Evacuation of Tallinn

Naval evacuation of Tallinn 1941
Part of World War II and the Continuation War
Soviet cruiser Kirov protected by smoke during evacuation of Tallinn in August 1941.
Date 27–31 August 1941 Location Gulf of Finland Result Finnish–German victory
Belligerents
Finland  Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Admiral Vladimir Tributz Marshal Kliment Voroshilov
Strength
Numerous minefields Numerous bomber aircraft Coastal batteries Numerous torpedo boats	1 cruiser 30,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	12,000+ dead (civilian and military) 28 large transports and auxiliary ships 16 warships 6 small transports 34 merchant vessels sunk

The Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, also called Tallinn disaster or Russian Dunkirk, was a Soviet operation to evacuate the 190 ships of the Baltic Fleet, units of the Red Army, and pro-Soviet civilians from the fleet's encircled main base of Tallinn in Soviet-occupied Estonia during August 1941.

Soviet forces had occupied Estonia in June 1940. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union began on 22 June 1941, German forces advanced rapidly through the Soviet-occupied Baltic states, and by the end of August the Estonian capital of Tallinn was surrounded by German forces, while a large part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet was bottled up in Tallinn harbour.

In expectation of a Soviet breakout, the Kriegsmarine and the Finnish Navy had started on 8 August 1941 to lay minefields off Cape Juminda on the Lahemaa coast. While Soviet minesweepers tried to clear a path for convoys through the minefields, German coastal artillery installed a battery of 150 mm (5.9 in) guns near Cape Juminda and the Finnish navy gathered their 2nd Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla with patrol boats VMV9, VMV10, VMV11 and VMV17. At the same time the German 3. Schnellbootflottille with E-boats S-26, S-27, S-39, S-40 and S-101 was concentrated at Suomenlinna outside Helsinki. German Junkers Ju 88 bombers from Kampfgruppe 806 based on airfields in Estonia were put on alert. On 19 August the final German assault on Tallinn began.

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