Moonsund operation

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Moonsund landing operation
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
A map depicting the fighting on Saaremaa island
Date 29 September 1944 – 24 November 1944 Location West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), Estonia Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union  Finland[1]
Commanders and leaders
Ferdinand Schörner	Leonid Govorov
Units involved
Army Group North	Leningrad Front
Strength
18,000	unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The Moonsund landing operation (Russian: Моонзундская десантная операция; Estonian: Lääne-Eesti saarte kaitsmine; Swedish: Moonsund Invasionen), also known as the Moonzund landing operation, was an amphibious operation and offensive by the Red Army during World War II, taking place in late 1944. It was part of the Baltic offensive, and was designed to clear German forces of Army Group North from the islands in East Baltic Sea, the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago). The attacking forces were from the 8th Army of the Leningrad Front.

The Estonian islands were occupied largely by units of the German 23rd Infantry Division, which had been split across the three islands and reinforced with a variety of artillery, coastal artillery, and assault engineer detachments.