Moonsund Landing Operation

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

A map depicting the fighting on Saaremaa island

Date	September 29, 1944 – November 24, 1944
Location	West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), Estonia
Result	Soviet victory

Belligerents

Germany

Soviet Union

Finland

Commanders and leaders

Ferdinand Schörner
(Army Group North)

Leonid Govorov
(Leningrad Front)

The Moonsund Landing Operation (Russian: Моонзундская десантная операция; Estonian: Lääne-Eesti saarte kaitsmine), also known as the Moonzund landing operation, was an amphibious operation and offensive by the Red Army during World War II, taking place in late 1944. It was part of the Baltic Offensive, and was designed to clear German forces of Army Group North from the islands in East Baltic Sea, the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago). The attacking forces were from the 8th Army of the Leningrad Front.

The Estonian islands were occupied largely by units of the German 23rd Infantry Division, which had been split across the three islands and reinforced with a variety of artillery, coastal artillery, and assault engineer detachments.

The islands of Saaremaa (German: Ösel), Hiiumaa (German: Dago) and Muhu (German: Moon) are the largest islands in the archipelago off the Northwest Estonian coast. They dominate the sea lanes to Helsinki, St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Tallinn (German: Reval) as well as the bay of Riga. They are almost completely flat, the highest point rising to about 68 m above sea level. Most of the islands are covered in woods, marshes and fields also dominate the landscape. Much of the surrounding area of the Baltic Sea is shallow, making it unsuitable for major vessels.

The Soviet forces assigned to the attack, the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps and 109th Rifle Corps, were given the order to advance on 29 September 1944. The troops were transported to the first beachhead at Kuivastu on Muhu Island using lend-lease landing craft, including amphibious DUKWs.

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Wikipedia