Bombing of Tallinn in World War II
Encyclopedia
The Soviet Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....

 bombed the Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n capital Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 several times during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The first instance was during the Summer War of 1941 (part of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...

). A number of bombing missions followed in 1942–43. The largest of the bombings occurred in March 1944 in connection with the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....

. Thousands of Soviet bombs set the town on fire, killed 463 people, wounded 659, and left 25,000 people without shelter in the winter.

Luftwaffe raids in 1941

Luftwaffe commenced bombing of Tallinn from the first days of the war in June, and this intensified in August due to the Soviet attempts to evacuate the city's residents, elements of the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...

, formations of the 8th Army
8th Army (Soviet Union)
The 8th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 from the Novgorod Army Operational Group of the Leningrad Military District with the task of providing security of the Northwestern borders of the USSR. The 8th Army was a field...

, and industrial assets important for war production.

Red Air Force raids, 1942-43

Tallinn was bombed on several occasions during May and September, 1942. During 1943, several bombing missions were performed by the Red Air Force on Tallinn in February, March, May, August, and September.

Red Air Force raids in 1944

The heaviest of the air assaults was on 9 March. A week before, the Mayor of Tallinn had given an order to the city dwellers to leave the town, but the evacuation failed. The extent of the attack was beyond the expectations of the local people and the headquarters of the Army Group North. A bombing run consisting of 300 aircraft dropping 3068 bombs, 1725 of them explosive and 1300 incendiary, inflicted heavy damage to the city. The fire brigades were scarce on water, as Soviet saboteurs had blown up the city pumping station before the air raid. Military damage was minor, with a few military installations and supply stores destroyed. The major military loss was the burning of a million litres of fuel in the fuel depot. Of the enterprizes with some military importance, the "Luther" plywood factory and the Urania-Werke-run cable factory were destroyed. Most of the bombs fell on the dwellings and public buildings, including the Estonia Theatre
Estonia Theatre
The Estonia Theater is an opera house and concert hall in Tallinn, Estonia.The Jugendstil building was designed by Finnish architects Armas Lindgren and Wivi Lönn. It was built as a national effort with the leadership of Estonia society in 1913 and was opened to the public on August 24th...

, St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn
St. Nicholas' Church is a medieval church in Tallinn, Estonia. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron of the fishermen and sailors. Originally built in the 13th century, it was partially destroyed in Soviet Bombing of Tallinn in World War II...

, the city synagogue, four cinemas, and the Tallinn City Archives with their collection of medieval documents. A large part of the wooden suburbs burnt down and the city centre suffered major damage. According to the official report, 757 people were killed, of whom 586 were civilians, 50 were military personnel, and 121 were prisoners-of-war. 213 had serious injuries, 446 had minor injuries. Amongst the injured were 65 military servicemen and 75 prisoners-of-war. Later, more victims were found, with the number of deaths estimated at up to 800. More than 20,000 people were left without a shelter in the spring thaw, while the military objects were almost untouched.

Regarding the high number of civilian casualties and low damage to military and strategic installations in the cities, the Soviet bombing raids were conducted primarily in order to destroy the morale of local civilians opposed to a return of Soviet occupation forces. Regardless of Soviet intentions, the high civilian casualty toll of the raids had significantly increased the hostility of the Estonian public towards the Soviet army. On 27 February, a Soviet air raid had hit children playing in the school yard of Luunja Parish
Luunja Parish
-Settlements:Small borough:LuunjaVillages:Kabina - Kakumetsa - Kavastu - Kikaste - Kõivu - Lohkva - Muri - Pajukurmu - Pilka - Poksi - Põvvatu - Rõõmu - Sääsekõrva - Sääsküla - Sava - Savikoja - Sirgu - Sirgumetsa - Veibri - Viira-Notable people:...

, killing four. The date of their burial was turned into a national memorial day, accompanied by the poem "Uus Herodes" ("Modern Herod
Massacre of the Innocents
The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...

") published by Henrik Visnapuu
Henrik Visnapuu
Henrik Visnapuu was a well known Estonian poet and dramatist.-Life:Henrik Visnapuu first attended the village school in Reola and college in Sipe and the municipal school in Tartu...

. More Estonians felt an urge to fight against the Soviet advance. A slogan was written on the ruins of the Estonia Theatre, saying:

The slogan became the title of the newspaper of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian).

The last Red Air Force bomb raid to Tallinn was commenced at night before 22 September 1944.

Memorials

The last ruins—along the Harju Street in the Old Town—served as a memorial to the victims of the raid; but the ruins were filled in 2007 and a park built over them after careful archaeological work.

In popular culture

The song Varemeist tõuseb kättemaks by Estonian rock band HPMA is made as remembrance for the victims of bombing Tallinn on 9 March 1944.
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