Key Facts
- Duration
- 15–28 February 1944 (14 days)
- Offensive halted
- 20 February 1944
- Key Soviet formation
- 2nd Shock Army
- Key German formation
- Army Detachment Narwa
- Estonian SS regiments involved
- 45th and 46th SS Waffen Grenadier Regiments
Strategic Narrative Overview
The Soviet 2nd Shock Army expanded a bridgehead in the Krivasoo swamp south of Narva, temporarily severing the railway supplying the Sponheimer Group. However, Govorov could not exploit this opportunity to encircle the outnumbered German forces, which rapidly called in reinforcements. Newly mobilised Estonian volunteers, motivated by resistance to Soviet re-occupation, bolstered the German lines. The Soviet 30th Guards Rifle Corps and 124th Rifle Corps were ground down by the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, and the offensive was halted on 20 February.
01 / The Origins
By early 1944, Soviet forces had lifted the siege of Leningrad and were pushing westward. Stalin personally prioritised capturing Estonia, believing it would compel Finland to exit the war. The strategically vital Narva Isthmus became the focal point, as control of it would open the path into Estonia. The Soviet Leningrad Front under Army General Leonid Govorov was tasked with breaching German Army Detachment Narwa and seizing the isthmus.
03 / The Outcome
With the main Soviet offensive stopped, the newly arrived 45th and 46th SS Waffen Grenadier Regiments—composed of Estonians—eliminated the Soviet bridgehead at Riigiküla north of Narva on 24 February, coinciding symbolically with Estonian Independence Day. The German and Estonian forces successfully defended the Narva line, denying the Soviets their strategic objective and delaying Soviet occupation of Estonia for several more months.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Leonid Govorov.
Side B
2 belligerents
Felix Steiner (III SS Panzer Corps).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.