref>{{cite book |title=Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg, 14 November 1945-1 October 1946: Proceedings |volume=1–42 |date=1947 |publisher=International Military Tribunal |isbn=0-404-53650-6 |page=168 |url={{GBurl|id=3QU1AQAAIAAJ|q=sevastopol+Theodorichshafen}} |access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref> (in reference to [[Theodoric the Great]] and the fact that Crimea had been home to Germanic [[Goths]] until the 18th or 19th century) in the event of a German victory against the Soviet Union, and like the rest of Crimea was designated for future colonisation by the Third Reich. It was liberated by the [[Red Army]] on 9 May 1944 and was awarded the [[Hero City (Soviet Union)|Hero City]] title a year later.