Narva offensive (July 1944)

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

Narva offensive (24–30 July 1944)
Part of Eastern Front (World War II)
Soviet map of the operation
Date 24–30 July 1944 Location Narva, Estonia Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Felix Steiner	Leonid A. Govorov
Strength
35,000 troops[1] 7 tanks[2][3] 600 assault guns[4] 137 aircraft[5]	136,830 troops[6] 150 armoured vehicles[1] 2,500 assault guns[1] 800+ aircraft[5]
Casualties and losses
2,500 all causes[1]	4,685 dead or missing 18,602 wounded or sick[6] 29 armoured vehicles[7]

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.

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. 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. While the command of the Soviet Leningrad Front was unaware of the preparations, they designed the Narva offensive. Shock troops from the Finnish front were concentrated near Narva, giving the Leningrad Front a 4:1 superiority both in manpower and equipment. Before the German forces had implemented the plan, the Soviet 8th Army launched the offensive with an assault at Auvere Railway Station. 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. 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 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. Supported by 280,000 shells and grenades from 1,360 assault guns, the army crossed the river north of the town. 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. The defensive cost the loss of the SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment 48 due to their tactical errors. The Soviet forces captured Narva on 26 July.