Operation Beowulf

Operation Beowulf
Part of World War II and the Eastern Front (World War II)

Defense of the Moonsund Islands 22 June - 22 October 1941
Date9 September-21 October 1941
Location
Result German victory
Belligerents
 Germany  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Nazi Germany Georg von Küchler Soviet Union Nikolay Kuznetsov
Units involved
61st Infantry Division 3rd Infantry Brigade of the North-Western Front
Strength
10,000 23,700
Casualties and losses
2,850 killed, missing, or wounded 4,700 killed
19,000 captured[1]

Operation Beowulf refers to two German plans to occupy the islands of Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhu, off the Estonian west coast. Both plans had the same objectives but assumed differing start points. The attack, using Beowulf II, started on 9 September 1941 and had achieved its objectives by 21 October.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AskeyIIB_p.329 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Gunnar Åselius, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Navy in the Baltic 1921-1941, Routledge, 2005, ISBN 978-11-35-76960-4, p. 230.