The LIV Army Corps () was a

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was formed in June 1941. After February 1944, it was upgraded to a command equivalent in rank but not in name to an army, something that the Wehrmacht dubbed an army detachment. It operated under the following names: * Under its initial name LIV Army Corps, it was active between June 1941 and February 1944. * It was renamed Army Detachment Narva () on 2 February 1944. * It was again renamed and became Army Detachment Grasser () on 25 September 1944. * It was redesignated again in October 1944, becoming Army Detachment Kleffel (). The officer staff of Army Detachment Kleffel was dissolved and its personnel used to form a full-fledge army-level command, the 25th Army, on 10 November 1944.

History

LIV Army Corps, June 1941 – February 1944

Formation

The LIV Army Corps was formed on 1 June 1941 as a reserve staff under supervision of the DHM (), the German military mission in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Its creation had been ordered on 4 April 1941. The initial commander of LIV Army Corps was Erick Hansen, who would hold that office until 20 January 1943. The German DHM in Romania was one of two army deployments by Germany that were initially intended for noncombat circumstances, next to the German military mission in Finland. Hansen was previously the head of the DHM, but had only little faith in Germany's Romanian allies. Hansen described the Romanian units as 'useless for difficult offensive actions'. The creation of LIV Army Corps was part of the immediate preparation for the Axis invasion of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, '' Unternehmen Barbarossa''. Romania, under the leadership of

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...

, had agreed to take part in the invasion. Romania would provide four divisions and six brigades to the initial invasion force, with another nine divisions and two brigades in reserve. Furthermore, the Romanian government allowed German units like the LIV Army Corps to operate from Romanian territory. The LIV Army Corps was part of 11th Army ( von Schobert), which was in turn a part of

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

under

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...

, who had already led Army Group South during the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. The initial divisions of the LIV Army Corps were the 50th Infantry Division and the 170th Infantry Division. Invasion1941

June–September 1941

It was the task of Army Group South to advance eastward from

occupied Poland ' (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV 2 (Norway), TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. ...

and northeastward from northern Romania into the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

. In Ukraine,

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

was the first major operational target for the Germans, whereas the Romanians would be instructed to attack

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. In the opening stages of the invasion, the 11th Army, which the LIV Army Corps was a part of, made up a critical part of one of Rundstedt's shock groups. Schobert's 11th Army was to cooperate with the

Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

and Fourth Romanian Armies to conduct a delayed supporting attack from Romania into the Soviet Union. The objective of these three armies was to clear

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

forces from southern Ukraine, to secure the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast and to, if possible, encircle Soviet forces in the

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

and

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

areas. Other German armies under Rundstedt's supervision included the 6th Army ( von Reichenau) and 17th Army ( von Stülpnagel). The shock group struck the Soviet defenses in

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

on 2 July. A week earlier, on 25 June, the

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

had formed a new command, the Southern Front, in the sectors opposite the 11th Army. The Southern Front ( Tyulenev) consisted of the Soviet 9th Army ( Cherevichenko) and the Soviet 18th Army (Smirnov). It had been Rundstedt's plan to use the German 11th Army to encircle these and other forces in southern Ukraine in cooperation with the German 17th Army. On the first day of action, the 11th Army overwhelmed the Soviet defenders and reached the

Prut The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates on the eas ...

river. The Soviet forces, overestimating the strength of the German attack, promptly fell back to the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

river line before realizing their mistake. In the resulting Soviet counterattack, the line stabilized between the Prut and Dniester rivers. The Soviet 18th Army was forced to dig in in the

Mohyliv-Podilskyi Mohyliv-Podilskyi (, ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Mohyliv-Podilskyi Raion within the oblast. It is located in the historic region of Podolia, on the border with Bessarabia, Moldova, along th ...

area. On 18 July 1941, the 11th Army crossed the Dniester at Mohyliv-Podilskyi. This resulted in a realization at Stavka that the Southern Front and Southwestern Front were threatened by envelopment. Stavka allowed the Soviet 6th,

12th Twelfth can mean: *The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution *The Twelfth, a Protestant celebration originating in Ireland In mathematics: * 12th, an ordinal number; as in the item in an order twelve places from the beginning, follo ...

and 18th Armies to withdraw towards the

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( ; , ) is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated on the Ros (river), Ros River in the historical region of right-bank Ukraine. It is the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (which does not include the city of Kyiv) and serves as the ...

line, some 100 kilometers west of the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

river. At the end of August, the LIV Army Corps reached the Dnieper opposite Nikopol with the 11th Army and was now geographically halfway between Kiev in the north and

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

in the south. On 26 August 1941, commanding general of LIV Army Corps Hansen sent an estimation of the attached Romanian units to the command of 11th Army. Among other examples, he applauded the quality of Romanian anti-tank guns, but surmised that the fact the anti-tank detachments were horse-drawn detracted from their performance. On 12 September, Eugen Ritter von Schobert was killed in action while performing his duties as commander of 11th Army. He was killed when his

Fieseler Fi 156 The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") is a liaison aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Fieseler. Its nickname of '' Storch'' was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which gave the aircraft ...

plane attempted to land on ground that happened to contain a freshly deployed Soviet minefield. He was subsequently replaced by

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a Germans, German Officer (armed forces), military officer of Poles (people), Polish descent who served as a ''Generalfeld ...

, who as the new commander of the 11th Army now also oversaw the activities of LIV Army Corps. Manstein arrived at his new headquarters in

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

on the mouth of the

Bug river The Bug or Western Bug is a major river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus (border), Poland, and Ukraine, with a total length of . Under Manstein's supervision, the 11th Army broke through the Red Army defenses at the

Isthmus of Perekop The Isthmus of Perekop, literally Isthmus of the Trench (; transliteration: ''Perekops'kyi pereshyiok''; ; transliteration: ''Perekopskiy peresheek,'' , ; ; transliteration: ''Taphros''), is the narrow, wide strip of land that connects the C ...

starting on 24 September 1941. In this assault, the LIV Army Corps served as the main assault force against the Perekop position and were supported by German artillery formations as well as by aerial units of

Luftflotte 4 ''Luftflotte'' 4For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 4) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 18 March 1939, from Luftwaffenkomm ...

. According to the plan, the LIV Army Corps was to achieve the initial breakthrough, with the XXXXIX Mountain Corps as well as the

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...

standing by to rush through the breach. The Romanian Third Army ( Dumitrescu) was on defensive duty on the Ukrainian mainland to plug holes left open by German troops moving into Crimea. At this point, with

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

reclaimed, the Romanians were politically and militarily careful to overcommit to the Ukrainian campaigns now that their principal war aim was fulfilled. Regardless, Manstein would later note in his memoirs that Dumitrescu's personal loyalty had greatly enhanced the joint German-Romanian cause in southern Ukraine. The attack on Perekop that started on 24 September 1941 was not perfectly smooth, however. With the 73rd Infantry Division on the right and the 46th Infantry Division on the left, LIV Army Corps advanced into Soviet defenses in almost completely flat terrain. Although the LIV Army Corps enjoyed strong artillery and air support, the Soviet defenses were still in a decent position and reasonably well-constructed, including a remarkable trench and tunnel system that connected the towns of

Perekop Perekop ( Ukrainian & Russian: Перекоп; ; ) is a village located on the Perekop Isthmus connecting the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. It is known for the Or Qapi fortress, which served as the gateway to Crimea. The villa ...

and Preobrazhenka and through which Soviet infantry and supplies could move underground. Furthermore, there was a trench on the neck of the isthmus, dubbed the ''Tartar Wall'' by the German attackers (after the common European name for the inner city walls of Beijing). This trench, some ten to fifteen meters deep, was the main line of Soviet defense and was held by the Soviet 156th, 271st and 276th Rifle Divisions. In response, German engineers advanced under the cover of smoke and employed demolition charges and hand grenades against the trenches and bunkers. Losses among the German engineers were high. The German advance across the ''Tartar Wall'' and past the defenders north of

Armyansk Armiansk ( ; ; ; ) is a city of regional significance in the northern Crimean peninsula. The status of Crimea has been disputed by Ukraine and Russia since February 2014. Armiansk is located on the Isthmus of Perekop and serves as the administra ...

took three days. By then, the

Stuka The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...

attacks by Luftflotte 4 had taken a significant toll on the number and morale of the Soviet defenders. After the Germans dislodged the defenders from Armyansk, the ''Tartar Wall'' was broken; a counterattack by the Soviet 5th Tank Regiment was successful in breaching the German lines, crossing the ''Tartar Wall'' and reaching the rear of Germany's 73rd Infantry Division, but this counterattack was fought back using artillery attacks and air strikes. The Soviet armored formation was not enough to reclaim the ''Tartar Wall'' line. With the ''Tartar Wall'' secure, the Germans had crossed the isthmus, but were now in no position to actually penetrate the breach they opened. The 1st SS Panzer Division, which Manstein initially had intended to be used for this penetration, was now called back to stand by for orders from

1st Panzer Group The 1st Panzer Army () was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II. When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (''Panzergruppe ...

(

von Kleist The House of Kleist is the name of an old and distinguished Prussian noble family, originating in Pomerania, whose members obtained many important military and administrative positions within the Kingdom of Prussia and later in the German Empire. ...

) that was preparing to attack towards

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

. Furthermore, the losses sustained by the 46th and 73rd Infantry Divisions were substantial. The situation was further complicated by a counter attack by units of the Soviet Southern Front that struck against the units of the 11th Army from a position between the Dniepr and the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

. The 9th, 12th and 18th Soviet Armies started an offensive against the Germans on 26 September 1941, starting the

Battle of the Sea of Azov The Battle of the Sea of Azov, also known as the Chernigovka pocket was an Axis military campaign fought between 26 September 1941 and 11 October 1941 on the northern shores of the Sea of Azov on the Eastern Front of World War II during Oper ...

. This offensive scored considerable initial successes and threatened to penetrate the Axis line at several points. Although Manstein would in his memoirs blame this setback on the Third Romanian Army and specifically the 4th Mountain Brigade, the forces of both Romania and Germany were heavily affected by the Soviet push. To stabilize the situation, the XXXXIX Mountain Corps, which had been the other force besides the 1st SS Panzer Division intended by Manstein to lead the attack against Crimea itself, had to turn around halfway to Perekop and to face the advancing Soviet forces. The Axis forces, now supported by units of Kleist's Panzer Group, were able to surround the overextended Soviet formation and to eventually capture most of the Soviet 9th and 18th Armies. The Soviet 12th Army managed to escape the trap, but the Axis were nonetheless able to make more than 65,000 prisoners. The LIV Army Corps was not part of this victorious effort against the Soviet 9th, 12th and 18th Armies; it still stood on the Perekop isthmus, unable to capitalize on the gains made by the 46th and 73rd Infantry Divisions due to the high casualties the corps had sustained. After the close call at the Sea of Azov, it was now clear that the previously ambivalent command direction of the 11th Army, which had been essentially required to push both east towards Rostov and south towards Sevastopol was unacceptable. Manstein's 11th Army was now unequivocally instructed to commit to an attack across Crimea towards Sevastopol, whereas Rostov was to be left to Kleist's Panzer Group. The 11th Army was also assigned additional reinforcements in the form of the XXX Army Corps and the XXXXII Army Corps. The LIV Army Corps specifically was expanded by adding the 50th Infantry Division.

October–December 1941

The 50th Infantry Division first appears as part of the LIV Army Corps on the Wehrmacht order of battle on 2 October 1941. In addition to the German reinforcements, the Romanians also strengthened their troops in the area by dispatching the Romanian Mountain Corps, consisting of the 1st Mountain Brigade, 8th Cavalry Brigade and 19th Artillery Regiment. The need to wait for the arrival of these reinforcements delayed the renewed attempt to attack Crimea well into October 1941. Newly strengthened with the arrival of additional German and Romanian troops, the 11th Army began the

Crimean campaign The Crimean campaign was conducted by the Axis powers, Axis as part of Operation Barbarossa during World War II. The invading force was led by Nazi Germany, Germany with support from Kingdom of Romania, Romania and Fascist Italy, Italy, wh ...

on 18 October 1941. This resulted in an order by Stavka for the Soviet

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

to evacuate the garrison that defended

and for that evacuated garrison to join the defense of the Crimean peninsula. The objective of the operation was the elimination of

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, the main port of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet which had proven to be of considerable value to the Soviet forces, specifically during the Siege of Odessa. Another target on the Crimea was the access to the

Kerch Peninsula The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula. This peninsula stretches eastward toward the Taman Peninsula between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the peninsula i ...

, which would grant the Axis another access point to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region. The beginning of the campaign was carried by three German infantry divisions advancing in a line. Two of these, the 46th and the 73rd, were part of LIV Army Corps and had already done the heavy lifting during the attack on Perekop. The third division in question was the 22nd Infantry Division of XXX Army Corps. With the rest of the 11th Army forces waiting in the rear, the German attackers engaged some eight Soviet divisions that were supported by four cavalry brigades as well as significant

Red Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

contingents. Soviet airpower made the first few days of the Crimean campaign very painful to the German spearhead and caused the German infantry to regularly dig trenches and foxholes to find cover from Soviet aerial strafe runs. While ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' forces of Fliegerkorps IV were present, the Wehrmacht units could not operate with the air superiority that they had been accustomed to during most of ''Operation Barbarossa''. The German losses mounted quickly, and especially officers were hard to replace. Within a few days, several battalions were commanded by lieutenant-rank soldiers as their captains were killed. However, Soviet losses were certainly comparable, and the German spearhead, covered by artillery fire, made progress. The Germans proved the experience they had with infantry attacks under artillery cover from previous campaigns, whereas the Soviet defenders were less effective at utilizing their own guns. By 25 October 1941, the German offensive momentum was all but spent, but the Soviet resistance had notably weakened. The twelve divisions of the Soviet 51st Army had already been thrown against the Germans and the Soviet reserves were running dry. The Germans broke the Soviet defensive line in front of Ishun, just south of

Krasnoperekopsk Krasnoperekopsk () or Yany Kapu (; ) is a city in Crimea. Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, it was incorporated into Russia's Republic of Crimea. However, a majority of countries recognises the territory as part of Ukraine within the Auto ...

, on 28 October 1941. Manstein had kept all other troops in reserve during the breakthrough of the three infantry divisions in front, and was now able to send everything he had through the breach created by the spearhead. On the German left stood the XXXXII Corps with its rested 170th Infantry Division as well as the 46th and 73rd Infantry Divisions that had been previously part of LIV Army Corps. The XXXXII Corps marched east. In the German center, the XXX Army Corps stood ready with the 22nd Infantry Division as well as the rested 72nd Infantry Division, poised to advance straight towards the Yaila Mountains. On the German right, LIV Army Corps itself stood, with the newly arrived 50th and 132nd Infantry Divisions. Its main goal was Sevastopol in the southwest of Crimea. The German advance was swift. On 1 November,

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

was taken by a single anti-tank battalion. On 4 November,

Feodosia Feodosia (, ''Feodosiia, Teodosiia''; , ''Feodosiya''), also called in English Theodosia (from ), is a city on the Crimean coast of the Black Sea. Feodosia serves as the administrative center of Feodosia Municipality, one of the regions into ...

in the southeast was taken. The Crimean campaign lasted until 16 November 1941 when

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

was captured. marking the German conquest of the entire peninsula with the exception of Sevastopol, which the Germans had started to

besiege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

on 30 October. The capture of Crimea by the LIV Army Corps and the 11th Army brought with it the mass murder of the local Jewish population. Between 9 December and 13 December 1941, some 12,000 Jews were murdered outside Simferopol. Many of them had been denounced by their non-Jewish compatriots, whereas others were hunted down and executed by SS forces aided by Wehrmacht units. Although Manstein had called to carry the momentum straight into a penetration of Sevastopol's defenses, rains and poor road condition slowed LIV Army Corps so much that its infantry contingents could not keep up with the mobile advance detachments. These detachments proved too weak to take Sevastopol's forward defenses on their own, and the Soviet defenders gained enough time to dig in. LIV Army Corps was halted by the Soviet defenders by 8 November 1941 at a line some six miles north and east of the city. Both sides started to reinforce. The Germans brought in their supplies over land, whereas the Soviets used the Black Sea Fleet, just like they had done at Odessa. The LIV Army Corps was soon joined by XXX Army Corps from eastern Crimea, whereas the city's defenders were strengthened by detachments from Odessa and the Caucasus. As the siege entered the next phase, the Soviet defenders numbered some 52,000 soldiers and 170 guns, with more on the way. This defense force, headed by Ivan Petrov, was dubbed the Independent Coastal Army. The German failure to take the city with the momentum of the October advance doomed the chances to take Sevastopol before the end of the year. The winter 1941/42 came early, and brought with it heavy rain and snowfall, as well as cold temperatures. Furthermore, the strategic situation changed for the worse, with German defeats at the Battle of Rostov by 2 December, the first major German defeat during ''Operation Barbarossa'', as well as the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

by the end of the year. Kleist responded to the setback at Rostov by retreating his Panzer Group thirty-five miles to the west and entrenching behind the

Mius river The Mius (; ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус

. This move was approved by Rundstedt, but irritated Germany's dictator

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, and Rundstedt was subsequently sacked. The heavily bolstered Soviet forces in the Rostov sector reduced the priority of attacking Sevastopol, and the 73rd Infantry Division, previously with LIV Army Corps, was taken away from XXXXII Army Corps and sent to aid Kleist. On 17 December 1941, Manstein's 11th Army attempted to breach the fortress at Sevastopol. LIV Corps attacked from the north, XXX Corps from the south. Robbed of the reserves that would have been provided by the 73rd Infantry Division that was called to assist the Rostov sector, the LIV Corps had only one battle-worthy division, the 22nd Infantry Division. Manstein would single out the bravery and excellence displayed by the forces of the 22nd Infantry Division during the December 1941 activities in his memoirs, but the attack was nonetheless very likely to fail. Additional units could also not be called up, as the forces of the XXXXII Corps were tied down guarding the area between Feodosia and Kerch. Still, the success scored by the meager German infantry formations was remarkable. The 22nd Infantry Division managed to pierce two of the three defensive rings around Sevastopol. Just as the units of the 22nd Infantry Division had dispatched of the defenders from the 40th Cavalry Division and were about to decisively take the high ground that would grant them the key to victory over Sevastopol, the arrival of the 79th Independent Marine Brigade tipped the balance in the Soviet favor. Over the next few days, the arrival of the 345th Rifle Division from

Tuapse Tuapse (; , Ṫuapsă ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of a resort zone which extends sou ...

in the Caucasus strengthened the Soviet position. The Soviets managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and the German attack against Sevastopol was repelled. A renewed attempt to take the fortress starting on 27 December was diluted by the Soviet landings on the Kerch peninsula. In spite of the Soviet activity at the Kerch peninsula, Hitler insisted that the attack of Sevastopol should be continued, in the hopes of scoring a politically valuable victory to improve German military and civilian morale. However, the commanders in Crimea determined that the mounting Soviet threat made the continuation of the attack unfeasible. The attack on Sevastopol was halted on 31 December 1941. On 26 December 1941, the Soviet forces used their naval supremacy provided by the Black Sea Fleet to make several landings on the Kerch peninsula. Elements of the Soviet 51st Army landed on both sides of Kerch. This started the

Battle of the Kerch Peninsula The Battle of the Kerch Peninsula, which commenced with the Soviet Kerch-Feodosia Landing Operation () and ended with the German Operation Bustard Hunt (), was a World War II battle between Erich von Manstein's Nazi Germany, German and Kingdom o ...

. Two days later, a much larger Soviet force landed at Feodosia, bringing in troops of the Soviet 44th Army. By 29 December 1941, the Soviet Union had brought ashore 41,000 soldiers, 236 guns and 43 tanks.

1942

Over the course of January 1942, the Soviet force would be strengthened even further with the arrival of the

47th Army The 47th Army () was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, active from 1941 to 1946. History The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's border defenses with Iran. O ...

. The 44th, 47th and 51st Armies were officially fused into the newly formed

Crimean Front The Crimean Front () was one of the Red Army fronts of World War II, which existed from January–May 1942. Composition It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich Kozlov, and was made up of * 44th Soviet Army ( Stepan ...

by the order of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

on 28 January. While organizationally impressive, the Soviet landings happened under awful conditions. The Soviet soldiers were faced with strong winds and temperatures around -20°C. Six of the ten Soviet landing sites were quickly recaptured by local German forces. Nonetheless, the sheer numerical force of the Red Army allowed the Soviet Union to recapture the Kerch Peninsula with the threat to regain control of Crimea as a whole. The arrival of three Soviet armies threw the local German commander,

Hans von Sponeck Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

of XXXXII Corps, into a panic. Sponeck requested the right to retreat three times, and was refused by Manstein every time. He eventually fell back to the west of peninsula on his own accord. As a result of this development, the attack on Sevastopol had to be postponed yet again, as Manstein called off XXX Corps towards the Kerch Peninsula, leaving LIV Corps on its own in front of the Soviet fortress. The Germans recaptured Feodosia, a valuable port from which reinforcements could have been brought in by the Black Sea Fleet, from the Soviets on 18 January. The situation was now in a stalemate, as the Germans held the vast majority of the Crimean peninsula as well as the bottleneck that connected it to mainland Ukraine, but the two objectives that the Wehrmacht had invaded Crimea for in the first place, Sevastopol and Kerch, were in the hands of the Red Army. With the

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and up ...

frozen, the Soviet forces could simply walk towards the frontline in eastern Crimea from the Taman Peninsula in Russia. These reinforcements also included

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

tanks. The high-ranking Soviet officers were however hindered in the execution of their duties by the presence of

Lev Mekhlis Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis (; 13 January 1889 – 13 February 1953) was a Soviet politician and a prominent officer in the Red Army from 1937 to 1942. As a senior political commissar, he became one of the main Stavka representatives on the East ...

, Stalin's personal political watchdog, whose intrusive behavior paired with his military incompetence was a factor of obstruction in the Soviet officers' proceedings. The Soviet Union attacked the positions of the 11th Army in a large attack on 27 February. This ''Battle of the Parpach Narrows'' achieved little that was of use to the Soviet forces. Although the Germans suffered considerable casualties as a result of the sheer numerical force of Soviet troops advancing against them, the Soviets sustained intense losses and saw only a seven-mile bulge in the northern portion of the line as a reward. With Mekhlis pressuring the Soviet commanders to produce results, the Red Army attacked again on 13 March, 26 March and 9 April. These additional attacks also failed. The Soviet April 1942 offensive was particularly bleak, as the improving weather conditions strengthened the performance of the German artillery and thus further increased the death toll on the Soviet side. In total, the Crimean Front had suffered a casualty rate of 40%. The German XXX Corps and XXXXII Corps as well as the Romanian Third Army held their positions and stood firm against the Soviet pressure. Despite Manstein's claims in his memoirs, the Romanian soldiers' bravery was not outmatched by that of their German counterparts. The performance of German aerial units was aided by the bolstering of air units and by the tightly-packed Soviet ground formations. Still, the German performance was not flawless. Manstein wasted much of the newly arrived

22nd Panzer Division The 22nd Panzer Division was a German Panzer Division in World War II. It was formed September 1941 in France. It was transferred to the southern sector of the Eastern Front in March 1942. The 22nd was the last Panzer Division to be issued with ...

by sending it into combat without much preparation on 20 March. The Battle of the Kerch Peninsula ended in an overwhelming Axis victory on 19 May. In June 1942, with the Kerch Peninsula defended, a newly strengthened 11th Army could once again tackle the task of dislodging the Soviet defenders at Sevastopol. The bombardment of the city was reopened with renewed force on 2 June 1942. The ''Luftwaffe's'' Fliegerkorps VIII, armed with over 600 ground support aircraft, supported the efforts. On a front of just twenty-one miles, the Germans commanded 611 artillery pieces, resulting in the greatest concentration of fire yet achieved by the German Wehrmacht during World War II, at 29 guns per mile of frontline. In the subsequent bombardment of the city, Sevastopol's defenses were shattered under the constant artillery fire. The German artillery was crowned by the "big three", two 600mm guns as well a

Schwerer Gustav Schwerer Gustav (English: ''Heavy Gustav'') was a German railway gun. It was developed in the late 1930s by Krupp in Rügenwalde as siege artillery for the explicit purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line, the stronges ...

-type railway gun firing 800mm shells, making it the largest rifled weapon ever used in combat.

The ground attack was, just like in December 1941, carried out by LIV Army Corps from the north and XXX Army Corps from the southeast. Between them, the Romanian Mountain Corps provided support. The ground attack began on the morning of 7 June 1942. Unlike in December 1941, the Germans were now equipped with all the ground, artillery and aerial forces necessary to penetrate the Soviet defense lines, and the LIV Corps made its way forward against tenacious Soviet resistance. By 13 June, forward elements of the 22nd Infantry Division reached the north shore of the bay, clearing out Fort Stalin, the fortification against which the attack of December 1941 had failed. To the right of the 22nd Division, the 24th and 132nd Infantry Divisions, would clean the entire shore. Meanwhile in the south, XXX Corps had successfully reached the Zapun heights, thus breaching the second of the three defense lines of Sevastopol. Subsequently, the innermost of Sevastopol's defenses had to be tackled. On 17 June, the LIV Army Corps decisively captured six fortifications on the northern front. Just after midnight in the early hours of 29 June 1942, elements of the 50th Infantry Division under LIV Corps carried out an amphibious crossing of Severnaya Bay on assault boats. By daybreak, the 50th Infantry Division had successfully breached the Zapun position and would over the course of the day overrung the Inkerman Ridge as well as the Malakov bastion. The decisive breakthrough was achieved by the 170th Infantry Division. In response to this decisive blow, Stalin ordered to evacuate the city on 30 June. Some 30,000 Soviet troops awaited evacuation by the Black Sea Fleet on the

Chersonese Peninsula Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, ancient Greek Greek colonization, colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from He ...

, but were captured by the Germans before the promised ships arrived. Another 60,000 prisoners were taken in Sevastopol itself. The German 11th Army formally entered Sevastopol on 1 July 1942. Manstein was promoted to

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

by Hitler's order that evening as a reward for the victory. The last elements of resistance were eliminated on 4 July 1942, bringing the Siege of Sevastopol to an end. The LIV Army Corps was transferred to 18th Army ( Lindemann) in September 1942, then briefly transferred back to the 11th Army in October 1942. LIV Army Corps was permanently transferred to the 18th Army in November 1942. At the time of transfer, the LIV Army Corps only commanded the 250th "Blue" Infantry Division, made up of Spanish Wehrmacht volunteers. The LIV Army Corps joined the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

1943

On 1 January 1943, the German forces engaged at the Siege of Leningrad included the 16th Army and LIV Army Corps' 18th Army. The 16th Army consisted of the X Army Corps, II Army Corps, and the Groups Hahne and Tiemann. The 18th Army was made up, next to the LIV Army Corps, of the L Army Corps, XXVI Army Corps, I Army Corps, XXVIII Army Corps and XXXVIII Army Corps, as well as several divisions in reserve. Erick-Oskar Hansen was succeeded as corps commander of LIV Army Corps by

Carl Hilpert __NOTOC__ Carl Hilpert (12 September 1888 – 1 February 1947) was a German general during World War II. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Hilpert became chief of the staff of ''Armeeabteilung A'' on 9 September 1939 under the comma ...

on 20 January 1943. Hilpert would hold the office for seven months, until 1 August 1943. Hilpert had previously served as the commander of XXIII Army Corps, chief of staff of

Army Group B Army Group B () was the name of four distinct German Army Group, army group commands that saw action during World War II. The first Army Group B was created on 12 October 1939 (from the former Army Group North) and fought in the Battle of France ...

and chief of staff of

1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Chinese Communist Party unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...

. On 1 August 1943, Carl Hilpert was succeeded as corps commander of LIV Army Corps by

Otto Sponheimer __NOTOC__ Otto Sponheimer (19 December 1886 – 14 March 1961) was a German general (General of the Infantry) in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of N ...

. Sponheimer would hold this office until after the formal reassignment of LIV Army Corps as an army detachment in February 1944.

1944

Starting on 14 January 1944, the LIV Army Corps was part of the withdrawal of Army Group North from Leningrad to the Panther Line. Army Group North had been decisively weakened by Soviet attacks as well as troop transfers away from the northern sectors to other parts of the Eastern Front. Between July 1943 and January 1944, it lost two fifths of its troops, or 18 divisions, to other sectors. Additionally, it had also been burdened with additional pieces of frontline like the

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

sector, which was transferred to Army Group North on 10 January 1944. As a result, the order had been given on 14 January to fall back to the Panther Line, ending the Siege of Leningrad after more than 900 days. The Soviet Union subsequently attacked with its Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive and threw some 1.2 million soldiers and 1,580 tanks, supported by 1,386 aircraft and 43,000 partisans behind the German lines, against some 397,000 German soldiers (including those on anti-partisan duty).

Army Detachment Narva, February 1944 – September 1944

February – April

On 2 February 1944,

Walter Model Otto Moritz Walter Model (; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German during World War II. Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare. H ...

, commander of Army Group North between 9 January and 31 March, visited the positions in the Narva region. On this occasion, Model upgraded the LIV Army Corps and bestowed the command of all forces along the Narva river onto Sponheimer in a unit directly subordinate to Army Group North and thus equal in rank to an army. This unit, initially dubbed ''Group Sponheimer'', was formally named Army Detachment Narva on 23 February, when Sponheimer was relieved of command and replaced with

Johannes Frießner __NOTOC__ Johannes Frießner (22 March 1892 – 26 June 1971) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Biography Born in Chemnitz, Saxony, Friessner e ...

. Army Detachment Narva was fed additional reinforcements until the end of February to strengthen it against the imminent Soviet attacks. Among the new units was the Panzergrenadier Division ''Feldherrnhalle''. In the meantime, the Red Army was also bolstering its forces. The

43rd Rifle Corps The 43rd Army Corps (Military Unit Number 16460) was a corps of the Soviet Army from 1945 to 1989. The corps was first formed as the 137th Rifle Corps in late 1945 and became the 43rd Rifle Corps (Second Formation) in 1955. The corps was redesignate ...

sent additional forces across the Narva river, but was after initial gains repelled by units of the 227th Infantry Division and the 23rd (Dutch) SS Division. On 12 February, the

90th Rifle Division 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

attacked across

Lake Peipus Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake ...

and seized the island of

Piirissaar Piirissaar (earlier ''Borka'', or Желачек, romanized: Zhelachek) is an Estonian island located in Lake Peipus. It belongs to Tartu County as the Tartu Parish. Piirissaar is the second largest island in Lake Peipus with a size of 7 ...

in the hopes of establishing an outpost with which the Red Army could outflank the Germans in the south. The position was immediately counter-attacked by German forces and Estonian militia and retaken. The Red Banner Fleet attempted to outflank the German positions in the north by amphibiously deploying two Soviet infantry brigades on 13 February, but happened to drop their forces directly in front of the Panther Line's artillery fortifications. Nonetheless, the Soviet forces managed to reach and surround Meriküla and the units of '' Kampfgruppe Berlin'' within it. The Germans, supported by

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

tanks of the

502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion The 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion () was a German heavy tank battalion during World War II. The battalion was the first unit to receive and field the Tiger I. It fought on the Eastern front. It was one of the most successful German heavy tank ...

, dislodged the Soviet siege ring the following day and restored contact to the forces trapped in the village. The landing operation left behind the corpses of many killed or drowned Red Army soldiers on the shore. In the meantime, the Red Army also reinforced the bridgehead at Krivasoo, where the 109th Rifle Corps joined the 122nd Rifle Corps. The Soviet units headed north towards Narva in the hope to envelop the city, but their advance was repelled by the 11th (Scandinavian) SS Division, 170th Infantry Division and the newly arrived ''Feldhernhalle'' Division. Further southwest, the Soviet

30th Guards Rifle Corps 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

managed to advance against Auvere and secure the town's railway station before falling under attack by ''Feldhernhalle'' units on 17 February. The Soviet leadership grew increasingly frustrated at the inability of the Soviet forces to break the well-entrenched German positions. On 14 February, Stavka sent an order to seize the city of Narva no later than 17 February, both for "military as well as political reasons", declaring it to be "the most important thing right now". The southern Soviet bridgehead was subsequently strengthened with reinforcements from the 124th Rifle Corps as well as a small unit of tanks. However, the Soviet attacks continued to be repelled even with these additional forces. The 124th Rifle Corps was repelled by ''Feldhernhalle'', supported by the 502nd Tank Battalion and the 61st Infantry Division. While the Soviet units were unable to break the German defenders, the Germans in turn were also unable to succeed in the plan of their supreme commander Model, who had intended to fight east of the Narva Valley. The Soviet attackers continued to advance towards and via Luga (which was as a result abandoned by the Germans on 12 February) and the forces that Model had intended for an enveloping maneuver, including the 126th Infantry Division, 12th Panzer Division and 12th Luftwaffe Field Division, were pinned down east of Lake Peipus by the Soviet

42nd Army 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

. The Germans that were still east of the Panther Line continued their retreat towards it, and the Soviet 8th Army, which had been overzealous on the attack, was temporarily enveloped by German defenders. As a result, forces from the

Volkhov Front The Volkhov Front () was a major formation of the Red Army during the first period of the Second World War. It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht Army Group North in its offensive thrust towards L ...

had to be diverted to save the 8th Army, and Lindemann's 18th Army (formerly also the home of the LIV Army Corps) had precious time to continue its retreat. 18th Army's retreat exposed the northern flank of the 16th Army, which was threatened by the Soviet 22nd Army and 10th Guards Army. Further south, the Soviet cancellation of fruitless attacks against

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

, defended by the

3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group () was formed on 16 November 1940. It was a constituent part of Army Grou ...

, freed up forces to turn north and also threaten the 16th Army. Subsequently, the 16th Army disengaged from the enemy, and managed to withdraw safely west before drawing Soviet attention to its retreat. On the Narva line, the newly formed 20th (Estonian) SS Division had joined the line to fill the gaps left by the destruction of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions. Leonid Govorov 1

On 20 February, the 20th SS Division attacked and managed to split the Soviet bridgehead in two parts. The Germans immediately attempted to close the small pocket that had been created at

Riigiküla Narva, Estonia is officially divided into 15 neighborhoods which carry no administrative purpose. Their names and borders are defined as follows: Elektrijaama, Joaoru, Kalevi, Kerese, Kreenholmi, Kudruküla, Kulgu, Olgina, Paemurru, Pähklimäe, ...

and attacked the area on 21 February. This attack was repelled by Soviet artillery support from the other side of the river. After further preparations, the Germans attacked the encircled Soviet troops again on 24 February and managed to close the distance to a degree that made it impossible for the Soviet artillery to continue its fire support. By the end of the day, the pocket was destroyed. On 22 February, the Soviet commander of the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

Leonid Govorov Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (; – 19 March 1955) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Trained as an artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Aca ...

, issued new instructions to the Soviet forces in the Narva area. The main effort was to be placed on expanding the bridgehead south of Narva, from where the

2nd Shock Army The 2nd Shock Army (), sometimes translated to English as 2nd Assault Army, was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''o ...

( Fedyuninsky) was to strike northeast towards the city itself. In the meantime, the 59th Army would advance west. On the 59th Army's southern flank, the 8th Army should then strike into central Estonia. The other part of the bridgehead, north of Narva, was larger and contained large parts of the Soviet 378th Rifle Division as well as 20 assault guns. On 29 February, the two regiments of the 20th Estonian SS Division attacked the positions of the 378th Rifle Division. In this initial attack, the Estonian SS troops took massive casualties and lost many of their officers. The resistance of the Soviet pocket north of Narva continued until 6 March, when it was at last eliminated. Harald Nugiseks, ''

Unterscharführer ''Unterscharführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives. That event caused an SS reorganisation and the creati ...

'' of the ''SS-Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment 46'' who had taken command after the regiment was killed, was awarded the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

for his service during this time. On 1 March, the Soviet forces began the assault that Govorov had instructed them to carry out on 22 February. Fedyuninsky's 2nd Shock Army made very little progress, but the 59th Army scored initial successes against the 214th Infantry Division, a formation that had spent most of the war in occupation duty in Norway and that only recently had arrived on the scene. However, elements of the 11th and 58th Infantry Divisions came to the aid of the 214th over the next three days, and the Soviet advance was halted. While the Soviets had encircled some elements of the 214th, a counterattack by the 11th was successful in rescuing most of these German units. On 18 March, the Soviet forces once again attacked the German defenses. Elements of the 109th Rifle Corps and the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, the latter already heavily battered, attacked towards the railway line between Narva and

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. Initially, the Soviet thrust was successful, and the Soviet formations successfully reached and cut off the railway line. One of the more notable individuals fighting on the German side in these battles was

Otto Carius Otto Carius (27 May 1922 – 24 January 2015) was a German tank commander in the German Army (Wehrmacht), Wehrmacht during World War II. He fought on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in 1943 and 1944 and on the Western Front (World ...

. On 26 March, the 11th and 227th Infantry Divisions attacked the Soviet lines in the hopes of beating them back and once more securing the rail line. The Soviet advanced position was divided into two areas. One of these Soviet outposts was to the west and the other to the east of the 502nd. The Germans first attempted to tackle the ''west sack''. The tanks between the two Soviet posts were instructed to hold and defend while German infantry was to advance from the west and force the Soviets to retreat. Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz, a veteran tank commander known to his troops as the 'panzer count', led the assault in his

Panzer IV The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panzer IV was the most numer ...

. The attack was a success, and the ''west sack'' was eliminated. April1944

After the German victory at the ''west sack'', the Soviet defenders in the ''east sack'' was attacked on 6 April. This time, Carius and the 502nd led the German attack. The Soviets were slow to respond to the heavy tank attacks with artillery countermeasures, and the Germans scored considerable successes against the units of the Soviet 109th Rifle Corps. The Germans subsequently attempted to press the advantage and close the Soviet bridgehead permanently. On 19 April, the combined force of Strachwitz's forces, the 502nd, as well as units from the 61st, 122nd, 170th and ''Feldherrnhalle'' divisions were bulked up. In the chaos that ensued, the sides encircled one another several times and inflicted considerable casualties. The Soviets stood their ground, and the Germans called off the attack on 24 April. It was the end of winter fighting in the area, as the spring thaw set in.

May – July

On 10 July 1944, the Soviet

2nd Baltic Front The 2nd Baltic Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. History The 2nd Baltic Front was formed on October 20, 1943 as a result of the renaming of the Baltic Front, it ...

attacked the left wing of the 16th Army in a thrust towards

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ''Rēzne'' or ''Rēzekne'' , ) is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven ...

in Latvia. The following day, on 11 July, the

3rd Baltic Front The 3rd Baltic Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after a series of campaigns in the Baltic states that culminated with the capture of Riga Octobe ...

, opened an offensive against the right wing of the 18th Army on the German northern flank. The operational objective of the 3rd Baltic Front was to achieve a breakthrough between

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

and Ostrov and to cut off Army Detachment Narva, which was at the same time frontally attacked by the Leningrad Front. Frießner, promoted to commander of Army Group North on 4 July, made open criticisms of Hitler's conduct of operations in a letter to the Führer on 12 July. Frießner attempted to convince Hitler to evacuate the northern Baltic, where he saw the German position as untenable. Frießner argued that the two tasks of Army Group North, to hold the existing front and at the same time make attacks to restore contact to Army Group Centre after the Soviet breakthrough as part of

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

that had started in June, were mutually exclusive. In Frießner's view, the army group would be unable to free enough forces to attack towards Army Group Centre without at the same time compromising its defensive task. Frießner suggested to withdraw the 16th and 18th Armies behind a line from

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and to evacuate Army Detachment Narva, which would not be able to withdraw safely along the other northern forces, by sea from Tallinn. Frießner stressed that this operational plan was the only remaining way to save the army group from destruction. In response to his letter, Frießner was summoned to the Führer headquarters on 14 July, with Model, now commander of Army Group Centre, in attendance. During this meeting, as well as another one on 18 July, both commanders stressed the emergency of their respective army groups. Hitler was initially adamant that the Baltic had to be held, but ultimately agreed to withdraw to the ''Latvia line'' as the 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts broke through the positions between the 16th and 18th Armies. In the meantime, the hole between Army Group North and Army Group Centre also grew larger and widened to 70 kilometers on 16 July. The Soviet forces aimed at

Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

in Latvia to push to the Baltic Sea and to cut off the entirety of Army Group North. Pressured by the Soviet advance, Frießner demanded permission to withdraw to the ''Marienburg Line''. In response, he was notified of his dismissal from command on 23 July. Nominally, this dismissal was an exchange of command with

Ferdinand Schörner Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) was a German military commander and convicted war criminal, who held the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was the on ...

, as Schörner took Frießner's post at Army Group North and Frießner was in exchange assigned to Schörner's previous post at

Army Group South Ukraine Army Group South Ukraine (, ) was a joint German-Romanian group on the Eastern Front during World War II. Army Group South Ukraine was created on 5 April 1944 by renaming Army Group A. This army group saw action during the Jassy-Kishinev Operat ...

. Hitler, outraged by Frießner's criticisms of his command, intended Schörner to be a more loyal commander of Army Group North. However, the first major action that Schörner took was to order a withdrawal on 26 July. Army Group North was to evacuate from Daugavpils and move to the Marienburg Line.

August – September

On 6 August, Schörner repeated the suggestion of his predecessor Frießner and argued for the evacuation of Army Detachment Narva, still stuck in Estonia, from Tallinn. Hitler again refused, hoping that reinforcements could re-establish the connection of the German forces in Latvia to Army Detachment Narva. Schörner repeated his demand, this time in form of an ultimatum, in which he threatened to withdraw regardless of orders should he not receive support immediately. In response, Hitler ordered the rapid deployment of the 31st Infantry Division, using

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...

transport planes, to Army Group North. Hitler did this in spite of a fuel shortage. In the meantime, the forces of Army Detachment Narva were seriously threatened by Soviet forces advancing via

Võru Võru (; ; ) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the o ...

. Only with significant effort did the German defenders manage to slow the Soviet advance with the use of a blocking position north of

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. In early September 1944, the Soviet forces relaxed the pressure of their assaults for a time. Not only had Bagration ended against Army Group Centre, the attacks against Army Group North and Army Detachment Narva were also decreased in severity. A significant political change was brought about when, in preparation for the

Moscow Armistice The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...

, the government of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

announced its withdrawal from the alliance with Germany on 2 September 1944. The Finnish government was unwilling to carry on the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

with German defeat evidently inevitable, and thus prepared to make peace with the Soviet Union and the Allied Powers. The effect of the Finnish withdrawal from the war was twofold: On the one hand, Estonia was no longer required as a German anchor to the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

, as this body of water had now lost its significance without a German-Finnish alliance. On the other hand, the Soviet forces in

Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...

, no longer bound by Finnish troops, would now be free to swing south and crush the Baltic Wehrmacht positions. On 5 September,

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

, acting chief of staff of

OKH The (; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was ''de facto'' the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat ...

, informed Army Group North that the evacuation of the Baltic area could not be avoided and would be needed very soon. Guderian specifically instructed the army group's leaders to make preparations for retreat in a camouflaged manner, likely to avoid detection by Hitler. On 6 September, Guderian specifically instructed Army Group North to prepare the evacuation of Estonia. The evacuation of Estonia and northern Latvia, initially codenamed ''Königsberg'', was subsequently dubbed ''Unternehmen Aster''. This operation was started on the night of 18 to 19 September. German naval units evacuated a total of 108,825 persons by sea between 17 and 23 September. These persons could then be further subdivided into 46,168 soldiers in fighting condition, 13,049 wounded personnel, 26,131 civilians, and 23,474 prisoners of war. The remainders of Army Detachment Narva that had stayed behind on land were instructed to withdraw southwards to link up with the units of the 18th Army, which in turn was to pullback to the ''Segevold Line'' outside of Riga in Latvia. ''Aster'' was brought to a close on the morning of 27 September. Army Detachment Narva, with its staffs disbanded and the personnel reassigned, became Army Detachment Grasser on 25 September 1944.

Army Detachment Grasser, September/October 1944

Named after its commander

Anton Grasser __NOTOC__ Anton Grasser (3 November 1891 – 3 November 1976) was a German general during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Grasser joined the Bundesgrenzschutz ...

, Army Detachment Grasser was formed from Army Detachment Narva on 25 September 1944. On 13 October 1944, it commanded the XXXVIII Army Corps, which consisted of the 32nd, 81st, 121st, 122nd, 201st and 329th Infantry Divisions, as well as the 21st Luftwaffe Field Division. Additionally, the 52nd Infantry Division was in the reserves of the army detachment. Before the end of October, Army Detachment Grasser became Army Detachment Kleffel.

Army Detachment Kleffel, October/November 1944

Named after its commander

Philipp Kleffel Philipp Kleffel (9 December 1887 – 10 October 1964) was a German general during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. For 10 days, Kleffel served as the last com ...

, Army Detachment Kleffel was formed from Army Detachment Grasser on 20 October 1944. The date of formation is not clear, but was after 13 October 1944. It existed for about a month before dissolution. The personnel was subsequently used to form the 25th Army.

Formation of the 25th Army, November 1944

On 10 November 1944, Army Detachment Kleffel became the 25th Army.

Noteworthy individuals

LIV Army Corps

Erick-Oskar Hansen __NOTOC__ Erik Oskar Hansen (27 May 1889 – 18 March 1967) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Biography Born in Hamburg, Hansen entered the army o ...

, corps commander from 1 June 1941 to 20 January 1943. *

, corps commander from 20 January 1943 to 1 August 1943. *

, corps commander from 1 August 1943.

Army Detachment Narva / Grasser / Kleffel

Wilhelm Berlin __NOTOC__ Wilhelm Berlin (28 April 1889 – 15 September 1987) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross o ...

, commander of ''Armeeabteilung'' Narva from 13 February 1944 to 23 February 1944. *

, commander of ''Armeeabteilung'' Narva from 23 February 1944 to 4 July 1944. *

, commander of ''Armeeabteilung'' Narva from 3 July 1944, then of renamed ''Armeeabteilung Grasser'' from 25 September 1944 to 20 October 1944. *

, commander of ''Armeeabteilung Kleffel'' from 20 October 1944. Last commander of the army detachment before the formation of the 25th Army. * Harald Nugiseks, Estonian soldier who served with distinction as part of the 20th (1st Estonian) SS Division under ''Armeeabteilung Narva''.

Organizational chart

References

{{German Army Corps of the Wehrmacht Corps of Germany in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944