• Source: Battle of Auvere

Battle of Auvere took place in Estonia, starting on 20 July 1944 and ending on 25 July. It was a part of the World War II campaign in Narva.
The Soviet 8th Army started attacking the Auvere Station on 20 July with artillery fire. The defenders had some losses. The Estonians and Germans (of the 11th (East Prussian) Infantry Division) had built trenches and dug themselves into foxholes. On the morning of 24 July, the Soviet assault commenced with 30–50 batteries firing 17,000 shells and grenades (2,000 tons), inflicting significant casualties to the Estonian 45th Regiment in Auvere and the 44th Infantry Regiment in the borough of Sirgala.
After two hours of preparatory artillery fire, the two regiments were attacked from the air. Three German and eight Soviet bombers were shot down in air combat. Under artillery cover, the Soviet 122nd Rifle Corps and a tank brigade pierced to the German positions, while the 117th Rifle Corps encircled the Estonian regiment, which reformed themselves in circular defence.
Relieved by Paul Albert Kausch's Kampfgruppe (the "Nordland" Tank Battalion with additional units) and three rocket artillery launchers, the Estonians went on for a counterattack. The 44th Regiment was saved by the swift movement of artillery behind them clearing their previous positions of Soviet troops. The 117th Rifle Corps reached the headquarters of the Estonian I Battalion, who resisted by heavy machine-gun fire in circular defence. The support by the anti-tank weapons of the 14th Company and Kausch's Kampfgruppe helped to seize the main frontline back to the control of the "Narwa".
The attempts by the 117th and the 122nd Rifle Corps to break through were repelled in a similar way, causing them to lose 3,000 men, 17 planes and 29 tanks, compared to the loss of 800 troops of army detachment "Narwa". On the next day, the Soviet 8th Army tried to capture the German positions again, but they were repelled by machine guns.




Forces


Germany

III SS Corps
11th Infantry Division
20th Estonian SS Division
45th Estonian Regiment
First Battalion, 47th Estonian Regiment
20th Estonian Fusilier Battalion (former Battalion Narwa)
Soviet Union

8th Army
122nd Rifle Corps
117th Rifle Corps




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Battle of Auvere
• Battle for Narva Bridgehead
• Auvere
• List of World War II battles
• July 1944
• Battle of Narva (1944)
• Harald Riipalu
• List of battles 1901–2000
• Index of Estonia-related articles
• Kingisepp–Gdov offensive