Battle of Tannenberg Line

Battle of Tannenberg Line hill was known to Estonians to  Estonians as  as the Lastekodumägi (Orphanage Hill; Kinderheimhöhe in German). The central was the Grenaderimägi Grenaderimägi (Grenadier Hill; Grenadierhöhe) Grenadierhöhe) and the westernmost was the Tornimägi (Tower Hill, also known in German as or 69.9 or Liebhöhe (Love Hill)). The heights have steep slopes and rise 20–50 m above the surrounding land.

This is a sub-article to  Battle of Narva (1944). (1944) .

The Battle of Tannenberg Line  (German  (German::  Die Schlacht   Estonian::  Sinimägede lahing ; um die Tannenbergstellung Tannenbergstellung ;  Estonian Russian:: Битва за линию «Таннен Russian «Танненберг» берг»)) was a military engagement between the German the German Army Detachment "Narwa"  and the Soviet the  Soviet Leningrad Front. Front. They They foug fought ht for the strategically important  important   Narva Isthmus from Isthmus  from 25 July July to 10 August August 1944. The battle battle was fough foughtt on the Eastern Front during Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for the invasions of Finland and East and  East Prussia.. Several Prussia Several Western scholars scholars refer refer to it as the  Battle for the 24 voluntee volunteerr infantry infantry battalio battalions ns of the Europe European an SS for from Denmark Denmark,, East Prussia Prussia,, Flanders  Flanders,, Holland  Holland,, Norway  Norway,, and Wallonia and Wallonia within  within the  Waffen-SS . Roughly half of the infantry consisted of local Estonian local Estonian conscrip conscripts ts motivated  motivated to resist the looming  Soviet re-occupation. re-occupation. The The GerGerman force of 22,250 men held off 136,830 Soviet troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 dead and wounded Soviet Soviet troops and 157–164 tanks.

The formations of  Gruppenführer  Felix Steiner's Steiner's III  III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps   halted their withdrawal and moved moved into defensi defensive ve position positionss on the hills. hills. The 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland started Nederland  started digging in on the left (north) flank of the Tannenberg Line, units of the 20th the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1s (1stt Est Estoni onian) an)in in the centr centre, e, and the 11th SS Vo Volunte lunteer er Panzergrenadier Panzergr enadier Divis Division ion Nordland Nordland on  on the right (south) flank. Another Another front front section section manned by the East the  East Prussians of the 11th 11th Infant Infantry ry Divi Divisi sion on was was situa situated ted a few kilokilometres further south, against the 8th Army in the  Krivasoo bridgehead.[5]

The Soviet Soviet Marshal Marshal   Leonid Govor Govorov ov   considered considered the Tannenberg Line as the key position of   Army Group North and North  and concentrated the best forces of the Leningrad Front.[9] Additional 122nd, 124th Rifle Corps and divisions from 117th Rifle Corps were subordinated to 1 Back Backgr grou ound nd General Ivan General  Ivan Fedyuninsky, Fedyuninsky, commanding the 2nd the  2nd Shock [5] Army.. The goal set by the War Council of the 2nd Army Main articles: articles:  Battle of Narva (1944) and (1944)  and Narva  Narva OffenShock Army was to break through the defense line of the sive (July 1944) III SS Panzer Corps at the Orphanage Hill, force their After defending After  defending the Narva bridgehead for bridgehead  for six months, way to the town of Jõhvi of Jõhvi in  in the west and reach the Kunda the  Kunda River by 1 August. [4] To accomplish this, Govorov was ordered to destroy communications behind the German forces and conduct air assaults on the railway stations of Jõhvi and Tapa and Tapa on  on 26 July.[4]

2 2.1 2.1

Compari Comparison son of forces orces Sovi Soviet et

There is no complete overview overview of the order of the Soviet forces or the detachment sizes in the Battle of Tannenberg Line.[5] For the attack on 29 July, Leonid Govorov concentrated concentrated all of the capable Soviet Soviet units, consisting consisting of [2][7] View View fromthe summit summit of the Grena Grenadie dierr Hill Hill toward towardss the Orphan Orphan-- eleven divisions and six tank regiments. The Soviet age Hill  units that had suffered suffered losses were brought up to strength with fresh fresh manpower. The delivery delivery of Soviet heavy arthe German forces fell forces  fell back to the Tannenberg Line  in tillery complimented the nine divisions of the 109th, the the hills of  Sinimäed  (Russian  ( Russian:: Синие горы) on 26 July 117th and the 122nd Rifle Corps.[5] The 109th and 117th 1944. 1944. The The three three hills hills run run east east to west. west. The east eastern ern Corps were concentrated close to the  Sinimäed , while the 1

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122nd Rifle Corps to the southern section by the church of  Vaivara Parish. The positions of the 11th Infantry Division were mainly attacked by the 35,000-strong 8th Army with their 112th Rifle Corps, two fresh Tank Regiments, 1,680 assault guns, deployed in nine artillery regiments and 150 armoured vehicles.[7] The armored forces included the brand new IS-2 tanks with extra armour and 122mm gun. The weakness of the tank was its limited ammunition capacity (only 28 rounds) and long reloading time for its main gun. The forces were supported by the 576-strong 13th Air Army.[7] The Soviet order of battle (available data as of 28 July 1944):[5] Leningrad Front - Marshal Leonid Govorov •

2nd Shock Army   - Lieutenant General   Ivan Fedyuninsky •

  109th Rifle Corps - Major General Ivan Alferov • •

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 72nd Rifle Division - Ilya Yastrebov   109th Rifle Division   - Major General Nikolai Truzhkin  125th Rifle Division - Colonel Vassili Zinovev

 122nd Rifle Corps 124th Rifle Corps Colonel Mikhail Papchenko   131st Rifle Division  - Major General Pyotr Romanenko  191st Rifle Division - Major General Ivan Burakovski  21st Engineers Brigade - Lieutenant Colonel Vasilkov

COMPARISON OF FORCES 

Total: 28,000 infantrymen, 518 pieces of artillery, 174 tanks and 44 self-propelled guns Separate Corps and Divisions (possibly subordinated to one the above-mentioned Armies):[5] •

  8th 'Estonian' Rifle Corps   - Lieutenant General Lembit Pärn

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 11th Rifle Division

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 43rd Rifle Division

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 98th Rifle Division

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 123rd Rifle Division

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 189th Rifle Division

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 206th Rifle Division

2.2

German

Against the Soviet forces, a few tired German regiments without any reserve troops stood at their positions, battered by the Soviet artillery. The commander of the Army Detachment “Narwa”,  General der Infanterie , Anton Grasser, assessed the German capacity as insufficient against the Soviet attack. While sufficient in ammunition and machine-guns, the combat morale of the Germanic volunteers was under heavy pressure while the spirit of some Estonian troops had already been severely damaged in Grasser’s opinion.[2][7] However, the following combat proved the opposite.[7] The small number of German Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers and shortage of aeroplane fuel gave the Soviets massive air superiority. [2][7] Grasser’s conclusion was short:[2][7]

Leaving diplomatic formulation aside, Grasser anTotal: 26,850 infantrymen, 458 pieces of artillery, 112 nounced that without immediate reinforcements, the Sotanks viets would inevitably break through the Tannenberg Line on 29 June.[2][7] Such reinforcements were beyond the capacities of Army Group North. The commander of the  8th Army - Lieutenant General Filipp Starikov Army Group, Ferdinand Schörner, had repeatedly called Adolf Hitler's attention to the fact that virtually no divi2nd “Masurian” Rifle Division sion consisting of Germans was left at the Tannenberg  377th Rifle Division Line, which was threatening to collapse. These calls had   112th Rifle Corps - Major General Filipp no effect, as Hitler’s response remained to stand or die. [7] Solovev The German order of battle (as of 28 July 1944) was: [5] 48th Rifle Division   - Colonel Yakov Army Detachment "Narwa" -  General der Infanterie  AnKoževnikov ton Grasser   117th Rifle Corps - Major General Vasili   III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps - SS-Gruppenführer  Trubachev Felix Steiner   120th Rifle Division   - Major General •

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Alexandr Batluk  201st Rifle Division - Major General Vyacheslav Yakutovich   256th Rifle Division   - Major General Anatoli Koziyev

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  11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division “Nordland” -  SS-Brigadeführer   Joachim Ziegler •

  SS Panzergenadier Regiment 23  "Norge" SS-Obersturmbannführer   Fritz Knöchlein

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  SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Danmark " -   SS-Sturmbannführer    Albrecht

Krügel •

3 3.1

Combat Orphanage Hill

  20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) - SS-Brigadeführer   Franz Augs- 3.1.1 26 July berger  Waffen Grenadier Regiment 45  -  Waffen- On 26 July, pursuing the withdrawing Germans, the Soviet attack fell onto the Tannenberg Line before the vastly Obersturmbannführer  Harald Riipalu outnumbered Army Detachment "Narwa" had dug-in.  Waffen Grenadier Regiment 46  -  WaffenThe Soviet Air Force and artillery covered the German Standartenführer  Juhan Tuuling positions with bombs and shells, destroying most of the  Waffen Grenadier Regiment 47  -  Waffen- forest on the hills.[5][7] The headquarters of the newly Obersturmbannführer  Paul Vent arrived Flemish 6th SS Volunteer  Sturmbrigade LangeArtillery Regiment -   Waffen- marck   were destroyed and almost all of their officers Obersturmbannführer   Aleksandr Sobolev wounded.   Sturmbannführer  Wilhelm Rehmann left the in to   4th SS Volunteer   Panzergrenadier    Brigade battlefield, as  Leutnant  George D'Haese stepped [10] "Nederland "  -  SS-Brigadeführer  Jürgen Wag- bring the brigade back to combat-readiness. The German batteries were badly hit; the commander of one of ner them was killed. It took a few days for Steiner to re  4th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment "De pair the assault guns and until this had been completed Ruyter " -   SS-Hauptsturmführer    Helmut the impact of the German artillery remained modest. [11] Scholz Benefiting from the disorder, the Soviet 201st and 256th   5th SS Volunteer   Sturmbrigade "Wal- Rifle Divisions supported by the 98th Tank Regiment aslonien" -  SS-Sturmbannführer  Léon De- saulted the positions of the   “Nordland”  Division seizing the eastern side of the Orphanage Hill. [9] In the darkness grelle   6th SS Volunteer  Sturmbrigade "Lange- of the following night, the Anti-Tank Company, SS Panzmarck " -   SS-Sturmbannführer    Georg ergrenadier Regiment 24  "Danmark " destroyed the Soviet tanks and regained their positions.[12] D`Haese •

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 227th Infantry Division

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 113th Security Regiment

3.1.2

27 July

 XXVI Army Corps -  General der Infanterie  Anton In the morning of 27 July, the Soviet forces began another powerful artillery barrage toward the   Sinimäed . AnticGrasser ipating an infantry attack, Steiner concentrated the few  11th Infantry Division working armored vehicles consisting of seven tanks [2][3] 300th Special Purpose Division - under the command of   Obersturmbannführer   Paul Albert Kausch. Steiner placed them behind the westernGeneralmajor  Rudolf Höfer most Tower Hill in readiness positions.[13] A company of Nebelwerfer  rocket launchers were placed behind them, Separate detachments: being able to fire 48 projectiles within a few seconds. [12] Units of the "Nordland " Division were placed between the two hills and the defense was completed by the Anti  Four Estonian police battalions Tank Company, 1st Estonian behind the "Nordland ".[7]  Eastern sector, coastal defence -   Generalleutnant  The Soviet attack concentrated at the Orphpanage Hill and the   Danmark   Regiment south of it. The DanAlfons Luczny ish anti-tank company used their   Panzerfaust s to set  Two Estonian border defence regiments fourteen tanks on fire.[14] Meanwhile, the Soviet infantry forced the weakened "Langemarck "   Sturmbrigade 513th Naval Artillery Battalion to leave the south side of the Orphanage Hill and dig new trenches in front of the Grenadier Hill.[10] As a last resort, 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion Unterscharführer  Remi Schrijnen  used the only heavy weapon left in the  sturmbrigade, a 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti 752nd Anti-Tank Battalion tank gun. Schrijnen was wounded and cut off from the rest of his troops when he started acting as both the loader [1] Total: 22,250 troops deployed in 25 Estonian and 24 and gunner. He and the Flemish heavy machine-gunners German, Dutch, Danish, Flemish, Italian, Norwegian, halted several Soviet tank attacks threatening to encircle and Walloon battalions[5] the "Langemarck " and the Estonian battalions.[15] •

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3

COMBAT 

The Soviet attack also failed to penetrate the defence line of the II.Battalion, SS Volunteer   Panzergrenadier Regiment 49 "De Ruyter ". Several Soviet tanks broke through to the headquarters of the battalion, which were repulsed by  Gruppenführer  Fritz von Scholz Edler von Rerancze sending twelve assault guns forward from the reserve. [12] South from the Orphanage Hill, the Soviet forces broke through the defense of the "Danmark " Regiment and seized control of most of the hill by night time. [14]

Anticipating a major attack, Steiner ordered the heavy weapons of the SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 23  "Norge" and the "Danmark " Regiment to be pulled together into two shock units. By the night of 28 July, the battle had subsided.[7]

3.2

Grenadier Hill

Under Soviet pressure, the German defense threatened to collapse. On 27 July, Schörner arrived at the   Sinimäed . He ordered an immediate recapture of the Orphanage Hill, demanding fanatical resistance from the soldiers. [2][7] A meeting convened by von Scholz laid the tactics for the implementation of the orders. Directly after the meeting, von Scholz was killed by a shrapnel splinter in front of the headquarters.[7]

3.2.1

Preparatory fire

The morning of 29 July began with the preparatory artillery fire of 25,000 shells fired by the Soviets. [5] The bombardment covered the Tannenberg Line in a dust cloud. The forest on the  Sinimäed  Hills was entirely destroyed, with the trees cut down to a height of two–three metres. While having a great psychological effect, the "Katyushas" or so-called "Stalin organs" were inaccurate, causing little damage to the well dug-in German troops. The 70–80 German Nebelwerfers  answered. This was followed by Soviet bombers trying to hit the last of the German troops, ducking down in their trenches. Dressed in camouflage uniforms, they remained unseen by the Soviet pilots.[7]

On the night before 28 July, the SS Reconnaissance Battalion 11, "Nordland " and the   I. Batallion, Waffen Grenadier Regiment 47  (3rd Estonian), launched a ferocious counterattack. Heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides - the Estonian battalion was destroyed.[14] The fighting for the Orphanage Hill was carried on to 28 July as one continuous battle. The II.Battalion, "Nordland " launched their fierce attempt to capture the Orphanage Hill which the Soviets repulsed. The surviving German 3.2.2 Soviet advance guards on the Grenadier Hill forces fell back to the Grenadier Hill. [14] The attack of the 6,000 Soviet infantry[4] began at 0900, supported by a regiment of nearly 100 tanks (most of them of the heavy  IS-2 variety). They used their 122 3.1.3 28 July mm guns to fire directly at the strong points showing any [4][16] For the next day, the 2nd Shock Army was reinforced signs of life and destroyed the remaining bunkers. with the 31st and the 82nd Tank Regiments, three The remmnants of the German advance guard were dehowitzer brigades, and nine heavy artillery regiments. In stroyed. The platoon commanded by lieutenant Lapshin the morning of 28 July, the Soviet forces made a fero- broke through to the top of the Grenadier Hill. Special cious attempt to out-flank the German forces resisting at courage was shown by Sergeant Efendiyev who destroyed the Orphanage Hill from the north side. With the last a German strong point on the hill. The  Komsomol  oranti-tank gun of the "Langemarck " destroying the So- ganiser, V.I. Lavreshin of the 937th Rifle Regiment, who with a red flag in viet armoured force, the Soviets were denied a break- had been marching ahead of his troops [4] The small German his hands, erected it at the summit. through. They suffered heavy casualties, but ordered an by air and artillery assault aimed at destroying the withdraw- units who still resisted were paid no special attention[17] ing German units. Anticipating the attack, the German the Soviets as the main attack was carried westwards. troops advanced into no-man’s-land close to the Soviet units instead. In close combat, a Flemish regiment of the 3.2.3 Attack of Soviet main forces "Langemarck " repulsed the Soviets which brought it to near destruction.[14] The principle of the Soviet attack in the  Sinimäed  was an In the evening of 28 July, the German forces attempted overwhelming frontal shock, with only a few of the atto regain the Orphanage Hill again. Using the tactics tackers presumed to have reached the target.[7] With arof “rolling” small units into the Soviet positions, the tillery fire preventing any reinforcements sent in from the troops seized the trenches on the slope of the feature. German rear, the Soviet 8th Army went on the attack and When a Soviet tank squadron arrived, the German attack drove a wedge into the north flank of the 11th Infantry collapsed. [7] At a portion of the German 11th Infantry Division. The Soviet main tactical goal, the Grenadier Division near the borough of Sirgala in the south, the So- Hill, was to be assaulted by the 6,000 soldiers of the viet tanks aimed to break through. Steiner ordered a with- 109th Rifle Corps. The 109th Rifle Division attacked the drawal to a new defenseive line at the Grenadier Hill. The "Nederland " who were covering the hill from the north.[5] order did not reach a significant part of the German forces The 120th Rifle Division hit the Grenadier Hill from the who remained in their positions at the Orphanage Hill. east. The 72nd Rifle Division assaulted the II. Battal-

3.4

ion, 3rd Estonian Regiment which were defending the northern flank. The 117th Rifle Corps stood ready to break through the last of the German defenses. [2][7] The Orphanage Hill fell to the Soviets with the 191st Rifle Regiment at the head of the Soviet attack. These suffered great casualties from the fire of the last defenders who in turn were either killed or forced to the Grenadier Hill. With the seizure of the Orphanage Hill, the Soviet 201st and the 256th Rifle Divisions were exhausted as the 109th Rifle Division continued to press towards the Grenadier Hill alone. The defenders were commanded by Josef Bachmeier, the head of the II. Battalion, "Norge". The I. and II. Battalions, 3rd Estonian subordinated to Bachmeier had 20 to 30 men each. For the defense of the Grenadier Hill, every available Estonian was sent into battle, including communications personnel.[7] The central command post was destroyed by Soviet fire while the Germans, Flemish, Norwegians and Estonians escaped destruction by lying down in their bunkers. Behind them at the summit of the Grenadier Hill, stood the "Nederland ". The gaps created in the attacking infantry and tank line by the German artillery did not stop the Soviet advance.[7] 3.2.4

5

Germans capture the Grenadier Hill 

Soviet encirclement

The 109th Rifle Division passed the remnants of the II. Battalion, "De Ruyter " which used their light machine guns to cause heavy casualties to the Soviets. The Soviet attack ran into the camouflaged anti-tank gun of Remi Schrijnen standing near the northeastern corner of the hill.[17] Meeting the Soviet attack, he fired his gun, destroying seven tanks in the course of which he was severely wounded when his gun was destroyed by an IS2 tank returning fire from 30 metres.[15] Despite Schrijnen’s heroics, the Soviet tanks besieged the Grenadier Hill and kept circling the hill, all the while firing away at the defenders. Nevertheless, they could not capture the summit due to heavy casualties caused by the German anti-tank guns and the anti-aircraft  guns pointing their barrels down the slope. Other Soviet tanks reached the westernmost hill Tower Hill. The defenders in their bunkers, which were poorly fortified from the north and the flanks, were destroyed. Among the Soviet tank commanders, starshina S. F. Smirnov destroyed five German strong points.[4] One of the tanks reached the community centre of the municipality of Vaivara, shooting a hole in the wall. This remained the westernmost point the Soviet Armed Forces reached in Northeast Estonia until late September 1944.[7]

German radio operator cleared the eastern slope of the Grenadier Hill by waiting for the Soviet troops to reach his position and then ordering an artillery barrage on himself as the Soviets surrounded him. [17] The Soviet tanks threatened the headquarters of the "De Ruyter " Regiment. The counterattack by the headquarters guards company was repelled and   Obersturmbannführer   Hans Collani, seeing a Soviet tank from his headquarters doorstep, shot himself dead. His observations turned out to be erroneous as Steiner ordered the last German tanks out from the reserve (they were commanded by Paul-Albert Kausch).[14] He distributed his tanks in three units. One of them went on to counterattack the Soviets besieging the Tower Hill; the second of them secured the Narva–Tallinn Highway in the west and the third unit counterattacked between the Grenadier Hill and the railway a few kilometres to the south.[7] The arrival of the German tanks came unexpectedly for the Soviet armor. Probably being out of ammunition, the Soviet tank squadron retreated and the counterattack of the "De Ruyter " repulsed the Soviets from the Tower Hill.[18] After the counterattack, only one German Panther tank remained unscathed.[2][7]

3.4

Germans capture the Grenadier Hill

After the German counterattack, the tactical situation at the Tannenberg Line remained unclear. The remains of the II. Battalion, "Norge" at the Grenadier Hill assaulted the Soviets. The latter suffered heavy losses but re-grouped and cut the Norwegians off at the east side of the hill.[4][14] On the western terrace of the Grenadier Hill,   Kampfgruppe  Bachmeier and the III.Battalion, 3rd Estonian kept resisting. The Soviets started searching the bunkers for documents and prisoners.[4] Steiner ordered an air assault using dive bombers from  Tallinn Airport. The Soviets had anticipated the attack and had moved their self-propelled anti-aircraft units to the Orphanage Hill. They shot down several German bombers and afterwards turned their fire on the German infantry.[16]

Steiner had one more battalion to spare – the I.Battalion, 'Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS 45  "Estland " (1st Estonian) which had been spared from the previous counterattacks because of the scarcity of able-bodied men. Sturmbannführer  Paul Maitla  requested reinforcements from the men in the field hospital. Twenty less injured men responded, joining the remains of the other destroyed units, including a unit of the   Kriegsmarine (navy), and supported by the single remaining Panther tank.[7] The counterattack started from the parish cemetery south of the Tower Hill with the left flank of the assault clearing the hill of the Soviets. The attack contin3.3 Germans capture the Tower Hill ued towards the summit under heavy Soviet artillery and bomber attack, getting into close combat in the Soviet poBy noon on 29 July, the Soviet forces had almost seized sitions. The small German grenadier units were moved control of the Tannenberg Line. During the attack, they into the trenches. Running out of ammunition, the Gerhad suffered heavy casualties and were unable to secure man troops used Soviet grenades and automatic weapons their positions at the Sinimäed Hills. A mortally wounded taken from the fallen.[7] According to some veterans, it

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3

appeared that low flying Soviet bombers were attempting to hit every individual German soldier jumping between craters, from time to time getting buried under the soil by the explosions of Soviet shells. [19] The Soviets were forced to retreat from the Grenadier Hill.[5][9]

3.5

Soviet attempts to regain Grenadier Hill

In the afternoon of 29 July, the Soviet forces made eight attempts to regain control of the Grenadier Hill. The last of the German reserves were sent into the battle, including the supply troops. The two assaults by Maitla’s improvised platoon at the Orphanage Hill forced the Soviets to refrain from further attacks and gave the Germans time to re-group.[2][20][21]

3.6

COMBAT 

Army advanced in the forests of the southern section of the front.[4] On 31 July, the Soviet command changed the direction of their preparatory artillery fire, this time aiming it behind the hill, cutting the German defenders off from the main army group. The gradual decrease in the number of shells fired by the Soviet artillery (9,000 rounds on 30 July), witnessed the weakening of the Soviet attacks. [2][7] Soviet infantry started climbing up the Grenadier Hill. The Estonian units against them ran out of ammunition.[2][7] Just in time, an improvised platoon of the " Danmark " arrived to rescue them, and another Soviet attack was repulsed. In the evening, the Soviets tried yet another assault on the Grenadier Hill, it was repelled by the unit commanded by Bachmeier, who was later decorated with the Knight’s Cross.[17] The remnants of the I. Battalion, 3rd Estonian resisted the Soviet attacks on the southern flank. [24]

Report of the 2nd Shock Army head- That time, the political commissar of the 2nd Shock quarters on 30 July Army admitted the failure to break through the defense. He explained it by stating the artillery fire was running Reluctant to admit the catastrophe in his report to the So- late.[7][25] The report presented the false assertion that viet High Command on 30 July, the Political Commissar the Germans had captured the Grenadier Hill only on 30 of the Soviet 2nd Army falsely assured that the Grenadier July.[5] Hill was still in the possession of the Soviet 109th Rifle Corps. As the justification of the failure to break through the German defenses, the report cited the weak cooper- 3.8 Soviet reinforcements in August ation between the artillery and the infantry. The report also mentioned the poorly coordinated action of the ar- Receiving the order from Stalin to break through to mored units, driving to the minefields, which were un- Tallinn at all costs, Govorov made Fedyuninsky responcleared by the sapper units. The commissar made seri- sible for reaching Rakvere no later than 7 August.[9] Durous reproaches against the commanders of the units and ing the first days of August, the 2nd Shock Army received claimed in his report than they were very drunk while at- the 110th and 124th Rifle Corps as reinforcements, raising the number of troops to over 20,000 again.[5] The tempting to command the attacks.[7][22] 8th Army received similar additions to their forces with the 112th and 117th Corps ordered to join the attacks. [5] 3.7 30–31 July Soviet tank forces were also restored, with 104 armored vehicles at their command.[5] At the nine kilometre long On 30 July, the battle went on in similar fashion. Soviet segment of the front, 1,913 assault guns were collected, artillery increased the intensity of its fire to 30,000 making it 300 guns per kilometer. 365 pieces of heavy shells,[5] the German artillery answered with 10,000 artillery were aimed at the Grenadier Hill and 200 at the rounds of their own.[2] The subsequent attack by the Sirgala hamlet in the south segment. As the daily amount, Soviet heavy tanks broke through the defenses of the 200,000 shells were supplied to the artillery.[4] On 1 AuII.Battalion, "De Ruyter " consisting of 35–45 capable gust, no combat took place, as both parties reorganized men running between their heavy machine guns.[7] their forces.[4] The Leningrad Front tried to shift the cenHauptsturmführer   Helmut Scholz  took units of the De ter of weight southwards. Ruyter  Regiment to the counterattack, destroying two tanks at the doorstep of Scholz’s bunker and forcing the Soviets to retreat.[17] For the battles of Tannenberg Line, 3.9 German condition in August Scholz earned the   Knight’s Cross   with Oakleaves, the only SS infantry company commander to be a recipient The army detachment "Narwa"  replaced its units with of the Oakleaves.[7] the less damaged detachments in the first days of AuSimultaneously, the Soviet platoons were climbing up the gust. Despite inflicting immense casualties on the SoviGrenadier Hill under intensive German bombardment. ets, the Waffen-SS units were slowly getting worn down. Eventually, the attack was repelled by German hand The "Nederland " Brigade was reduced to the size of grenades. The Soviets attacked the II.Battalion, 3rd a regiment, while the two regiments of the "LangeEstonian which in close combat, destroyed 12 tanks and marck "   Sturmbrigade   each had the strength of a reinrepelled this latest assault.[7][23] Units of the Soviet 8th forced company.[7] The 2nd Estonian Regiment was vir-

7 tually lost and the " Nordland " Division a shadow of its former self. To the German’s good fortune, Soviet intelligence severely overestimated the strength of the defenders to more than 60 tanks and 800 pieces of artillery [4] while in fact there were just one tank and 70–80 guns left at the Tannenberg Line.[2][7]

3.10

Finale

Estonian soldiers prepare to fire a Panzerschreck in August, 1944

By 2 August, the 2nd Shock Army had re-deployed and assaulted, using the same tactics as previously. The men of the "Nederland " who survived the artillery bombardment, retreated down the slopes of the Grenadier Hill pursued by the Soviet units. In Steiner’s memoirs, the intensity of the fire and the nature of the battles reminded him of the Battle of Verdun.[26] When the artillery barrage ended, the freshly drafted II.Battalion,  Waffen-Grenadier  Regiment der SS 46  (2nd Estonian) returned fire after inflicting severe casualties on the assaulting Soviets and counterattacked, reclaiming the Grenadier Hill. [27] Soviet tanks broke through in the southeastern section of the front as the Estonian assault team commanded by  Hauptsturmführer  Oskar Ruut, the 11th Infantry Division (consisting of personnel from East Prussia) and the 300th Special Purpose Division repelled them while suffering heavy casualties. [5][7][17]

Regiment.[7] As the commanders of the rifle corps erroneously reported to army headquarters on the capture of the Grenadier Hill, the artillery fire was lifted. The Estonians counterattacked and cleared the hill.[7][27] Simultaneously, the 124th Rifle Corps attacking the southern segment of the front by the Vaivara parish church was repulsed. In a similar fashion, the Soviets made two more attacks on 3 August. Each of them began with a massive artillery barrage and ended with a German counterattack, restoring the previous positions.[7][28] Overall on 3 August, twenty Soviet tanks were destroyed. The Soviet attacks from 4 to 6 August were weaker; on 4 August, eleven tanks were destroyed, and seven more on 5 August. During the night before 6 August, six tanks were knocked out.[5] On 10 August, the war council of the Leningrad Front ordered the termination of the offensive and switch strictly to defense.[4] The Soviets reduced their operations to patrol activities with occasional attacks. The defenders used this respite to rotate several exhausted units out of the line for a few days for rest and refit, and to strengthen their positions. Until mid-September, the front stayed quiet.[5]

4

Casualties

In the era of the Soviet Union, losses in the Battle of Tannenberg Line were not mentioned in Soviet sources. [29] In recent years, Russian authors have published some figures[30][31] but not for the whole course of the battle. [7] The number of Soviet casualties can only be estimated by looking at other figures. In the attack of 29 July, 225 men survived of the Soviet 109th Rifle Corps carrying the main weight of the assault. Of the 120th Rifle Division, 1,808 men were lost; killed or wounded. [4] The rest of the Soviet rifle corps lost their capacity for further attacks. [16] In the same attack, the German forces lost 600 men.[2][32] The headquarters of the 2nd Shock Army reported 259 troops fit for combat within the 109th Rifle Division and a total exhaustion of the army on the night On 3 August, the Soviets made a stronger attempt with before 1 August,[25] which probably meant a few thousand the preparatory artillery fire of 25,000–30,000 shells troops fit for combat out of the 46,385 men who had inireaching the level of the attack of 29 July. The fire caused tiated the Estonian Operation on 25 July. The losses of heavy casualties, while a part of the defenders left their the 8th Army were similar to that. [32] positions. Eleven Soviet rifle divisions and four tank regiments tried to spread their attack along the front. How- In the evening of 29 July, the army detachment "Narwa" destroyed, almost half of ever, the main weight of the impending attack tended to counted 113–120 Soviet tanks[2][33] The 2nd Shock Army be at the Grenadier Hill once more. The German ar- them in the battles of 29 July. [25][33] tillery noticed the concentration of the Soviet forces, and reported on fifty of their tanks destroyed on 29 July. an additional 44 Soviet tanks launched their rocket fire, inflicting numerous casualties The German side counted[34] on the Soviet infantry and tanks before the beginning destroyed on 3–6 August. of the attack. As the German artillery fire did not dent Russian author Grigoriy F. Krivosheev, in his account the Soviet superiority in manpower, the Soviet attack be- “Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth cengan as scheduled. The 110th Rifle Corps assaulting the tury”, lists 665,827 casualties suffered by the Leningrad Grenadier Hill found themselves in the middle of cross- Front in 1944, 145,102 of them as dead, missing in acfire from the remnants of the I.Battalion, 2nd Estonian tion, or captured.[29] Estonian historian Mart Laar, de-

8

7

ducting the losses in the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive, Battle for the Narva Bridgehead and the combat in Finland estimates the number of Soviet casualties in the Battle of Tannenberg Line as 35,000 dead or missing and 135,000 wounded or sick.[7] The German Army Group North buried 1,709 men in Estonia between 24 July and 10 August 1944. [8][35] Added to the men missing in action, the number of irrecoverable casualties in the period is approximately 2,500. Accounting the standard ratio 1:4 of irrecoverable casualties to the wounded, the total number of German casualties in the Battle for Tannenberg Line is approximately 10,000 men.[8]

5

Aftermath

Further information: Baltic Offensive (1944) and Tallinn Offensive On 14 September, the Riga Offensive was launched by the Soviet 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts. It 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 the troops in Estonia. After months of holding the line, the exhausted men of the III SS Panzer Corps joined the withdrawal; fighting their way back from the Tannenberg Line. On 17 September, the 3rd Baltic Front launched the Tallinn Offensive from the Emajõgi  River Front joining Lake  Peipus   with Lake  Võrtsjärv. The operation was aimed at encircling the army detachment " Narwa". Unable to hold the force, the German units withdrew towards the northwest while the incomplete II Army Corps was left to stall the Soviet attack. The "Narwa" withdrew quickly towards the Latvian border. On 22 September, Tallinn was abandoned. Some of the Estonian formations now began to attack the retreating Germans, attempting to secure supplies and weapons to continue a guerrilla war as the Forest Brothers against the Soviet occupation.[5] Several troops of the Estonian Division stayed in Estonia. These units continued fighting, some survivors joining the guerrilla groups which fought the Soviet occupying forces until the end of the 1970s.[36]

6

See also

7

REFERENCES 

References

[1] Steven H. Newton (1995). Retreat from Leningrad: Army Group North, 1944/1945. Atglen, Philadelphia: Schiffer Books. ISBN 0-88740-806-0. [2] Unpublisheddata from theofficial battlediary ofthe Army Detachment “Narwa” [3] Mart Laar (2006). Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

261. [4] F.I.Paulman (1980). “Nachalo osvoboždenija Sovetskoj Estonij”. Ot Narvy do Syrve (From Narva to Sõrve)  (in Russian). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat. pp. 7–119. [5] Toomas Hiio (2006). “Combat in Estonia in 1944”. In Toomas Hiio, Meelis Maripuu, & Indrek Paavle.  Estonia 1940–1945: Reports of the  Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity .

Tallinn. pp. 1035–1094. [6] G.F.Krivosheev (1997). Soviet casualties and combat  losses in the twentieth century . London: Greenhill Books. [7] Mart Laar (2006). Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak.

[8] Mart Laar (2006). Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

326. [9]   Laar, Mart  (2005). Estonia in World War II . Tallinn: Grenader. [10] R. Landwehr (1983).   Lions of Flanders . Silver Spring: Bibliophile Legion Books. p. 143. ISBN 0-918184-04-5. [11] R. Landwehr, T.H.Nielsen (1981).  Nordic Warriors . Bibliophile Legion Books, Silver Spring. p. 105. [12] Wilhelm Tieke (2001).  Tragedy of the faithful: a history of the III. (germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps . Winnipeg: J.J.Fedorowicz. pp. 98–99. [13] R. Landwehr (1981).  Narva 1944: The Waffen SS andthe Battle for Europe. Silver Spring, Maryland: Bibliophile Legion Books. p. 84. [14] R. Landwehr (1981).  Narva 1944: The Waffen SS and the Battle for Europe. Silver Spring, Maryland: Bibliophile Legion Books. [15] A.Brandt. The Last Knight of Flanders, pp.126-142

[16] Евгений Кривошеев; Николай Костин (1984). “II. Boi zapadnee Narvy (Battles west from Narva”.   Битва за Нарву (The Battle for Narva)  (in Russian). Tallinn: Eesti •   Battle of Narva (1944) for the first phase of the camraamat. pp. 105–140. ISBN 3-905944-01-4.

paign

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 Documentary film  The Blue Hills 

[17] Wilhelm Tieke (2001).  Tragedy of the faithful: a history of the III. (germanisches) SS-Panzer-Korps . Winnipeg: J.J.Fedorowicz.

9 [18] Marc Rikmenspoel (1999). Soldiers of the Waffen SS. J.J.Fedorowicz, Winnipeg

[34] Mart Laar (2006).  Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. pp.

[19] A.Aasmaa (1999). Tagasivaateid.(Looking Back. In Es304–327. tonian) In: Mart Tamberg (Comp.). Eesti mehed sõjat[35] Unpublished data by the German War Graves Commisules. EVTÜ, Saku sion [20] A.Aasmaa (1999). Tagasivaateid.(Looking Back. In Estonian) In: Mart Tamberg (Comp.). Eesti mehed sõjat- [36]   Mart Laar (1992). War in the Woods: Estonia’s Strug gle for Survival, 1944-1956 . Washington: The Compass ules, p.329. EVTÜ, Saku Press. ISBN 0-929590-08-2. [21] Mart Laar (2006).  Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

294. [22] Political report No. 023363 of the Head of the Political Department of the 2nd Shock Army on 30 July 1944. Estonian State Archive, Fund 32, Catalogue 12, File 7, pp.98–101 [23] J.Uudevald (2000). Vallutasime Grenaderimäe (We conquered the Grenadier Hill. In Estonian). Võitluse Teedel Nr. 3 [24] E.Saumets (1952). “Sinimäed – kangelaste surmamäed (Sinimäed Hills – Death Hills for Heroes” (in Estonian)  3. Kodukolle. [25] Unpublished reports of the Estonian Operation of the 2nd Shock Army, July–September 1944. Estonian State Archive, Fund 32 [26] Werner Haupt (1997).   Army group North: the Wehrmacht in Russia, 1941-1945 . Atglen, Philadelphia: Schiffer Books. p. 244. ISBN 0-7643-0182-9. [27] Karl Sulger (2002). “Sõjakäik pealuu märgi all (Campaign Under the Sign of Bones and Skull” (in Estonian) (1). Võitluse Teedel. [28] Robert Helde (2004). Palavad päevad Sinimägedes (Hot Days at Sinimäed Hills. In Estonian). Võitluse Teedel Nr.1 [29] Mart Laar (2006).  Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

325. [30] В.Бешанов (2004). Десять сталинских ударов . Харвест, Minsk. p. 607. [31] V. Rodin (5 October 2005). “Na vysotah Sinimyae: kak eto bylo na samom dele. (On the Heights of Sinimäed: How It Actually Was)" (in Russian). Vesti. [32] Mart Laar (2006).  Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

303. line feed character in |title= at position 53 (help) [33] Mart Laar (2006).  Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahin gud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II  in Northeast Estonia)  (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak. p.

296.

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Recommended reading •

•

•

 Carius, Otto.  Tigers in the Mud .  ISBN 0-92199114-2.  Michaelis, Rolf.   Die 11.   SS-Freiwilligen-PanzerGrenadier-Division “Nordland”.  Tieke, Wilhelm.  Tragedy of the Faithful: A History of III. ( Germanisches ) SS-Panzer-Korps.

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TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 •

Text   Battle of Tannenberg Line  Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg_Line?oldid=694408162  Contributors:   Bryan

Derksen, PBS, Altenmann, Davidcannon, Oberiko, Everyking, Piotrus, Sam Hocevar, Loopy, Rich Farmbrough, Michael Zimmermann, Wendell, LordAmeth, Axeman89, Tabletop, Rjwilmsi, Ttwaring, Ansbachdragoner, Bleakcomb, Kurt Leyman, Spot87, Welsh, Korny O'Near, Paul Pieniezny, Attilios, SmackBot, Roger Davies, Flamarande, HeartofaDog, Rmosler2100, Christhe speller, TimBentley, Ohconfucius, RASAM, Mihkelv, Illythr, Volker89, Sander Säde, Valoem, Heqs, DangerousPanda, Mewaqua, Flying Saucer, Cydebot, Danrok, Thijs!bot, Wanderer602, Magioladitis, Hroðulf, Dodo19~enwiki, Buckshot06, The Anomebot2, Lokqs, Mrg3105, Jarry1250, Squids and Chips, Hugo999, VolkovBot, Nug, GDonato, Andreas Kaganov, Andrein, AllGloryToTheHypnotoad, Ilyaroz, Nedrutland, Rozmysl, M.V.E.i., Digwuren, Suwatest, Animagi1981, Termer, RJ CG, Jaan, Maralia, MBK004, CohesionBot, Mythrilfan, Sun Creator, Sillen, Iohannes Animosus, BOTarate, DJ Sturm, Põhja Konn, Nikitn, Jim Sweeney, Addbot, Giftitemoff, Bahamut Star, Tassedethe, Jarao, Väino Koorberg, Paul Siebert, AnomieBOT, Metsamees~enwiki, AdjustShift, Citation bot, Openskye, StoneProphet, FrescoBot, Amherst99, Citation bot 1, 10metreh, Matu94, DocYako, Trappist the monk, Ryan.opel, Channelwatcher, Satualm, Dllu, ClueBot NG, Alphasinus, Helpful Pixie Bot, PhantomTech, K.e.coffman, Spearhead21 and Anonymous: 56

9.2 •

Images   File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-734-0019-15,_Russland-Nord,_Soldaten_mit_Raketen-Panzer-Büchse.jpg

 

Source: 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-734-0019-15%2C_Russland-Nord%2C_Soldaten_ mit_Raketen-Panzer-B%C3%BCchse.jpg  License:  CC BY-SA 3.0 de  Contributors:  This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a  cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive.  Original artist:   Vorpahl •

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  File:Estonian_Division.jpg  Source:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Estonian_Division.jpg License:  Public domain Contributors:  http://www.hot.ee/vaikal/enurk.jpg Original artist:  User:erikupoeg File:Flag_of_German_Reich_(1935–1945).svg   Source:    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Flag_of_German_ Reich_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg License:  Public domain Contributors:   Own work  Original artist:  Fornax File:Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union_(1923-1955).svg   Source:    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Flag_of_the_ Soviet_Union_%281923-1955%29.svg License:  CC-BY-SA-3.0  Contributors:  ?   Original artist:  created by rotemliss from Image:Flag of

the Soviet Union.svg. •

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9.3 •

 File:Tannenberg1944.jpg  Source:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Tannenberg1944.jpg License:  CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:  Own work (Original text:  I created this work entirely by myself. )  Original artist:  Martintg (talk) File:Vaivara_Sinimäed_2007.jpg   Source:    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Vaivara_Sinim%C3%A4ed_2007. jpg  License:  Public domain  Contributors:   Own work  Original artist:  Hannu

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