Plagued by Soviet resistance from the outset of occupation, they failed to establish order to any extent that allowed for colonisation to take place, and lost further support due to the slow pace of land reform programmes and a lack of response to Crimean Tatar nationalist sentiment.

It was variously proposed to be annexed into Reichskommissariat Ukraine, made part of Germany proper, or transformed into an independent state under German suzerainty.

[3] According to the Nazis, these Goths had existed long enough to intermingle with the later Crimea Germans,[4] settlers who began arriving as part of the migrations of the late-18th century with the support of the German-born Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

[5][failed verification] By the time of the Russian Revolution of 1917, Crimean Germans made up the local élite, comprising 20% of the Simferopol city council.

Despite this, however, after the Axis Powers launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Soviet authorities from August 1941 deported over 60,000 ethnic Germans from Crimea; "evacuating" them eventually to Siberia or to Central Asia.

Turkish interests in Crimea, stretching back to the early days of the Ottoman Empire, primarily involved the protection of the Crimean Tatars.

In a directive dating to early July 1941, Hitler called for the immediate expulsion of all Russians from the peninsula, with Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars only to be removed in case of absolute necessity.

After much lobbying and the intervention of Turkish general Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir Erkilet, two followers of Seydamet Qırımer were granted visas to enter Turkey.

Nonetheless, following the visit, Rosenberg noted that it would be necessary to ensure Crimean Tatar prisoners of war be treated humanely out of respect for Turkey.

[15] Another element of collaboration was local-level "Muslim Committees", established as a compromise between pro-Turkic voices and the Wehrmacht, which viewed Crimean Tatars as insignificant in comparison to Crimea's Slavic majority.

On 6 July 1942, in spite of previous protests against the liquidation of Crimea's Russian population (for economic reasons), officials the Wehrmacht participated in a conference with Schutzstaffel members on resettlement camps, the genocide of "untermenschen", and the establishment of transport facilities for deported peoples.

Alongside his position as commander of forces in Crimea, Kleist was involved in the Battle of the Caucasus, and his attitudes towards the North Caucasian peoples served as a basis for later activity he conducted in regards to the Crimean Tatars.

Such sentiment was widespread among nationalist circles, as Germany's unclear attitude and gains by the Red Army led to increased feelings of consternation.

Özenbaşlı made an unsuccessful effort to effectively rebuild Milliy Firqa, the leading party of the Crimean Tatars during the Russian Revolution.

[17] On 1 September 1942, the Wehrmacht released the five districts of Generalbezirk Krym-Taurien north of the Isthmus of Perekop to a civilian government which acted as part of Reichskommissariat Ukraine.

This administration, based in Melitopol and headed by the Generalbezirk's de jure General Commissioner Alfred Frauenfeld, was simply referred to as "Taurida" (German: Taurien).

Frauenfeld soon found himself embroiled in conflict with the Reichskommissar of Ukraine, Erich Koch, who instituted an economic blockade of with the support of Hitler and Himmler with the intention of starving out the Crimean Tatar population.

In February 1943, he issued a series of 14 points, including the following: This newfound interest in Crimea was met with strong resistance from the SS, which regarded Kleist's involvement in civilian affairs as unwelcome.

The proposal, which never reached far beyond the planning stages due to Soviet advances, was allocated insufficient resources for its completion, but served as the base for the Kerch railway bridge, a post-war construction which existed for less than a year before collapsing in February 1945.

"[14] Islam was regarded by German authorities as a method for effective control of the Crimean Tatar population, as well as other Muslim peoples throughout the Soviet Union.

As an attempt to counteract the establishment of SADUM, German officials organised a congress of Muslims from Crimea, Tatarstan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, to be overseen by Amin al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

[21] Following Crimea's recapture by Soviet forces, the German government again sought to give Özenbaşlı the title of mufti, and requested that he travel to Berlin to be officially appointed.

[21] Plans for Crimea's post-war future remained a topic of debate in the halls of German power until it was ultimately recaptured by Soviet forces.

[22] The Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories (Ostministerium), headed by Rosenberg, took an aggressive position in regards to Crimea's post-war fate.

After the end of the Crimean campaign, however, another plan developed, intending to settle the peninsula with Germans from the Italian region South Tyrol, in order to resolve Italo-German tensions.

During this time, he formulated a plan to bring Muslims to rise up against Soviet rule through an extensive propaganda campaign involving radio broadcasts, pamphlets, and the usage of spokespeople.

In spite of organisational issues,[26] the Crimean resistance managed to pose a significant threat to German activities in Crimea, and was praised by Soviet generals Aleksandr Vasilevsky and Panteleimon Ponomarenko as being a vital part of the war effort.