Key Facts
- Duration
- 20–25 July 1944 (6 days)
- Soviet shells fired (24 Jul)
- 17,000 shells and grenades (~2,000 tons)
- Soviet losses
- 3,000 men, 29 tanks, 17 planes
- Narwa detachment losses
- ~800 troops
- Soviet batteries engaged
- 30–50 batteries
Strategic Narrative Overview
Soviet artillery opened the battle on 20 July, with a massive barrage on 24 July firing 17,000 shells over two hours before air and ground assaults began. The Soviet 122nd Rifle Corps and a tank brigade penetrated German positions, while the 117th Rifle Corps encircled the Estonian 45th Regiment. Paul Albert Kausch's Kampfgruppe, including the Nordland Tank Battalion and rocket artillery, relieved the Estonians and enabled a counterattack that restored the front line.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1944, the Eastern Front had shifted westward, and Soviet forces were pressing into the Baltic region. The Narva front in Estonia became a critical defensive line for German Army Group North and allied Estonian units. The Soviet 8th Army launched an assault on Auvere Station on 20 July 1944, seeking to break through German-Estonian defences and advance further into Estonia as part of a broader campaign to retake the Baltic states.
03 / The Outcome
Both Soviet rifle corps failed to achieve a breakthrough and suffered approximately 3,000 killed, 29 tanks, and 17 aircraft lost. The defending army detachment 'Narwa' lost around 800 troops. A renewed Soviet assault on 25 July was repelled by machine-gun fire. The German-Estonian defensive line held, and the immediate Soviet offensive at Auvere was defeated, though fighting along the Narva front continued.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Paul Albert Kausch.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.