1/9/2024 0 Comments 1944 tannenberg lineThe Soviet artillery had an eightfold superiority over its German counterpart. Northwards from Narva, the situation was similar. The standing manpower in the Krivasoo Bridgehead was 46,385 Soviets attacking against the 17,100 German troops at the defence of Auvere station. The two armies were to encircle and destroy the III SS Panzer Corps. The density of the assault guns in the northern sector was 160 per kilometre of front line. The 2nd Shock Army included the 131st and the 191st Rifle Divisions, the 109th Rifle Corps, the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps, two artillery brigades, the 328th Separate Heavy Artillery Division, four rocket artillery launcher regiments, the 760th Anti-Tank Regiment, and 62 armoured vehicles. Their goal was to break through the German defence of the railway station, while the 2nd Shock Army was to breach the defence of the III SS Panzer Corps stationed by the Narva River north of city. The rest of the 8th Army included the 124th and 112th Rifle Corps. The first attack by the 8th Army was to be conducted by the 117th and the 122nd Rifle Corps. The Soviet operational goals were Auvere Railway Station and the borough of Sirgala placed north from the Soviet bridgehead. Soviet įor the commencement of the Narva offensive operation on 24 July, most of the Soviet units and artillery were concentrated in the Krivasoo Bridgehead in the south. The 1st Estonian Regiment and the 44th Infantry Regiment were ordered to form the southern (left) rear guard while the II.Battalion, 2nd Estonian and the II.Battalion, 3rd Estonian were to cover the highway from the north. The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps was to evacuate along Narva– Tallinn Highway. Finding out that the withdrawal to a new line was not considered a problem by the Finnish side, Hitler gave the order to retreat. As Hitler was afraid, the Finnish will of resistance would suffer from it, he informed the Finnish Chief of Defence about his plans. On 21 July, Frießner asked permission to withdraw to the prepared positions. Disregarding Hitler's order, Frießner ordered a new defensive line built, the Tannenberg Line ( Tannenbergstellung), with the main defences located on the three Sinimäed Hills fifteen kilometres to the west of Narva. The Army Group North were out of reserves. Simultaneously, the German Headquarters had intelligence data on the Leningrad Front preparing for the Narva offensive. On 12 July, Infantry General Johannes Frießner the commander of the army group proposed the plan to Hitler whose reaction was to stand or die at the Narva Line. The aim of the officers was to keep the battle front as short as possible and to use the available troops in the Ukraine. The Soviet success in Belorussia and Ukraine brought the Oberkommando des Heeres to propose a withdrawal of the army detachment "Narwa" and the 18th Army to the line between Riga and Daugavpils 400 kilometres south of Narva. The Soviet forces captured Narva on 26 July. The defensive cost the loss of the SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment 48 due to their tactical errors. The II.Battalion, Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS 46 (2nd Estonian) and II.Battalion, Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 47 (3rd Estonian) kept the 2nd Shock Army from capturing the highway behind the retreating Nordland and Nederland detachments. Supported by 280,000 shells and grenades from 1,360 assault guns, the army crossed the river north of the town. The evacuation was carried out according to Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner's plans until the 2nd Shock Army resumed the offensive in the morning of 25 July. The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland and 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland stationed in Ivangorod left their positions quietly on the night before 25 July. The Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS 45 Estland ( 1st Estonian) and the 44th Infantry Regiment (which consisted in personnel from East Prussia) repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy losses to the 8th Army. Before the German forces had implemented the plan, the Soviet 8th Army launched the offensive with an assault at Auvere Railway Station. Shock troops from the Finnish front were concentrated near Narva, giving the Leningrad Front a 4:1 superiority both in manpower and equipment. While the command of the Soviet Leningrad Front was unaware of the preparations, they designed the Narva offensive. As there were no more sufficient forces for the defence of the former front line at Narva in July, the army group began preparations for the withdrawal of their forces to the Tannenberg defence line at the Sinimäed Hills 16 kilometres from Narva. The Soviet breakthrough in Belorussia made the German Army Group North withdraw a large portion of their troops from Narva to the central part of the Eastern Front and to Finland. The Narva offensive was a campaign fought between the German army detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front for the city of Narva in 24–30 July 1944.
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