1942
28-628: 1943 1944 The Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha offensive , also known as Operation January Thunder and Neva-2 , was a campaign between the Soviet Leningrad Front and the German 18th Army fought for the western approaches of Leningrad in 14–30 January 1944. The 2nd Shock Army was moved from Leningrad and Lisiy Nos to the Oranienbaum Bridgehead during a number of nights starting from November 1943. At daytime,
56-614: Is related to the Finnic word narva which, for example, in Veps means 'waterfall' or 'stream'. The Narva River has its source at the northeastern end of Lake Peipus , near the villages of Vasknarva (Estonia) and Skyamya (Russia). There are a few more small villages on the upper section of the river, Permisküla and Kuningaküla on the Estonian side and Omuti on the Russian side, but up to
84-566: The Baltic Sea and is the largest Estonian river by discharge . A similar length of land far to the south, together with it and a much longer intermediate lake, Lake Peipus , all together nowadays form the international border between Estonia and Russia . The river gives its name to the archaeological ( Neolithic ) Narva culture , as well as the city of Narva . Narva is the third most populous urban area in Estonia, and nowadays faces
112-960: The Courland Pocket , with the task of containing the German Army Group Courland , which would continue to resist Soviet forces up until the end of war in Europe . On June 24, 1945, the Leningrad front was reorganized into the Leningrad Military District . Upon its creation in August 1941, the Leningrad front included: Following November 25, 1942, the structure of the Leningrad front constantly increased, it subsequently included: Narva river The Narva , formerly also Narwa or Narova , flows 77 kilometres (48 mi) north into
140-637: The Narva river in Estonia. In a key Soviet assault on January 19, the 63rd Guards Rifle Division seized German positions to the front of Krasnoye Selo . On January 19, the 2nd Shock Army took Ropša and the 42nd Army liberated Krasnoye Selo. By January 30, the Soviet attacks by the 2nd Shock and 42nd Armies cost the German forces around 21,000 casualties, captured 85 artillery pieces ranging in caliber from 15 cm to 40 cm, and pushed them back by between 60 and 100 kilometers. The Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha offensive
168-576: The Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. The Leningrad Front was immediately given the task of containing the German drive towards Leningrad and defending the city from the approaching Army Group North . By September 1941, German forces to the south were effectively stopped on the outskirts of Leningrad, initiating the two-and-a-half-year-long siege of Leningrad . Although Finnish forces to
196-546: The "Panther" position, insisting that the Soviet forces be kept as far as possible from Germany and that they be forced to pay dearly for each meter of ground. Finally, Hitler transferred three more first-rate infantry divisions out of Army Group North to reinforce Erich von Manstein 's Army Group South as it reeled back from the Dnieper River under continuous Soviet assault. Field Marshal von Küchler now held an extremely precarious position, and could only await events on
224-537: The Army Group had acquired sixty miles of additional frontage from Army Group Center during the same period. As replacements, Field Marshal Georg von Küchler received the Blue Legion and three divisions of SS troops. In such a weakened state, the Army Group staff planned a new position to its rear that would shorten the front lines by twenty-five percent and remove the Soviet threats posed in many salients on
252-568: The German Generalfeldmarschall Georg von Küchler 's Army Group North back from its positions near Oranienbaum . In the process, the attack was expected to encircle Generaloberst Georg Lindemann 's 18th Army. The situation of the German Army Group North at the end of 1943 had deteriorated to a critical point. The Blue Division and three German divisions had been withdrawn by October, while
280-510: The Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts with great pessimism. Fedyuninsky's 2nd Shock Army and General Ivan Maslennikov 's 42nd Army fell on the sector of Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner 's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps , hitting the area of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions . By the third day of the offensive, the 2nd Shock Army broke through the German lines with a penetration 23 kilometers wide. The Luftwaffe units crumbled quickly, and Army Group North fell back to new positions along
308-597: The Leningrad front were broken off to create the 3rd Baltic Front. In June 1944, the Leningrad front, along with the Baltic fleet had successfully carried out the Vyborg operation. As a result of which, Finland would later leave the German side of the war. From September–November 1944, the front participated in the Baltic Offensive , it advanced in the Narva - Tartu direction, and then towards Tallinn . Following
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#1732797420735336-632: The Narva River at the reservoir from the right. The large Lake Peipus notably drains the much longer Russian river, the Velikaya , and a large, splayed drainage basin in the two countries. Kreenholm ( German : Krähnholm for crow islet ) is a river island in Estonia , located in the Narva River , within the city limits of Narva . Between the southeast part of the city of Narva and
364-638: The Narva as the border. In the 17th century during the time of Swedish Estonia , when Ingria was also part of Sweden, the importance of the river as a border diminished. During the Russian Empire , from the end of the Great Northern War until the establishment of the Republic of Estonia in 1918, the Narva was the border of Governorate of Estonia and Saint Petersburg Governorate , with
392-529: The Russian town of Ivangorod right across the border over the river. At the coast the river passes part of the resort of Narva-Jõesuu . Its mouth opens into WNW -facing Narva Bay of the Gulf of Finland . Narva gives the second-greatest discharge into the Gulf of Finland (the greatest discharge comes from the Neva River). The etymology of the toponym Narva is not clear. According to one hypothesis it
420-598: The barges returned, disguised as committing an evacuation of the bridgehead. In charge of the bridgehead, Lieutenant General B.Z. Romanovskiy was replaced with Lieutenant General Ivan Fedyuninsky . As a part of the Leningrad–Novgorod Strategic offensive , due to commence on 14 January 1944, the Soviet Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts designed the Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha offensive aimed at forcing
448-654: The capture of continental Estonia, elements of the front, along with the Baltic fleet, took part in recapturing the Moonsund archipelago . These were the last offensive operations of the front. Forces of the Leningrad Front were then stationed on the Soviet-Finnish border, and all along the Baltic coast from Leningrad to Riga . Later, the Leningrad front was reinforced with elements of the recently disbanded 2nd Baltic Front . These forces were primarily stationed near
476-472: The city of Narva the shores of the river are mostly forested or marshy land. The river is dammed entering Narva and Ivangorod, forming the Narva Reservoir , which extends up to 38 kilometres (24 mi) upstream. The Narva empties into Narva Bay near the Estonian town of Narva-Jõesuu , third largest settlement on the river after Narva and Ivangorod. The Plyussa is the largest tributary, joining
504-410: The current lines. The plan, Operation "Blue," called for a January withdrawal of over 150 miles to the natural defensive barrier formed by the Narva and Velikaya Rivers and Lakes Peipus and Pskov. This position, the so-called " Panther Line ", was buttressed by fortifications that had been constructed since September. The retreat would be carried out in stages, using intermediate defensive positions,
532-473: The east, is 110 metres (360 ft) wide and makes the same descent. The international border follows the latter. Since the creation of Narva Reservoir, an anabranch, in 1955, the falls are usually near-dry, but water is allowed to flow in them for a few days each year. When in flow non-flying viewing access is difficult, being in the border zone and most of the west bank is private, closed industrial land belonging to Krenholm Manufacturing Company . The Narva
560-640: The exception of the town of Narva, which was part of the latter. By the Treaty of Tartu , signed in 1920, the Estonian– Russian border went slightly east of the river, up to 10 kilometres (6 mi), and, in particular, the town of Ivangorod was assigned to Estonia. In 1944 the former Estonian territory east of the river was transferred to Russian SFSR and the Narva was thus established as the eastern border of Estonian SSR , an internal border within USSR . In 1991
588-523: The help of the Baltic and Volkhov Front , the blockade was lifted. From June 1942, Leonid Govorov had been the commander of the front, and in June 1944, he was awarded the title Marshal of the Soviet Union . In January 1943, forces of the Leningrad front made their first advances in years when they took the town of Shlisselburg from German forces, thus restoring communications between Leningrad and
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#1732797420735616-650: The most important of which was the Rollbahn Line formed on the October Railway running through Tosno , Lyuban and Chudovo . There the two most exposed army corps, the XXVI and XXVIII , would regroup before proceeding farther back to their positions in the Panther Line. The fate of Army Group North turned for the worse in the new year, for Hitler rejected all proposals for an early withdrawal into
644-490: The north stopped at the old Finnish–Soviet border, the Leningrad front suffered severe losses on the Finnish Front . From September 8, soldiers of the front were forced to conduct operations under the conditions of a blockade, with very little supply. Some supplies did reach the city however via the lake Road of Life . During the blockade, the front executed various offensive and defensive operations, until finally with
672-618: The rest of the country. In mid and late-January 1944 the Leningrad front, along with the Volkhov Front , the 1st Baltic Front and the 2nd Baltic Front , pushed back Army Group North and broke the 28-month-long blockade. Several days later, these forces would completely liberate all of the Leningrad Oblast and Kalinin Oblast . Six months later, the Leningrad Front took over the town of Narva . On April 21, 1944, parts of
700-565: The rest, facing the Russian city of Ivangorod, the river flows over the Baltic Klint , forming Narva Falls , at times, as it historically was, the most powerful in Europe. Before the water reaches the falls it is split into two branches by the Kreenholm island, thus the falls consist of two branches. Kreenholm Falls, west of the island, is 60 metres (200 ft) wide and 6.5 metres (21 ft) high with multiple terraces. Joala Falls, to
728-472: The river emerged as the exact border. Castles built on the river banks (Narva Hermann Castle , founded at the beginning of the 14th century, Ivangorod fortress , established in 1492 and Vasknarva Castle, first built in the 14th century) were one of the main reasons behind this. Treaties from the 15th century between the Livonian Order and Novgorod Republic, later Tsardom of Russia , also recognize
756-610: Was part of the operations of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts that broke the Siege of Leningrad concluding an almost 900-day battle. Launching the Kingisepp–Gdov offensive on 1 February, the 2nd Shock Army's 109th Rifle Corps captured the town of Kingisepp . Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front ( Russian : Ленинградский фронт ) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg ) by dividing
784-661: Was used as a trade route during the Viking Age , from the 5th to 11th centuries. It was an offshoot of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks . The Narva has for centuries been an important border river. Beginning in the 13th century it was the border of Medieval Livonia and the Novgorod Republic . Though in earlier periods Narva was part of a larger buffer zone between the two territories, gradually
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