Here They Come

During the retreat from Leningrad, the Germans hoped to form a new front at Narva. However they found that the Russians had already crossed the Narva River south of the city, creating two adjacent bridgeheads known to the Germans as …

1944-03-17

E4

During the retreat from Leningrad, the Germans hoped to form a new front at Narva. However they found that the Russians had already crossed the Narva River south of the city, creating two adjacent bridgeheads known to the Germans as the East Sack and West Sack in marshy woods . After a prolonged build-up the storm finally erupted against the 615t Infanterie Division as a heavy artillery bombardment signaled a drive north from the East Sack to attempt to cut the ‘Rollbahn' leading to Narva. It fell to elements of the second company of the 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion, commanded by Leutnant Otto Carius, to try to restore order. Several further attacks to attempt to cutoff Narva would follow.

Narva, Russia

The Battle of Narva Bridgehead was the campaign that stalled the Soviet Estonian operation in the surroundings of the town of Narva for six months. It was the first phase of the Battle of Narva campaign fought at the Eastern Front during World War II, the second phase being the Battle of Tannenberg Line. A number of volunteer Waffen SS units from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium fought on the German side. Several Western authors dealing with the foreign national units nickname the campaign as the "Battle of the European SS". The involved Estonian conscripts fought to defend their country against the looming Soviet reoccupation. The Soviet Estonian offensive was a follow-on of the Leningrad–Novgorod offensive. Its aim was to reconquer Estonia, which was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. Although Narva was not the main direction of the Soviet offensives on the Eastern Front in 1944, the Baltic Sea seemed the quickest way to Joseph Stalin for taking the battles to the German ground and seizing control of Finland.

Wikipedia: Battle for Narva Bridgehead

German

Russian