Tallinn Offensive

Code-named company Aster the retreat of the German Army Group North from Estonia from 17 to 22 September 1944 referred to under the command of the German Navy during the Second World War. The company's goal was to preserve the encircled by the Soviet Operation Bagration German troops of Army Group North by a withdrawal prior to their destruction and at the same time to achieve stabilization and shortening the front.

Prehistory

After the collapse of Army Group Centre as a result of the Soviet Operation Bagration large parts of Army Group North threatened to be included, especially after Soviet troops had west penetrate the Panther - Wotan line in the space of Pskov and only again at the Battle of Embach ( estn: Emajögi ) had come to a halt at Dorpat. The evacuation was carried out largely by forces of the Navy, as Soviet troops were already temporarily pushed through west of Riga to the sea and the Army Group North had thus largely cut off. Only after the free -fighting of a few kilometers wide corridor west of Riga (Corridor of Kemmern ), was a land connection was restored ( company double head). To escape the enclosure, Estonia evacuation down to the islands Hiiumaa and Saaremaa was decided. These islands should be kept to maintain the blockade of Soviet naval forces in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and prevent Soviet advances in the middle and western Baltic Sea. Furthermore, the control of the Irben Straits should be maintained. This was ensured by marine batteries on the peninsula at the southern end Sworbe Ösels and on the northern tip of Courland.

Course

The operation began on September 17, 1944 under the command of the German naval forces under Vice Admiral Theodor Burchardi. The aim was to evacuate the army group and Narva Estonian civilians. In six days, 50,000 German and Estonian soldiers, 20,000 Estonian civilians and 1,000 prisoners of war through the ports of Tallinn, Haapsalu and Pärnu were largely evacuated to Latvia. A small part of the German troops withdrew on the offshore islands Moon, Hiiumaa and Saaremaa. The rapid retreat was covered by units of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, which reached Pärnu September 20, 1944, and on the south by the Second Army Corps, which retreated in the general direction of the harbor and Pärnu to Riga. The operation ended on 22 September 1944, the evacuation of the island by naval units Worms away from the beach.

Consequences

Estonian troops who remained in the cleared area, retired as partisans before the Red Army into the woods ( Forest Brothers Movement) and made partially until the early fifties armed resistance to the Soviet occupation in Estonia. In the cleared areas of the Soviet army advanced to fast. This was the base for the conquest of remaining in German hands Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Already on September 29, the attack of the Red Army began on the island of Moon, whose defense was overrun quickly. The German troops had to retreat after Saaremaa, so that Moon was already in Soviet hands on 30 September 1944. On 1 October, the 218 was also relocated to the island of Saaremaa to reinforce the 23th Infantry Division. On 2 October, the Soviets Dagö attacked. Again, the island was occupied within a day. On October 3, it was evacuated by the last German soldiers. Just two days later, on 5 October, the Soviet troops began landing on Saaremaa. Also in this case, the island of the weak German forces was to defend not long, so withdrew the units on the peninsula Sworbe on October 8. Here is found the heavy fighting its beginning, which should be delayed until 24 November 1944. In this heavy fighting the German heavy cruiser Lützow, Admiral Scheer and Prinz Eugen from Lake intervened ago. During this time there were preparations to evacuate the island. But the Führer's headquarters disagreed. After a visit of the Commander of the Kurlandarmee, later Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner, units of the 12th Luftwaffe Field Division were transferred to Sworbe on 23 October 1944. This combative units, however, were taken back to the mainland until November 12. Only when the troops were crushed to a small room of the peninsula agreed the Army Group of the evacuation of the peninsula on the night of 23-24. November 1944 to. Schörner defied so that a transfer of Hitler who had ordered to defend the islands to the last man. Against the morning of November 24, 1944, the crew of Sworbe was evacuated to Ventspils in Latvia. With the evacuation of the peninsula and the island Sworbe Runö in the Gulf of Riga ended the German occupation of Estonia.