Baltic Offensive
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The Baltic Operation (Russian Прибалтийская операция ) was a battle between associations of the Red Army and associations of the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, which lasted until November 24, 1944 September 14, and which resulted in almost the entire Baltic region was occupied by the Soviets.
Troop strength
The German Army Group North under Ferdinand Schörner and the German 3rd Panzer Army under Erhard versions had a strength of about 730,000 soldiers together, 7,000 guns and mortars, 1200 tanks and 400 aircraft. Your faced four Soviet fronts (1st Baltic Front under Hovhannes Baghramjan, 2nd Baltic Front under Andrei Eremenko, 3rd Baltic Front under Ivan Maslennikov and the Leningrad Front under Leonid Goworow ) with a total strength of approximately 900,000 soldiers, 17,500 guns, 3000 tanks and 2,500 aircraft.
Course
On September 14 the troops of the three Baltic fronts opened the Riga operation. The 1.Baltische front broke through German defenses and came at the end of the third day already 50 kilometers. The German High Command ordered the grouping " Narva " from Estonia and the left flank of the 18th Army from Wirzsee retreat to reinforce the German grouping in Riga ( company Aster ). On September 16, made two unsuccessful German counter-attacks to facilitate the location of the troops south of Riga. The troops of the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Front was in the first three days not break through the German defense.
On 17 September, the Leningrad Front launched with the support of the Baltic Fleet, the Tallinn operation. They were successful and took on 22 September, a city Tallinn. On September 23, the 18th German Army began to withdraw to Sigulda defense line that stretched a distance of about 60 to 80 kilometers around Riga. The 3rd Baltic Front took up the chase. On September 22 the troops of the 2nd Baltic Front achieved a breakthrough, but were stopped together with the 3rd Baltic in Sigulda. The Leningrad Front had taken until September 26th all over Estonia, with the exception of the islands ( Dago, Osel and Moon ).
From 27 September to 24 November led the Leningrad front along with the Baltic Fleet Moonsund the operation by, in consequence of which the territories occupied by the German Wehrmacht islands were conquered by the Red Army.
In Riga were up to 30 divisions of the Wehrmacht, the frontal section of Auze to Memel but was defended only by eight German divisions of the 3rd Panzer Army. That is why the STAVKA decided to attack in that direction. On 5 October the 1st Baltic Front began with the support of the 39th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front the Memel operation. On October 10 they reached the Baltic Sea to the north and south of Klaipeda and thus closed the city Klaipeda ( Memel dt ) a. The OKW began on October 6, with the evacuation of troops to Kurland. In the night of 6 October, the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Front began the attack on Riga and took the city on 15 October.
On October 16, the 3rd Baltic Front was disbanded and the troops of the 1st and 2nd Baltic Front continued the offensive towards Tukums and Saldus. On October 22 they reached the Tukums defense lines and thus joined the German armies in a Kurland.
Losses and consequences
The Red Army came across a 1000- mile front up to 300 kilometers to the west front, occupied Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, smashed 26 German divisions (three of them completely), blocked 27 more divisions in the Kurland kettle where it is on 8 May 1945 finally revealed. The Red Army lost claims to 218 622 soldiers ( including 61 468 people dead or missing ), 522 tanks and assault guns, 2,593 guns and 779 combat aircraft.