Battle of Narva (1944)

1.1 Terrain

For other Battles of Narva, see Battle of Narva.

Terrain played a signicant role in operations around

Narva. The elevation above sea level rarely rises above
100 meters in the area and the land is cut by numerous
waterways, including the Narva and Plyussa Rivers. The
bulk of the land in the region is forested and large swamps
inundate areas of low elevation. The eect of the terrain
The campaign took place in the northern section of the on operations was one of channelization; because of the
Eastern Front and consisted of two major phases: the swamps, only certain areas were suitable for large-scale
Battle for Narva Bridgehead (February to July 1944)[6] troop movement.[1]
and the Battle of Tannenberg Line (JulyAugust 1944).[7]
The Soviet KingiseppGdov Oensive and Narva Oensives (1528 February, 14 March and 1824 March)
were part of the Red Army Winter Spring Campaign of
1944.[8] Following Joseph Stalin's Broad Front strategy, these battles coincided with the DnieperCarpathian
Oensive (December 1943 April 1944) and the Lvov
Sandomierz Oensive (JulyAugust 1944).[8] A number
of foreign volunteers and local Estonian conscripts participated in the battle as part of the German forces. By
giving its support to the illegal German conscription call,
the Estonian resistance movement had hoped to recreate
a national army and restore the independence of the country.
The Battle of Narva[nb 1] was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment Narwa and the
Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the
strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February
10 August 1944 during World War II.

As a continuation of the LeningradNovgorod Oensive

of January 1944, the Soviet Estonian operation pushed
the front westward to the Narva River, aiming to destroy
Narwa and to thrust deep into Estonia. The Soviet units
established a number of bridgeheads on the western bank
of the river in February while the Germans maintained
a bridgehead on the eastern bank. Subsequent attempts
failed to expand their toehold. German counterattacks
annihilated the bridgeheads to the north of Narva and reduced the bridgehead south of the town, stabilizing the
front until July 1944. The Soviet Narva Oensive (July
1944) led to the capture of the city forcing the German
troops to retreat to their prepared Tannenberg Defence
Line in the Sinimed hills 16 kilometres from Narva. In
the ensuing erce Battle of Tannenberg Line, the German
army group held its ground. Stalins main strategic goal
a quick recovery of Estonia as a base for air and seaborne
attacks against Finland and an invasion of East Prussia
was not achieved. As a result of the tough defence of
the German forces the Soviet war eort in the Baltic Sea
region was hampered for seven and a half months.

The terrain of the Narva Isthmus is dominated by water and

forests.

On a strategic scale, a natural choke point was present

between the northern shore of Lake Peipus and the Gulf
of Finland. The 45 kilometre wide strip of land was
entirely bisected by the Narva River and had large areas of wilderness. The primary transportation routes, the
NarvaTallinn highway and railway, ran on an east-west
axis near and parallel to the coastline. There were no
other east-west transportation routes capable of sustaining troop movement on a large scale in the region.[1]

1.2 Preceding actions

Main article: Krasnoye SeloRopsha Oensive
On 14 January 1944, the Leningrad Front launched
the Krasnoye SeloRopsha Oensive, aimed at forcing
the German 18th Army back from its positions near
Oranienbaum. On the third day of the oensive, the Soviets broke through German lines and pushed westward.[9]

Background
1

BACKGROUND

The Army Group North evacuated the civilian population war waging around them appeared dangerous enough to
of Narva.[10]
keep negotiating. To inuence Finland, Stalin needed to
take Estonia.[11] His wish was an order to the commanders of the Leningrad Front, with their heads at stake.[15]
1.3 Soviet aims
After reinforcements, the Narva front acquired the highest concentration of forces at any point on the Eastern
By 1944 it was fairly routine practice for Stavka to as- Front in March 1944.[16] By July 1944, a detailed plan
sign its operating fronts new and more ambitious mis- was prepared for the Soviet advance to Tallinn.[17]
sions while the Soviet Armed Forces were conducting
major oensive operations. The rationale was that relentless pressure might trigger a German collapse. For 1.4 Soviet deployments
the 1943/1944 winter campaign, Stalin ordered the Red
Army to conduct major oensives along the entire SovietGerman front in a continuation of the 'Broad Front' strategy he had pursued since the beginning of the war. This
was applied in consonance with his long-standing rationale that, if the Red Army applied pressure along the entire front, German defences were likely to break in at least
one section. The Soviet winter campaign included major
assaults across the entire expanse the front in the Ukraine,
Belorussia and against the German Panther Line in the region of the Baltic Sea.[8]
Breaking through the Narva Isthmus situated between the
Gulf of Finland and Lake Peipus was of major strategic importance to the Soviet Armed Forces. The success
of the Estonian operation would have provided an unobstructed lane to advance along the coast to Tallinn, forcing
the German Army Group North to escape from Estonia
for fear of getting cornered. For the Baltic Fleet trapped
in an eastern bay of the Gulf of Finland, Tallinn was the
closest exit to the Baltic Sea.[1] The ejection of the Army
Group North from Estonia would have made Finland subject to air and amphibious attacks originating from Estonian bases. The prospect of an invasion of East Prussia through Estonia[11] appealed even more to Stavka, as
it could bring German resistance to a standstill.[12] With
the participation of Leonid Govorov, commander of the
Leningrad Front, and Vladimir Tributz, commander of
the Baltic Fleet, a scheme was prepared to destroy the
Army Group North.[12][13] Stalin ordered the capture of
Narva at all costs no later than 17 February:[14]
It is mandatory that our forces seize Narva no
later than 17 February 1944. This is required
both for military as well as political reasons. It
is the most important thing right now. I demand that you undertake all necessary measures to liberate Narva no later than the period
indicated. (signed) I. Stalin
After the failure of the Leningrad Front, Stalin gave a
new order on 22 February: to break through the Narwa
defence, give a shock at Prnu, eliminate the German
forces in Estonia, direct two armies at Southeast Estonia, keep going through Latvia and open the road to East
Prussia and Central Europe. On the same day, the Soviet Union presented Finland with peace conditions.[14]
While Finland regarded the terms as unacceptable, the

Situation around Narva, March 1944.

Three Soviet armies were deployed at the maximum concentration of forces in March 1944. The 2nd Shock Army
was placed north of Narva, the 59th Army was positioned
south of Narva and the 8th Army south of the 59th Army
along the 50 km long Narva River stretching down to
Lake Peipus. Detailed information on the size of the Soviet forces at the Narva front during the Winter-Spring
campaign has not been published by any sources. It is
impossible to give an overview on the Soviet strength until the Red Army archival information is made available to
non-Russian investigators or published.[1] Estonian historian Hannes Walter has estimated the number of Soviet
troops in the Battle of Narva at 205,000,[3] which is in
accordance with the number of divisions multiplied by
the assumed sizes of the divisions presented by the Estonian historian Mart Laar.[2] The order of battle of the
Leningrad Front as of 1 March 1944:[18]
2nd Shock Army Lieutenant General Ivan
Fedyuninsky
43rd Rie Corps Major General Anatoli Andreyev
109th Rie Corps Major General Ivan
Alferov
124th Rie Corps Major General Voldemar
Damberg

1.6

Aims of the Estonian resistance movement

8th Army Lieutenant General Filip Starikov

6th Rie Corps Major General Semyon
Mikulski

3
We are standing on the border of our native
land. Every step backwards will carry the war
through the air and water to Germany.

112th Rie Corps Major General Filip As Finland was negotiating with the Soviet Union for
Solovev
peace, the Oberkommando des Heeres paid attention
to the Narva front, using every means to convince the
59th Army Lieutenant General Ivan Korovnikov
Finnish Defence Command that their defence was going
117th Rie Corps Major General Vasili to hold. The German command informed their Finnish
colleagues in detail about the events on the Narva front
Trubachev
while a delegation of the Finnish Defence Command vis 122nd Rie Corps Major General Pantelei- ited Narva in spring 1944.[2] Besides being a narrow cormon Zaitsev
ridor well suited for defence, the terrain in the area of
Narva was dominated by forests and swamps. Directly
behind the Narva River lay the city itself, ideally posiSeparate detachments:
tioned as a bastion from which defending forces could inuence combat to both the north and south of the city
8th Estonian Rie Corps Lieutenant General Lemalong the river valley.[1]
bit Prn[19]
This position was the northern segment of the Ger 14th Rie Corps Major General Pavel Artyushenko man Panther Line and it was where Generalfeldmarschall
Georg von Kchler in charge of the Army Group wanted
124th Rie Division Colonel Mikhail Papchenko
to set up his defence. Hitler initially refused and replaced
von Kchler with Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model
30th Guards Rie Corps Lieutenant General Nikoas the commander of the Army Group North.[9] Model
lai Simonyak
agreed with von Kchler, and as one of Hitlers favourites
46th, 260th and 261st Separate Guards Heavy he also was allowed more freedom. Using this freedom
Tank and 1902nd Separate Self-propelled Artillery to his advantage, Model managed to fall back and begin
establishing a line along the Narva River with a strong
regiments[20]
bridgehead on the eastern bank in Ivangorod. This ap 3rd Breakthrough Artillery Corps Major General peased Hitler and followed the German standard operating procedure for defending a river line.[9] On 1 FebruN. N. Zhdanov
ary 1944, the High Command of Army Group North
3rd Guards Tank Corps Major General I. A. tasked the Sponheimer Group (renamed Army DetachVovchenko
ment Narwa on 23 February) to defend the segment
of the Panther Line at the isthmus between the Gulf of
[1]
At the start of the Narva Oensive (July 1944), the Finland and Lake Peipus at all costs. Stalin presented
Leningrad Front deployed 136,830 troops,[21] 150 tanks, Finland with his peace terms on 8 February 1944, after
the initial Soviet success. With the tactical victories of
2,500 assault guns and 800+ aircraft.[2]
Narwa from mid-February to April, Finland terminated
the negotiations on 18 April 1944.[23][2]

1.5

German and Finnish aims

Further information: Continuation War

The Oberkommando des Heeres believed it was crucial
to stabilize the front on the Narva River. A Soviet breakthrough here would have meant the loss of the northern
coast of Estonia and with it loss of control of the Gulf of
Finland, giving the Soviet Baltic Fleet access to the Baltic
Sea.[1] A breakthrough by the eet would have threatened
German control of the entire Baltic Sea and the shipment
of iron ore imports from Sweden. The loss of Narva
would have meant fuel derived from the adjacent KohtlaJrve oil shale deposits (32 kilometers west of Narva on
the coast) would be denied to the German war machine.[1]
As Colonel General Georg Lindemann said in his daily
order to the 11th Infantry Division:[22]

1.6 Aims of the Estonian resistance movement

Further information: National Committee of the Republic of Estonia
During the course of the occupation of Estonia by Nazi
Germany, Estonian expectations of regaining their independence began to diminish. Pursuant to the Constitution
of Estonia, formally still in force, Estonian politicians
formed an underground National Committee of the Republic of Estonia which convened on 14 February 1944.
As President Konstantin Pts was currently imprisoned
by the Soviet authorities, the acting head of state according to the Constitution was the former Prime Min-

1.7 Formation
Narwa

The 18 September 1944 proclamation of the Government of Estonia in Riigi Teataja (Government gazette)

ister Jri Uluots. The German-appointed Estonian SelfAdministration had previously attempted several unsuccessful general mobilisation calls, which were illegal under the Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) and opposed
by Uluots.[24][25] In February 1944 when the Leningrad
Front reached the vicinity of Narva and the Soviet return became a real threat, Uluots switched his stand on
the German draft. In a radio speech on 7 February, Uluots reasoned that armed Estonians could become useful
against both Germans and Soviets. He also hinted that
Estonian troops on Estonian soil would have: "... a significance much wider than what I could and would be able to
disclose here.[26] Along with other Estonian politicians,
Uluots saw resistance against the Soviet Armed Forces
as a means of preventing the restoration of Soviet power
and restoring Estonias independence once the war was
over.[27] The conscription call was received with popular support and the mobilisation brought together 38,000
men[28] who were formed into seven border guard regiments and the ctitiously named[10] 20th Estonian SSVolunteer Division,[29][30] commonly referred to among
the German Armed Forces as the Estonian Division.[15]
Combined with the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 (voluntary Estonians in the Finnish army) and the conscripts
within the Waen SS, a total of 70,000 Estonian troops
were under Nazi German arms in 1944.[24]

of

BACKGROUND

Army

Detachment

In February 1944, the L and LIV Army Corps along

with the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps were on the left
ank of the 18th Army as they retreated to Narva. On 4
February, the Sponheimer Group was released from the
18th Army and subordinated directly to the Army Group
North. In support of the forces already in place, Hitler ordered reinforcements. The Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle,
with over 10,000 troops and their equipment, was airlifted from Belorussia into Estonia via the aireld at Tartu
on 1 February. A week later, the 5th Battalion of the
Panzergrenadier Grodeutschland Division arrived at the
front. The Grenadier Regiment Gnesen (an ad hoc regiment formed from replacement army units in Poland) was
sent from Germany and arrived on 11 February. Three
days later, the 214th Infantry Division was transferred
from Norway. Over the next two weeks various units
were added to the group, including the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, several divisions of the Wehrmacht, the Estonian Division and local
Estonian border guard and Estonian Auxiliary Police battalions. Infantry General Otto Sponheimer was replaced
by General Johannes Friener and the Sponheimer Group
was renamed Army Detachment Narwa on 23 February. The Army Group North ordered the deployment of
Narwa on 22 February in the following positions: III
SS Panzer Corps deployed to Narva, Ivangorod Bridgehead on the east bank of the river and north of Narva; the
XXXXIII Army Corps against the Krivasoo Bridgehead
south of the city; and the XXVI Army Corps to the sector
between the Krivasoo Bridgehead and Lake Peipus. As
of 1 March 1944, there were a total of 123,541 personnel
subordinated to the Army Group in the following order of
battle:[1]
III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps SSObergruppenfhrer Felix Martin Julius Steiner
11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
4th SS Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland
20th Estonian SS-Volunteer Division
XXVI Army Corps General der Infanterie Anton
Grasser
11th Infantry Division
58th Infantry Division
214th Infantry Division
225th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
3rd Estonian Border Guard Regiment (as of 15
April)
XXXXIII Army Corps General der Infanterie Karl
von Oven
61st Infantry Division

2.2

Narva Oensives, 1528 February and 14 March

170th Infantry Division

227th Infantry Division
Feldherrnhalle Panzergrenadier Division
Gnesen Grenadier Regiment
Separate units:
Eastern sector, coastal defence (the sta of the 2nd
Anti-Aircraft Division as the HQ) Lieutenant General Alfons Luczny
Estonian Regiment Reval
3 Estonian police battalions
2 Estonian eastern battalions
Other military units:
Artillery Command No. 113
High Pioneer Command No. 32
502nd Heavy Tank Battalion
752nd Anti-Tank Battalion
540th Special Infantry (Training) Battalion
Soviet map of the beginning of Estonian Operation, February

In the summer of 1944, the Panzergrenadier Division April 1944

Feldherrnhalle and seven infantry divisions were removed
from the Narva Front,[2] leaving 22,250 troops at the
location.[31]
looming Soviet return. At the same time, the Soviet
108th Rie Corps landed units across Lake Peipus 120
kilometres south of Narva and established a bridgehead
around the village of Meerapalu. By a coincidence, the
2 Combat activity
I.Battalion, SS Volunteer Grenadier Regiment 45 (1st Estonian), which was headed for Narva, reached the same
Further information: Battle for Narva Bridgehead
area. A battalion of the 44th Infantry Regiment (consisting of personnel from East Prussia), the I.Battalion, 1st
Estonian and an air squadron destroyed the Soviet bridgehead on 1516 February. The Merekla Landing Opera2.1 Formation of bridgeheads
tion was conducted as the 517-strong 260th Independent
Naval Infantry Brigade landed at the coastal borough of
Main article: KingiseppGdov Oensive
Merekla behind the Sponheimer Group lines. However,
the unit was almost completely annihilated.[1][15]
Launching the KingiseppGdov Oensive on 1 February,
the 2nd Shock Armys 109th Rie Corps captured the
town of Kingisepp on the rst day.[14] The 18th Army 2.2 Narva Oensives, 1528 February and
was forced into new positions on the eastern bank of
14 March
the Narva River.[17][1] Forward units of the 2nd Shock
Army crossed the river and established several bridgeheads on the west bank to the north and south of the Main articles: Narva Oensive (1528 February 1944)
city of Narva on 2 February. The 2nd Shock Army and Narva Oensive (14 March 1944)
expanded the bridgehead in the Krivasoo Swamp south
of Narva ve days later, temporarily cutting the Narva The Soviet 30th Guards Rie Corps and the 124th Rie
Tallinn Railway behind the III SS Panzer Corps. Govorov Corps launched a new Narva Oensive on 15 February.[8]
was unable to encircle the smaller German Army Group, In ferocious battles, units of the Sponheimer Group exwhich called in reinforcements. These came mostly from hausted the Soviet army, which halted its oensive. Both
the newly mobilised Estonians, motivated to resist the sides used the pause for bringing in additional forces. The

fresh SS Volunteer Grenadier Regiments 45 and 46 (1st

and 2nd Estonian) accompanied by units of the Nordland Division destroyed the Soviet bridgeheads north of
Narva by 6 March. The newly arrived 59th Army attacked westwards from the Krivasoo Swamp and encircled the strong points of the 214th Infantry Division and
Estonian 658th and 659th Eastern Battalions. The resistance of the encircled units gave the German command
time to move in all available forces and to stop the 59th
Army units advance.[1][15]

2.3

624 March

The Soviet air force conducted an air raid, leveling the

historic town of Narva on 6 March. An air and artillery
shock of 100,000 shells and grenades at the Nordland
and Nederland detachments in Ivangorod prepared the
way for the 30th Guards Rie Divisions attack on 8
March. Simultaneous pitched battles took place north
of the town, where the 14th Rie Corps supported by
the artillery of the 8th Estonian Rie Corps attempted
to re-establish a bridgehead. Regiments of the Estonian
SS Division repulsed the attacks, causing great Soviet
losses.[1][15]
Soviet air assaults against civilians in Estonian towns were
a part of the oensive, aimed at forcing the Estonians
away from supporting the German side. The Soviet Long
Range Aviation branch assaulted the Estonian capital of
Tallinn on the night of 89 March. Approximately 40%
of the housing was destroyed in the city; 25,000 people
were left homeless and 500 civilians were killed. The result of the air raid was the opposite of what the Soviets
intended, as people felt disgusted by the Soviet atrocities;
more men answered the German conscription call.[1][15]

COMBAT ACTIVITY

2.5 The Soviets capture Narva

Main article: Narva Oensive (July 1944)
The Soviet breakthrough in Belorussia forced the Army
Group North to withdraw a large portion of their troops
from Narva to the central part of the Eastern Front and
to Finland. As there were insucient forces for the
defence of the former front line at Narva in July, the
German army detachment began preparations for withdrawal to the Tannenberg defence line in the Sinimed
Hills 16 kilometres from Narva. The commanders of the
Leningrad Front were unaware of the preparations; they
designed a new Narva Oensive. Shock troops from the
Finnish front were concentrated near the town, giving the
Leningrad Front a 4:1 superiority both in manpower and
equipment. Before the German forces had implemented
their plan, the Soviet 8th Army launched their oensive;
the Battle of Auvere was the result. The I.Battalion, 1st
Estonian and the 44th Infantry Regiment repulsed the
attack, inicting heavy losses on the 8th Army. The
Nordland and Nederland detachments in Ivangorod
left their positions quietly during the night before 25 July.
The evacuation was carried out according to the German
plans until the 2nd Shock Army resumed the oensive in
the morning. Supported by 280,000 shells and grenades
from 1360 assault guns, the army crossed the river north
of the town. The II.Battalion, 1st Estonian Regiment kept
the Soviet shock Army from capturing the highway behind the retreating troops. The defensive operation led to
the destruction of the SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment 48 General Seyardt due to tactical errors. The
Soviet forces captured Narva on 26 July.[1][15]

2.6 Tannenberg Line

The Soviet tank attack at Auvere Station was stopped

by a squadron of the 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion on Main article: Battle of Tannenberg Line
17 March. The ensuing oensive continued for another The Soviet vanguard 201st and 256th Rie Divisions
week[8] until the Soviet forces had suered enough casualties to switch over to a defensive stance. This enabled
Narwa to take the initiative.[1][15]

2.4

Strachwitz oensive

The Strachwitz Battle Group annihilated the Soviet 8th

Army shock troop wedge at the western end of the Krivasoo Bridgehead on 26 March. The German battle
group destroyed the eastern tip of the bridgehead on
6 April. Generalmajor Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von
Gro-Zauche und Camminetz, inspired by the success,
tried to eliminate the whole bridgehead but was unable
to proceed due to the spring thaw that had rendered
the swamp impassable for the Tiger I tanks.[32] By the
end of April, the parties had mutually exhausted their
strengths. Relative calm settled on the front until late July
1944.[1][15]

Battle of Tannenberg Line, 2629 July 1944

attacked the Tannenberg Line and conquered part of the

Orphanage Hill, the easternmost of the area. The AntiTank Company, SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark returned the hill to the hands of the Narwa the

7
following night. The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps repulsed subsequent Soviet attempts to conquer the hills by
tanks on the following day. The SS Reconnaissance Battalion 11 and the I.Battalion, Waen Grenadier Regiment
47 (3rd Estonian) launched a ferocious counterattack during the night before 28 July. The assault collapsed under
the Soviet tank re which destroyed the Estonian battalion. In a pitched battle carried over to the next day without a break in the ghting, the two Soviet armies forced
Narwa into new positions at the Grenadier Hill, the central one.[1][15]

casualties in the later period of the battle was approximately 10,000. The total German casualties during the
Battle of Narva is estimated at 14,000 dead or missing
and 54,000 wounded or sick.[2]

The climax of the Battle of Tannenberg Line was the Soviet attack of 29 July. The shock units suppressed the
German resistance on the Orphanage Hill, while the Soviet main forces suered heavy casualties in the subsequent assault at the Grenadier Hill. The Soviet tanks
encircled it and the Tower Hill, the westernmost one.
Steiner, the commander of the III SS Panzer Corps, sent
out the remaining seven tanks, which hit the surprised Soviet armour and forced them back. This enabled an improvised battle group consisting of dierent nationalities
led by Hauptsturmfhrer Paul Maitla to launch a erce
counterattack which re-conquered the Grenadier Hill to
the German hands. Of the 136,830 Soviets initiating the
oensive, a few thousand had survived. The Soviet tank
regiments had been demolished.[1][15]

Further information: Baltic Oensive (1944)

4 Aftermath
4.1 Baltic Oensive

On 1 September, Finland announced the cessation of

military cooperation with Germany to sign an armistice
with the Soviet Union.[23] On 4 September, Finland
opened access for the Soviets to Finnish waters. With
the Soviet oensive at Riga threatening to complete their
encirclement, the Army Group North started preparations for the withdrawal of troops from Estonia in an
operation codenamed Aster. The possible transportation corridors were thoroughly prepared using maps at
headquarters.[2][35] On 14 September, a provisional order to start preparations for withdrawal was given to
the Nordland Division.[36] On 17 September 1944, a
naval force under Vice-Admiral Theodor Burchardi began evacuating elements of the German formations and
Estonian civilians. Within six days, around 50,000 troops
and 1,000 prisoners had been removed.[37] The elements
of the 18th Army in Estonia were ordered to withdraw
into Latvia.

With swift reinforcements, the two Soviet armies continued their attacks. The Stavka demanded the destruction
of the Narwa and the capture of Rakvere by 7 August.
The 2nd Shock Army was back to 20,000 troops by 2
August while numerous attempts using unchanged tactics
failed to break the multinational defence of the Narwa. The Soviet 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts launched their
Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front Baltic Oensive on 14 September. The operation was
terminated the oensive on 10 August.[1][15]
aimed at cutting o the Army Group North in Estonia.
After much argument, Adolf Hitler agreed to allow the
total evacuation of the troops in mainland Estonia. The
2nd Shock Army launched its Tallinn Oensive on 17
3 Casualties
September from the Emajgi River Front in South Estonia. At midnight on 18 September, the Army DetachDuring the Soviet era, the losses in the battle of Narva ment Narwa left its positions in the Tannenberg Line.
were not released by the Soviets.[2] In recent years, Rus- The 8th Army reconnaissance reported the evacuation
sian authors have published some gures[12][33] but not for ve hours after it had been completed and the Soviets
the whole course of the battles.[2] The number of Soviet started to chase the troops towards Estonian harbours and
casualties can only be estimated indirectly.[1][2]
the Latvian border. The III SS Panzer Corps reached
The Army Detachment Narwa lost 23,963 personnel Prnu by 20 September, while the II SS Corps retreated
[37]
The
as dead, wounded and missing in action in February southwards to form the 18th Armys rearguard.
Soviet
armies
advanced
to
take
Tallinn
on
22
Septem[31]
During the following months through to 30
1944.
July 1944, an additional 34,159 German personnel were ber. The Soviets had demolished the harbour at Haapsalu
lost, 5,748 of them dead and 1,179 missing in action.[1] by 24 September. The German Panzer Corps evacuated
[38]
The total German casualties during the initial phase of Vormsi Island just o the coast on the following day,
of mainland Esthe campaign was approximately 58,000 men, 12,000 of successfully completing the evacuation
[1]
The
8th Army went
tonia
with
only
minor
casualties.
them dead or missing in action. From 24 July to 10
on
to
take
the
remaining
West
Estonian
archipelago in
August 1944, the German forces buried 1709 men in
Moonsund
Landing
Operation.
The
Baltic
Oensive
the
[2][34]
Adding the troops missing in action, the
Estonia.
resulted
in
the
expulsion
of
the
German
forces
from Esnumber of dead in the period is estimated at approxiLithuania.
tonia,
a
large
part
of
Latvia,
and
mately 2,500. Accounting the standard ratio of 1/4 of the
wounded as irrecoverable losses, the number of German During the withdrawal from Estonia, the German com-

mand released thousands of native Estonian conscripts

from military service. The Soviet command began conscripting Baltic natives as areas were brought under Soviet control.[39] While some ended up serving on both
sides, thousands joined the Forest Brothers partisan detachments to avoid conscription.
Army Group North land lines of communication were
permanently severed from Army Group Centre and it
was relegated to the Courland Pocket, an occupied Baltic
seashore area in Latvia. On 25 January, Adolf Hitler renamed Army Group North the Courland, implicitly realising that there was no possibility of restoring a new
land corridor between Courland and East Prussia.[40] The
Red Army commenced the encirclement and reduction
of the pocket, enabling the Soviets to focus on operations towards East Prussia. The Army Group Courland
retained a possibility of being a major threat. Operations
by the Red Army against the Courland Pocket continued
until the surrender of Army Group Courland on 9 May
1945, when close to 200,000 Germans were taken prisoner there.

4.2

Outcome for Finland

REFERENCES AND NOTES

ment declared its neutrality in the war. The government

issued two editions of the Riigi Teataja (State Gazette)
but did not have time to distribute them. On 21 September, the national forces seized the government buildings
in Toompea, Tallinn and ordered the German forces to
leave.[27][41] The ag of Estonia was hoisted at the tower
of Pikk Hermann, to be removed by the Soviets four days
later. The Estonian Government in Exile served to carry
the continuity of the Estonian state forward until 1992,
when it handed its credentials over to the incoming President, Lennart Meri.

4.4 Civilian refugees

The delay of the Soviet advance allowed over 25,000 Estonians and 3,700 Swedes to ee to neutral Sweden and
6,000 Estonians to Finland. Thousands of refugees died
on boats and ships sunk in the Baltic Sea.[24] In September, 90,000 soldiers and 85,000 Estonian, Finnish and
German refugees and Soviet prisoners of war were evacuated to Germany.[38] The sole German cost of this evacuation was the loss of a steamboat. More German naval
evacuations followed from Estonian ports,[38] where up to
1,200 people were drowned in Soviet attacks.[24]

Main article: Continuation War Overtures for peace

4.5 Soviet reoccupation

The lengthy German defence during the Battle of Narva
denied the Soviets the use of Estonia as a favorable
base for amphibious invasions and air attacks against
Helsinki and other Finnish cities. Stavkas hopes of assaulting Finland from Estonia and forcing it into capitulation were diminished. Finnish Chief of Defence Carl
Gustav Emil Mannerheim repeatedly reminded the German side that in the event their troops in Estonia retreated, Finland would be forced to make peace even on
extremely unfavourable terms. Thus, the prolonged Battle of Narva helped Finland avoid a Soviet occupation,
sustained its capacity for resistance and enabled them to
enter negotiations for the Moscow Armistice on their own
terms.[4][12][14][15][31]

4.3

Attempt to restore Estonian Government

Main article: National Committee of the Republic of

Estonia

Main articles: Occupation of the Baltic states and

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Soviet rule of Estonia was re-established by force, and
sovietisation followed, which was mostly carried out in
19441950. The forced collectivisation of agriculture began in 1947, and was completed after the mass deportation of Estonians in March 1949. All private farms were
conscated, and farmers were made to join the collective
farms. Besides the armed resistance of the Forest Brothers, a number of underground nationalist schoolchildren
groups were active. Most of their members were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. The punitive actions decreased rapidly after Stalins death in 1953; from
195658, a large part of the deportees and political prisoners were allowed to return to Estonia. Political arrests
and numerous other kind of crimes against humanity were
committed all through the occupation period until the late
1980s. After all, the attempt to integrate Estonian society
into the Soviet system failed. Although the armed resistance was defeated, the population remained anti-Soviet.
This helped the Estonians to organise a new resistance
movement in the late 1980s, regain their independence in
1991, and then rapidly develop a modern society.[42]

The lengthy German defence prevented a swift Soviet

breakthrough into Estonia and gave the underground National Committee of the Republic of Estonia enough time
to attempt to re-establish Estonian independence. On 1
August 1944, the national committee pronounced itself
Estonias highest authority and on 18 September 1944, 5 References
acting head of state Uluots appointed a new government
led by Otto Tief. Over the radio in English, the govern- Footnotes

and notes

[1] Estonian: Narva lahing; German: Schlacht bei Narva;

Russian:

References
[1] Toomas Hiio (2006). Combat in Estonia in 1944. In
Toomas Hiio, Meelis Maripuu, & Indrek Paavle. Estonia
19401945: Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity.
Tallinn. pp. 10351094.
[2] Mart Laar (2006). Sinimed 1944: II maailmasja lahingud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimed Hills 1944: Battles of World
War II in Northeast Estonia) (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak.
[3] Hannes Walter. Estonia in World War II. Mississippi:
Historical Text Archive.
[4] F.I.Paulman (1980). Nachalo osvobozhdeniya Sovetskoy
Estoniy. Ot Narvy do Syrve (From Narva to Srve) (in
Russian). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat. pp. 7119.
[5] Doyle, Peter (2013). World War II in Numbers. A & C
Black. p. 105. ISBN 9781408188194.
[6] McTaggart, Pat The Battle of Narva, 1944, pp. 294, 296,
297,299, 302, 305, 307
[7] McTaggart, Pat The Battle of Narva, 1944, p. 306
[8] David M. Glantz (2001). The Soviet-German War 1941
1945: Myths and Realities. Glemson, South Carolina:
Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs, Clemson University.
[9] Kenneth W. Estes. A European Anabasis Western European Volunteers in the German Army and SS, 19401945.
Chapter 5. Despair and Fanaticism, 194445 Columbia
University Press
[10] Robert Sturdevant (10 February 1944). Strange Guerilla
Army Hampers Nazi Defence of Baltic. Times Daily
(Florence, Alabama).
[11] ; (1984). I.
Sraenie dlinoj v polgoda (Half a year of combat)".
, - 1944 (The Battle for Narva, FebruarySeptember 1944) (in Russian).
Tallinn: Eesti raamat. pp. 987.

[17] Wilhelm Tieke (2001). Tragedy of the faithful: a history

of the III. (germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps. Winnipeg:
J.J.Fedorowicz.
[18] 1 1944 .
(Order of battle of the Soviet Army on 1 March 1944)
[19] 8th & 14th Rie Corps may have been under the 42nd
Army, but the source above does not list it as such.
[20] "2 http://www.rkka.ru/memory/
baranov/6.htm chapter 6, Baranov, V.I., Armour and
people, from a collection Tankers in the combat for
Leningrad"Lenizdat, 1987 ( ,
, "
". , 1987)
[21] G.F.Krivosheev (1997). Soviet casualties and combat
losses in the twentieth century. London: Greenhill Books.
[22] Gruppen-Befehl fr den Kstenschutz. (Detachment Orders to the Coastal Defence. In German). 9 February
1944. Berlin Archives MA RH24-54/122
[23] Toomas Hiio, Meelis Maripuu, Indrek Paavle (Eds.). Estonia 19401945: Reports of the Estonian International
Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity, eds. (2006). Chronology of events in 1939
1945. Tallinn. pp. 11911237. Missing or empty |title=
(help)
[24] Estonian State Commission on Examination of Policies
of Repression (2005). Human Losses. The White
Book: Losses inicted on the Estonian nation by occupation regimes. 19401991 (PDF). Estonian Encyclopedia
Publishers. p. 32.
[25] Lauri Mlksoo (2006). The Government of Otto Tief
and Attempt to Restore the Independence of Estonia in
1944: A Legal Appraisal.. Toomas Hiio, Meelis Maripuu,
Indrek Paavle (Eds.). Estonia 19401945: Reports of the
Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of
Crimes Against Humanity. Tallinn. pp. 10951106.
[26] Taagepera pp. 70
[27] Year 1944 in Estonian History. Estonian Ministry of
Foreign Aairs.
[28] Lande, D. A. (2000). Resistance!: Occupied Europe and
Its Deance of Hitler. MBI. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-76030745-8.

[12] . (2004). (Ten

Shocks of Stalin). , Minsk.

[29] 20. Waen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr.

1)". Axis History Factbook.

[13] (1961).
(Risen by Agitation). , Moscow.

[30] Toomas Hiio & Peeter Kaasik (2006). Estonian units in

the Waen-SS. In Toomas Hiio, Meelis Maripuu, & Indrek Paavle. Estonia 19401945: Reports of the Estonian
International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes
Against Humanity. Tallinn. pp. 927968.

[14] David M. Glantz (2002). The Battle for Leningrad: 1941

1944. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 07006-1208-4.
[15] Laar, Mart (2005). Battles in Estonia in 1944. Estonia
in World War II. Tallinn: Grenader. pp. 3259.

[31] Steven H. Newton (1995). Retreat from Leningrad: Army

Group North, 1944/1945. Atglen, Philadelphia: Schier
Books. ISBN 0-88740-806-0.

[16] L. Lentsman (1977). Eesti rahvas Suures Isamaasjas

(Estonian People in Great Patriotic War) (in Estonian).
Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.

[32] Otto Carius (2004). Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2911-7.

10

6 FURTHER READING

[33] V. Rodin (5 October 2005). Na vysotah Sinimyae: kak

eto bylo na samom dele. (On the Heights of Sinimed:
How It Actually Was)" (in Russian). Vesti.
[34] Unpublished data by the German War Graves Commission
[35] Felix Steiner (1980). Die Freiwilligen der Waen-SS:
Idee und Opfergang (Volunteers of Armed SS. In German). Schtz, Oldendorf, Preuss
[36] R. Landwehr (1981). Narva 1944. Bibliophile Legion
Books, Silver Spring.
[37] Mitcham, S. German Defeat in the East 1944 45, Stackpole, 2007, p.149
[38] Arvo L. Vercamer. Naval War in the Baltic Sea 1941
1945. feldgrau.com.
[39] D. Muriyev, Preparations, Conduct of 1944 Baltic Operation Described, Military History Journal (USSR Report,
Military aairs), 19849, page. 27
[40] On 25 January, Hitler renamed three army groups: the
North became the Courland; the Centre became the North
and the A became Army Group Centre
[41] Estonia. Sept.21 Bulletin of International News by Royal
Institute of International Aairs Information Dept.
[42] Phase III: The Soviet Occupation of Estonia from 1944.
In: Estonia since 1944: Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against
Humanity, pp. VIIXXVI. Tallinn, 2009

Further reading
McTaggart, Pat (2003). The Battle of Narva,
1944. Hitlers Army. Da Capo Press. pp. 287
308. ISBN 0-306-81260-6.
Carlos, Jurado; Nigel Thomas; Darko Pavlovic
(2002). Germanys Eastern Front Allies (2). Osprey
Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-193-0.
Miljan, Toivo (2004). Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4904-4.
Walter, Hannes. Estonia in World War II. Historical Text Archive. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

11

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

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7.3

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