We have all heard of the Normandy landings during WWII, but in the West few people have heard of the amphibious landings at Kerch. They were some of the most ambitious amphibious landings in history. The technique used was crude - with relatively little preparation or bombardment, instead of using landing craft, merchant ships were simply driven onto the shore and soldiers had to jump over the side to reach the shore. Perhaps not surprisingly, the result was ultimately the near total destruction of the Soviet forces involved.