Battle of Narva (1944)

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Battle of Narva Part of World War II Terrain in the Narva area, dominated by water and forests. Date February 1, 1944 – September 19, 1944 Location Narva, Estonia Result Soviet operational success Belligerents Nazi Germany * Estonian conscripts * Scandinavian volunteers * Dutch volunteers Soviet Union * Estonian conscripts Commanders Johannes Frießner (Army Group North) Anton Grasser (XXVI Army Corps) Karl von Oven (XXXXIII Army Corps) Felix Steiner (III SS (Germanic) Armoured Corps) Leonid Govorov (Leningrad Front) Ivan Fedyuninsky (2nd Shock Army) Filipp Starkov (8th Army) Ivan Korvnikov (59th Army) Strength 123,541 men (1 March, 1944)[1] 32 tanks (16 February, 1944)[1] 137 bombers (25 July 1944) 150,000 men (1 March, 1944)[2] more than 100 tanks 2500 assault guns 800 bombers (25 July 1944) Casualties and losses Estonian estimate:[2][3] 68,000 14,000 of them irrecoverable Estonian estimate:[2] 480,000 100,000 of them irrecoverable

v • d • e Eastern Front Barbarossa – Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Finland – Leningrad and Baltics – Crimea and Caucasus – Moscow – 1st Rzhev–Vyazma – 2nd Kharkov – Blue – Stalingrad – Velikiye Luki – 2nd Rzhev–Sychevka – Kursk – 2nd Smolensk – Dnieper – 2nd Kiev – Dniepr-Carpathian – Narva – Hube's Pocket – Bagration – Lvov–Sandomierz – Lublin–Brest – Romania (Iassy–Kishinev) – Baltic – Budapest – Vistula–Oder – East Prussia – East Pomerania – Silesia – Vienna – Berlin – Prague

Leningrad and Baltics 1941 - 1944 Toropets-Kholm – Demyansk Pocket – Spark – Polar Star – Krasny Bor – Lenino– Leningrad Approaches – Narva – Vilnius – Baltic

The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between February and September 1944^[4] at the present border of Estonia and Russia. It took place in the northern section of the Eastern Front during the Second World War between the German Army Group North and the Soviet Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts of the Red Army.

The campaign consisted of 2 phases: the Battle for Narva Bridgehead and the Battle of Tannenberg Line.

Building upon the success of the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive in January 1944, the Soviet forces had pushed the frontline westward to the Narva river, establishing a number of bridgeheads on the opposite bank in February. Subsequent attempts to expand the bridgeheads failed. The bridgeheads north of Narva were destroyed and the bridgehead south of the town reduced in German counterattacks. The front stabilized at the Narva river until July, when the Soviet Narva offensive captured the city and forced the German forces to retreat to their prepared Tannenberg defence line 15 km from Narva. The German army group was able to hold the line until September, when the German Headquarters withdrew its forces from mainland Estonia in the threat of getting encircled by the Soviet Baltic Offensive.

While the battle was an overall operational success for the Red Army, Joseph Stalin's main operational goal – a quick occupation of the Baltic States and invasion to the German province of East-Prussia – was not achieved. The Soviet war effort in the region was hampered for seven and a half months.^[5][6]

A number of foreign volunteers and the local Estonian conscripts participated in the battle as part of German forces. By giving its support to the German illegal conscription call, the Estonian resistance movement had hoped to recreate a national army and restore the independence of the country.^[7]

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Terrain 1.2 Soviet Oranienbaum Offensive and German retreat to Narva 1.3 Soviet aims 1.4 Soviet deployments 1.5 German and Finnish aims 1.6 Aims of Estonian resistance movement 1.7 Formation of Army Detachment Narwa 2 Combat activity 2.1 February 2.2 March and April 2.3 German withdrawal to Tannenberg Line and Soviet Narva Operation 2.4 Battle of Tannenberg Line 3 Soviet Baltic Offensive and German retreat to Courland 4 Formations and Units involved 4.1 Soviet 4.2 German 5 Casualties 6 Aftermath 6.1 Attempt to restore Estonian Government 6.2 Civilian refugees 6.3 Outcome for Finland 6.4 Post-war status of the Estonians in German military units 6.5 Modern representations 7 References and Notes

[edit] Background

[edit] Terrain

Terrain played a significant role in operations around Narva. The elevation above sea level rarely rises above 100 meters by Narva, and the land is cut by numerous waterways including the Narva and Pl'ussa rivers. The bulk of the land in the region is forested and large swamps inundate areas of low elevation. The effect of the terrain on operations was one of channelization; because of the swamps, only certain areas were suitable for large-scale troop movement.

On a strategic scale, a natural chokepoint was present between the Northern shore of Lake Peipus and the Gulf of Finland. The 45 km wide strip of land is entirely bisected by the Narva river as well as having large areas of wilderness. The primary transportation routes, a highway and a railway, run on an east-west axis near and parallel to the coastline. There are no other east-west transportation routes capable of sustaining troop movement on a large scale in the region.

[edit] Soviet Oranienbaum Offensive and German retreat to Narva

As a part of the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive on January 14, 1944, the Soviet Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts launched operations aimed at forcing the German General Field Marshall Georg von Küchler's Army Group North back from its positions near Oranienbaum. In the process, the attack was expected to encircle Generaloberst Georg Lindemann's 18. Army.

Lieutenant-General Fedyuninsky's 2nd Shock and General Maslennikov's 42nd Armies fell on the sector of SS-Obergruppenfüher Felix Steiner's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, hitting the area of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe-Feld-Divisions. By the third day of the offensive, the 2nd Shock Army broke through the German lines with a penetration 23 kilometers wide.^[8] The Luftwaffe units crumbled quickly, and soon Army Group North was falling back to new positions around the Narva river in Estonia. In a key Soviet assault on January 19, two regiments of the 63rd Guards Rifle Division (30th Guards Rifle Corps, 42nd Army) seized German positions to the front of Krasnoye Selo. On January 19, the 2nd Shock Army took Ropscha and the 42nd Army liberated Krasnoye Selo. By January 30, the Soviet attacks by the 2nd Shock and 42nd Armies cost the Germans around 21,000 casualties, captured 85 pieces of artillery ranging in caliber from 15cm to 40cm, and pushed the Germans back 60 to 100 kilometers.^[8] Overall, the operations of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts broke the Siege of Leningrad, concluding an almost 900-day struggle.

On February 1, the 2nd Shock Army's 109th Rifle Corps captured Kingisepp.^[5] Steiner's SS Corps brought up the rear, fighting many bloody rearguard actions until it finally reached the positions on the eastern bank of the Narva. Pushing westward, 2nd Shock Army's 43rd Rifle Corps established a shallow bridgehead across the Narva north of Narva town on February 2, 1944. The following day, another rifle corps of the 2nd Shock Army, the 122nd, crossed the Narva south of the town, establishing two further bridgeheads.

[edit] Soviet aims

In early 1944, breaking through to the Baltic Sea was a principal matter for the leadership of Soviet Armed Forces.^[3] While the German forces had lost most of their previously captured area elsewhere in 1943, Army Group North stood virtually on the positions of 1941. While not located on the main direction of attack, the Baltic Sea seemed the quickest way to take the battles to the German ground in East Prussia and seizing control of Finland.^{[9][5][3][9][6]} From the perspective of the Red Army, Estonia and Finland formed a joint defense line. The ejection of Army Group North from Estonia would have brought Finland under Soviet control. The perspective of an invasion to the German ground appealed even more to Joseph Stalin, as it appeared bringing German resistance to a collapse.^[6] In the participation of Leonid Govorov, commander of the Leningrad Front, and Vladimir Tributz, commander of the Baltic Fleet, a scheme was prepared to destroy Army Group North.^[9][6] Stalin ordered the capture of Narva at all cost no later than February 17th:^[5]

"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 to fulfill these orders, Stalin gave new orders on February 22nd: to break through German defense in Narva, give a shock at the South-Estonian port of Pärnu, direct two armies at South-East Estonia, keep going through Latvia, and open the road to East Prussia and Central Europe.^[5] On February 28th, as the Soviet offensive had been stalled for four weeks, the Soviet Union presented Finland their conditions for peace.^[5] While Finland regarded the terms as unacceptable, the war waging around them appeared dangerous enough to keep negotiating. To push Finland into the unfavourable peace conditions, Stalin needed to take Narva. Stalin's wish was an order to the commanders of the Leningrad Front, with their heads at stake.^[10] After reinforcements, Narva front acquired the highest concentration of forces on the Eastern Front in March 1944.^[11] By July 1944, a detailed plan was prepared of the Soviet advance to Tallinn.^[12]

[edit] Soviet deployments

The three Soviet armies were deployed at the Narva front in the following manner: the 2nd Shock Army deployed in the sector against the German bridgehead and north to the Gulf of Finland, the 59th Army south of the town of Narva, and the 8th Army deployed south of the 59th Army to Lake Peipus.

[edit] German and Finnish aims

The German Headquarters 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, with it the loss of control of the Gulf of Finland and thus given the Soviet Baltic Fleet access to the Baltic Sea.^[3] As Colonel General Lindemann said in his daily orders for the 11th East-Prussian Infantry Division:^[13]

“

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

”

As the Finns were negotiating with the Soviet Union for peace, the German High Command paid attention to the Narva front, using every means to convince the Finns, that their defense was going to hold. The German command informed the Finns in detail about the events on Narva front, while a delegation of Finnish General Headquarters visited Narva in Spring, 1944.^[2]

A breakthrough to the Baltic Sea would have threatened iron ore imports from Sweden and German control of the entire Baltic Sea coast and also force Finland to exit the war earlier. Additionally the loss of Narva would mean fuel derived from the adjacent Kohtla-Järve oil shale deposits (32 kilometers west of Narva on the coast) would be denied to the German war machine.^[3] Besides being a narrow corridor well suited for defense, the terrain in the area of Narva was dominated by forests and swamps. Directly behind the Narva River lay the city itself, ideally positioned as a bastion from which defending forces could influence combat to both the north and south of the city along the river valley.^[3]

This position, part of what was known as the Panther Line, was where von Küchler wanted to set up his defense. Hitler initially refused, and replaced von Küchler with Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model as commander of Army Group North. Model agreed with von Küchler, however, being one of Hitler's favourites, he also was allowed more freedom by Hitler. Using this freedom to his advantage, Model managed to fall back and begin establishing a line along the Narva river with a strong bridgehead on the eastern bank. This appeased Hitler, and also followed the German standard operating procedure for defending a river line. Subsequently on February 1st, 1944, the High Command of Army Group Nord tasked the LIV Army Corps (Sponheimer Group, later renamed Army Detachment Narwa on February 23rd) to defend at all cost the section of the Panther Line situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Peipus.^[3]

[edit] Aims of Estonian resistance movement

Further information: National Committee of the Republic of Estonia and Estonia in World War II

With the course of Nazi German occupation, the expectations of the Estonians to regain their independence had started to diminish. Observing the Constitution formally still in force, the Estonian politicians formed the underground National Committee of the Republic of Estonia, which convened on 14 February 1944. As the President Konstantin Päts was currently imprisoned by the Soviet authorities, the Acting Head of State pursuant to the Constitution was the last Prime Minister Jüri Uluots. The mobilization proclaimed by the Germany-appointed civilian administration of Estonia called upon the men of Estonia to enlist in the army and defend their fatherland against the danger coming from the East was supported by Uluots.^[14] In February 1944, when the Soviet troops reached the vicinity of Narva and a new Soviet occupation became a real threat, Jüri Uluots switched his stand on the German draft, which was illegal under international law. In his radio speech on February 7th, 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."^[15]. Along with other Estonian politicians, Uluots saw fighting against the Soviet Armed Forces as a means of preventing a new Soviet occupation and restoring Estonia’s independence once the war was over.^[16] The conscription call was received with popular support and the mobilization brought together 38,000 men ^[17] who were formed into the Estonian SS Division and seven border guard regiments. With the Estonian Finnish Infantry Regiment 200, the Estonian volunteers within Waffen SS and the men conscripted earlier into Wehrmacht return to Estonia, a total of 70,000 Estonian men were under Nazi German arms in 1944.^[14]

[edit] Formation of Army Detachment Narwa

The LIV Army Corps (Infantry General Otto Sponheimer) were on the left flank of the 18th Army, along with the III "Germanic" SS Armoured Corps, as they retreated to Narva from Leningrad. The III SS Armoured Corps was then placed under the command of the Sponheimer Group and on February 4th the Sponheimer Group was released from the 18th Army and was subordinated directly to Army Group North.

In support of the forces already in place at the Narva front, Hitler ordered additional reinforcements to counter the Soviet offensive. The élite Armoured Grenadier Division "Feldherrnhalle", with over 10,000 troops and equipment, was airlifted from Belorussia into Estonia via Tartu airfield on February 1st. On February 9th the élite 5th Battalion of the Armoured Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland also arrived on the front. The Grenadier Regiment "Gnesen" (an ad-hoc regiment formed from replacement army units in Poland) was sent from Germany and arrived on February 11th. On February 14th, the 214th Infantry Division was transferred from Norway to Narva.

Over the next two weeks various units were added to the group, including the 11th SS Armoured Grenadier Division "Nordland" as well as several Wehrmacht divisions and local Estonian units. On February 15th, Infantry General Otto Sponheimer was replaced with General Johannes Friessner and on February 23rd the Sponheimer Group was renamed Army Detachment "Narwa".

Army Group North ordered the deployment of Army Detachment Narwa on February 22nd in the following positions: III SS Armoured Corps deployed to the north of Narva and the bridgehead on the east bank of the River, the XXXXIII Army Corps deployed to the Auvere bridgehead south of the city and the XXVI Army Corps deployed to the sector between the Auvere bridgehead and Lake Peipus.

[edit] Combat activity

Further information: Battle for Narva Bridgehead

[edit] February

On February 1st, forward Soviet units of the 2nd Shock Army and the 8th Army crossed the Narva River and established several bridgeheads on its west bank, to the north and south of the town of Narva. On February 7th, the 8th Army expanded the bridgehead in the Kriivasoo swamp south of Narva, cutting the railway behind the Army Group "Narwa". The headquarters of the Leningrad Front were unable to take advantage of the opportunity of advancing further and encircling the smaller German forces entirely. The command of the Army Group "Narwa" held its ground in the complicated situation. The German forces called in reinforcements, mostly the units of newly mobilized Estonians motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. Simultaneously, the Soviet 42nd Army landed their units across Lake Peipus 120 km south of Narva and established a bridgehead in Mehikoorma Village. By a coincidence, the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), headed for the Narva front, reached the area. In the battle on February 14th-16th, the Estonian I Battalion of the 45th Regiment destroyed the Soviet divisions in Southeast Estonia. A simultaneous Soviet amphibious assault was conducted. The 517 men strong Soviet 260th Independent Naval Infantry Brigade landed at the Meriküla coastal borough, behind German lines. However, the unit was almost completely annihilated.

Ferocious battles continued at the Narva front until the end of February, when the Soviet armies halted their exhausted offensive. Since the beginning of January, the Leningrad Front had lost 227,440 men as wounded, killed or missing in action, which constitute more than half of the troops who had participated in the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive.

The pause between the battles was used for bringing in additional forces by both sides. As the first task at the Narva front, the fresh Estonian SS Division reduced the Soviet bridgeheads north of Narva by February 24th.

[edit] March and April

The destruction of the bridgeheads came as an unpleasant surprise for the Supreme Headquarters of the Red Army. At the time, Joseph Stalin was personally interested in taking Estonia, viewing it as a precondition of getting Finland out of the war. The Soviet Armed Forces launched another offensive on March 1st. The Soviet forces moved westwards and encircled the strong point of the German 214th Infantry Division. Continuing the attack, the Soviet Army faced the resistance of the 658th and 659th Estonian Eastern Battalions. While the Soviet army also encircled the Estonian units, the latter continued fighting, tying up the assaulting Soviet units. This gave the German command time to move in all available forces and to stop the Soviet advance.

Soviet air assaults against Estonian towns were part of the new extensive offensive. On March 6th, the historical town of Narva was leveled by a Soviet air raid. On the night before March 9th, the Soviet Air Force assaulted the Estonian capital Tallinn. Approximately 40% of the housing space was destroyed in the city, as 25,000 people were left without a shelter, and 500 civilians killed.

On March 8th, the Soviet armies launched another attack at Narva. The first blow hit the bridgehead on the east bank of the river opposite to Narva. Pitched battles also took place in the north of the town, where the three Soviet divisions of the 14th Rifle Corps supported by the artillery of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps attempted to break through the German defence held by the Estonian SS Division. The attacks were repulsed in great losses for the Soviets. The Soviet tank attack at Auvere Station on March 17th was stopped by the Tiger tanks of the 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion commanded by Otto Carius. Fierce battles continued for another week, until the Soviet forces suffered enough casualties to switch on defensive. This enabled the German Army Detachment "Narwa" to take the initiative. On March 26th, four German divisions, supported by tanks, annihilated the Soviet 8th Army shock troop wedge at the western end of the Kriivasoo bridgehead. On April 6th, the eastern tip of the Soviet bridgehead was destroyed. The German forces, inspired by their success, tried to eliminate the whole bridgehead, but were unable to proceed due to the spring thaw that had rendered the swamp impassable for their armoured units. By the end of April, both parties at Narva had mutually exhausted their strengths. Relative calm settled on the front until late July, 1944.

[edit] German withdrawal to Tannenberg Line and Soviet Narva Operation

The Soviet breakthrough in Belorussia made the German Army Command withdraw some of their units from Narva to the central part of the Eastern Front and to Finland. As there were no longer sufficient forces for the defence of the former front line at Narva, in July, the Army Detachment North began preparations for the withdrawal of their forces to the Tannenberg defence line at the Sinimäed Hills 15 km from Narva. While the Soviet command of the Leningrad Front was unaware of the German preparations, they prepared a new assault at Narva front, what was to be known as Narva Operation. Shock troops from the Finnish front were concentrated near Narva, giving the Soviet army group a 4 : 1 superiority both in manpower and equipment. On July 24th, before the German plan was implemented, the Soviet 8th Army launched their assault at Auvere Station. The 45th Estonian Regiment and the East Prussians of the 44th Regiment repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy losses. The beginning of the Soviet operation made the German forces hasten up their retreat. On the night before July 25th the German units at Ivangorod left their positions. The evacuation was carried out according to German plans until the Soviet 2nd Shock Army started their attack in the morning. Supported by 1360 assault guns firing 280,000 shells and grenades, the 2nd Shock Army crossed the Narva river north of the town. The 46th Estonian Regiment kept the Soviet 131st and 191st Divisions from capturing the Tallinn highway behind the retreating German units. The retreat cost the destruction of the Dutch regiment "General Seyffardt", whose commander was late with the withdrawal and chose the wrong way back. Narva was captured by the Soviet forces on July 26th.

[edit] Battle of Tannenberg Line

Further information: Battle of Tannenberg Line

The Soviet advance guard attacked the Tannenberg Line on the same day, conquering a part of the easternmost of the three hills, Pargimägi. The Soviet attempts to conquer the rest of the hills failed on the following day. The German counterattack on July 28th failed under the Soviet tanks, and the Soviet units forced the German forces to dig into new positions at the central of the three hills, Grenaderimägi. In the morning of July 29th, the Soviets launched their biggest possible attack at Sinimäed Hills. The shock units suppressed the last of the German resistance at Pargimägi, while the Soviet main forces suffered heavy casualties in the subsequent assault at the Grenaderimägi Hill. The Soviet tanks encircled the Grenaderimägi and the westernmost Tornimägi Hills. At the same time, General Steiner sent out the 7 German tanks, which hit the surprized Soviet armoured forces back. This enabled the I/45th Estonian Battalion to re-conquer the Grenaderimägi to the German hands.

Despite the fact that of the 136,830 Soviets initiating the July attack, a few thousand had survived, and the Soviet tank regiments were demolished, the Red Army continued their attacks with the aid of swift reinforcements. The Soviet headquarters demanded that the Army Detachment Narva be destroyed and Rakvere Town 110 km from Narva conquered no later than August 7th. By August 2nd, the 2nd Shock Army was back to 20,000 troopers again while their attacks in previous fashion failed to conquer the Sinimäed Hills in numerous attempts. On August 10th, the Soviet offensive at Sinimäed Hills was terminated.

[edit] Soviet Baltic Offensive and German retreat to Courland

On September 1st, Finland announced about stopping the military cooperation with Nazi Germany to sign armistice with the Soviet Union.^[18] On September 4th, Finland opened access for the Soviet to the Finnish waters. With the Soviet offensive at Riga threatening to complete the encirclement, Army Detachment North started preparations for the withdrawal of troops from Estonia. The possible transportation corridors were thoroughly prepared on the map the Headquarters of the Army Group.^[19] On September 14th, a provisional order to start the preparations for withdrawal, was given to the "Nordland" Division.^[20]

On the same day, the Baltic Offensive was launched by the Soviet 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts. The offensive was aimed at capturing Riga and cutting off Army Group North in Courland, western Latvia. After much argument, Adolf Hitler finally agreed to allow the evacuation of all troops in Estonia. After months of holding the line, the exhausted III SS-Corps joined the withdrawal, fighting its way back from the Tannenberg Line. General Leonid Govorov, not wishing to allow his enemy to escape, launched an attack by the 2nd Shock Army on September 17th from the line joining the Emajõgi river with Lake Võrtsjärv. The assault was aimed at trapping the German units in a small pocket. Unable to hold the Soviet force, the German units withdrew to the northwest of Estonia, while the Estonian Division was left behind to stall the Soviet attack. The Soviet Baltic Offensive broke through the German defense and reached Tallinn on September 22nd.

Many of the Estonian formations now began to attack the retreating Germans, attempting to secure supplies and weapons to continue a guerrilla war against the Soviet occupation.^[3] The remnants of the defenders of the Tannenberg Line withdrew quickly towards the Latvian border, where the Courland Pocket was formed within a month. The Red Army commenced the encirclement and reduction of the cauldron, enabling to focus forces at the East Prussian Offensive. As the Courland Cauldron continued to be a major threat, operations by the Red Army against the Courland Pocket continued until the surrender of the Army Group Courland on 9 May 1945. About 200,000 German troopers were taken prisoner there.

[edit] Formations and Units involved

[edit] Soviet

As of March 1, 1944^[21]

Leningrad Front - General Leonid Govorov

• 2nd Shock Army - Lieutenant General Ivan Fedyuninski
  • 43rd Rifle Corps - Major General Anatoli Andreyev
  • 109th Rifle Corps - Major General Ivan Alferov
  • 124th Rifle Corps - Major General Voldemar Damberg

• 8th Army - Lieutenant General Filipp Starkov
  • 6th Rifle Corps - Major General Semyon Mikulski
  • 112th Rifle Corps - Major General Filipp Solovev
  • 115th Rifle Corps - (HQ with no troops assigned by 1 Apr 1944)

• 59th Army - Lieutenant General Ivan Korvnikov
  • 117th Rifle Corps - Major General Vasili Trubachev
  • 122nd Rifle Corps - Major General Panteleimon Zaitsev

Separate Corps and Divisions:

• 8th Estonian Rifle Corps - Lieutenant General Lembit Pärn^[22]
• 14th Rifle Corps - Major General Pavel Artyushenko
• 30th Guards Rifle Corps - Lieutenant General Nikolai Simonyak
  • 45th Guards Rifle Division
  • 63rd Guards Rifle Division
  • 64th Guards Rifle Division

Attached to the Corps 31st, 46th, 260th and 261st Separate Guards Heavy Tank and 1902nd Separate Self-propelled Artillery regiments^[23]

• 124th Rifle Division - Colonel Papchenko Danilovich^[24]
• 3rd Breakthrough Artillery Corps - Major General N. N. Zhdanov
• 3rd Guards Tank Corps - Major General I. A. Vovchenko

[edit] German

Military formations subordinated to the Army detachment "Narwa" (as of March 1, 1944)^[3]

• XXVI Army Corps - Infantry General Anton Grasser
  • 11th Infantry Division
  • 58th Infantry Division
  • 214th Infantry Division
  • 225th Infantry Division
  • 3rd Estonian Border Guard Regiment (as of April 15)
• XXXXIII Army Corps - Infantry General Karl von Oven
  • 61st Infantry Division
  • 170th Infantry Division
  • 227th Infantry Division
  • "Feldherrnhalle" Armoured Infantry Division
  • "Gnesen" Grenadier Regiment
• III SS (Germanic) Armoured Corps - SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner
  • 11th SS Armoured Grenadier Division "Nordland"
  • 4th SS Armoured Grenadier Brigade "Nederland"
  • 20th Armed Grenadier (Infantry) Division of the SS (1st Estonian)

Separate Corps:

• Eastern Sector, Coastal Defense (Staff of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division as HQ) - Lieutenant General Alfons Luczny
  • Estonian Regiment "Reval"
  • 29th Estonian Police Battalion
  • 31st Estonian Police Battalion
  • 32nd Estonian Police Battalion
  • 658th Eastern Battalion (Estonian)
  • 659th Eastern Battalion (Estonian)

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

[edit] Casualties

In the Soviet era, the losses in the battle of Tannenberg Line were not mentioned in the Soviet sources.^[2] In recent years, the Russian authors have published some figures,^[25][6] but not for the whole course of the battles.^[2] The number of Soviet casualties can only be estimated upon other figures. Adding up the numbers of losses in the operations conducted by the Leningrad Front in 1944, according to the data of the Headquarters of Soviet Armed Forces,^[26] the total casualties of the Leningrad Front in 1944 were 665,827 men, 145,102 of them irrecoverable.^[2] The share of the battles around Narva is unknown, but considering the length of the operation, roughly half of the losses in the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive can be accounted for Narva.^[2] This is in accordance with the estimation of the Soviet researcher F.I. Paulman, stating that the 2nd Shock Army lost over 30,000 men in the Narva bridgeheads during February.^[27] Deducting the losses in the operations of the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive conducted elsewhere, the casualties in the battles in Finland, and in the Baltic Offensive, the number of Soviet losses in the Battle of Narva was approximately 480,000 men, 100,000 of them irrecoverable.^[2]

The German Army Detachment North lost 23,963 men as dead, wounded, and missing in action in February 1944.^[28] During the following months until July 30th, 1944, additional 34,159 German troopers were lost, 5,748 of them dead and 1,179 missing in action.^[29][3] The total of the German casualties of the initial phase of the campaign was approximately 58,000 men, 12,000 of them dead or missing in action. In July 24th – August 10th 1944, the German forces buried 1709 men in Estonia^[30] Added the men missing in action^[29], the number of dead in the period is estimated at approximately 2,500.^[29][2] Accounting the standard ratio 1 / 4 of the irrecoverable losses to the wounded, the number of German casualties in the later period of the battle is approximately 10,000.^[2] The total of German casualties in the Battle of Narva was approximately 68,000; 14,000 of them irrecoverable.^[29][2]

[edit] Aftermath

Holding an extended front in the face of intense Soviet pressure on the Tannenberg Line and the Emajõgi-Võrtsjärv Line until September 17th 1944, Ferdinand Schörner, the commander of the Army Group decided to evacuate his forces from Estonia entirely. The withdrawal was codenamed Operation Aster. Beginning on September 17 1944, a naval force under Vice-Admiral Theodor Buchardi began evacuating elements of the German formations and Estonian civilians. Within six days, around 50,000 troops and 1,000 prisoners had been removed.^[31] The remaining elements of Army Group North in Estonia were ordered to withdraw into Latvia by way of Pärnu. The III Armoured Corps reached the town by September 20, while the II Armoured Corps retreated south to form Eighteenth Army's rearguard.^[31] As they retreated, Soviet forces advanced. Tallinn was taken by Soviet forces on September 22. By September 24, the Soviets had demolished the harbour at Haapsalu, the Germans evacuating Vormsi island, just off the coast, on the following day.^[32] The 8th Army of the Leningrad Front went on to take the remaining islands off the Estonian coast in the Moonzund Landing Operation, an amphibious attack. The Baltic Offensive operation resulted in the expulsion of German forces from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

During the withdrawal from Estonia, the German command released thousands of native Estonian conscripts from military service. However, the Soviet command began conscripting Baltic natives as areas were brought under Soviet control.^[33] While some ended up serving on both sides, many hid in the woods to avoid conscription.

Army Group North land lines of communication were permanently severed from Army Group Centre, and it was relegated to an occupied Baltic seashore area in Latvia. On the January 25 Hitler renamed Army Group North to Army Group Courland implicitly realizing that there was no possibility of restoring a new land corridor between Courland and East Prussia.^[34] The Red Army commenced the encirclement and reduction of the Courland cauldron which retained a possibility of being a major threat, but were able to focus on operations on its northern flank that were now aiming at East Prussia. Operations by the Red Army against the Courland Pocket continued until the surrender of the Army Group Courland on May 9, 1945, when close to 200,000 Germans were taken prisoner there.

[edit] Attempt to restore Estonian Government

The lengthy German defense prevented a swift Soviet breakthrough into Estonia, which gave the underground Estonian National Committee enough time for an attempt to re-establish Estonian independence. On 1 August 1944, the Estonian National Committee pronounced itself Estonia's highest authority, and on 18 September 1944, acting Head of the State Jüri Uluots appointed a new government led by Otto Tief. Over the radio, in English, the Estonian government declared its neutrality in the war. The government issued two editions of the State Gazette. On September 21, the national forces seized the government buildings in Tallinn and ordered the German forces to leave.^[35][16] The Estonian flag was raised in the flag tower of the government buildings only to be removed by the Soviets four days later. Estonian Government in Exile served to carry the continuity of the Estonian state forward until 1992, when Heinrich Mark, the last prime minister in the duties of the Head of State, handed his credentials over to the incoming President Lennart Meri.

[edit] Civilian refugees

The delay of Soviet occupation allowed over 25,000 Estonians and 3,700 Swedes to flee to neutral Sweden and 6,000 Estonians to Finland. Thousands of refugee boats and ships sunk in the Baltic Sea.^[14] In September, 90,000 soldiers and 85,000 Estonian, Finnish, German refugees, and Soviet prisoners of war were evacuated to Germany.^[36] The sole German cost of this undertaking was the loss of a steamer. More German naval evacuations followed from Estonian ports,^[36] where up to 1,200 people were drowned in Soviet attacks.^[14]

[edit] Outcome for Finland

The delay in the battles of Narva denied a Soviet-occupied Estonia as a favorable base for amphibious invasions and air attacks against Helsinki and the Finnish towns. Hopes of Soviet Armed Forces to assault Finland from the Baltic Sea and force it into capitulation, were diminished.^{[9][5][28][6][10]} Finnish Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim repeatedly reminded the German side that in case their troops in Estonia retreated, Finland would be forced to make peace even on extremely unfavourable terms. Thus, the prolonged battles at Narva helped Finland to avoid Soviet occupation, sustain its capacity of resistance and enter the negotiations for the Moscow armistice with terms of its own.^{[5][28][6][10]}

[edit] Post-war status of the Estonians in German military units

Estonian citizens, who fought on the German side, were later convicted as traitors of Soviet Union. If captured, they were sent to prison camps or shot immediately. Western countries were requested to give up the Estonians who served in German forces. The Soviet demand was generally ignored by most of the Western countries, excluding Sweden and Finland. The Nuremberg Trials, in declaring the Waffen SS a criminal organisation, explicitly excluded conscripts in the following terms:^[37].

“

Tribunal declares to be criminal within the meaning of the Charter the group composed of those persons who had been officially accepted as members of the SS as enumerated in the preceding paragraph who became or remained members of the organisation with knowledge that it was being used for the commission of acts declared criminal by Article 6 of the Charter or who were personally implicated as members of the organisation in the commission of such crimes, excluding, however, those who were drafted into membership by the State in such a way as to give them no choice in the matter, and who had committed no such crimes.

”

In April 13, 1950, a message from the U.S. High Commission in Germany (HICOG), signed by John McCloy to the Secretary of State, clarified the US position on the "Baltic Legions:" they were not to be seen as "movements," "volunteer," or "SS." In short, they had not been given the training, indoctrination, and induction normally given to SS members. Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared:

“

The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States.

”

[edit] Modern representations

Further information: Estonia_in_World_War_II#Controversies

After regaining independence in 1991, the Government of Estonia took the position that in the battles of Narva, the Estonians in the German Armed Forces were fighting for the independence of Estonia.^[10] The opinion was based on the support for the German conscription call by Jüri Uluots and the actions of Otto Tief government. The veterans of the battle were granted the right to march in the Independence Day parade.^[2] Those considered by the Republic of Estonia as having outstanding services were rewarded with decorations of honour.^[2] In 1994, the first memorial stone was unveiled in Sinimäed Hills in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces. Estonian historians describe the battles of Narva as a battle of the Estonian people for their country, a consolation for the humiliation of 1939.^[10] Books about the battles of Narva started to be published in Estonia and a full-length documentary film was made. An annual gathering of some 300 veterans of the Estonian Division and of other Wehrmacht military units, including Waffen SS veterans from other European countries, takes place in the historical location of the battle around July 29th.^[38]

[edit] References and Notes