Baltic offensive

In common with other Soviet strategic offensives, the Baltic offensive covers a number of operational level operations and individual Front offensive operations:^[8]

• The
  Riga offensive (Russian: Рижская наступательная операция) (14 September–24 October 1944) was carried out by the 3rd and 2nd Baltic Fronts and cleared the eastern coast of the Gulf of Riga
  .
• The Tallinn offensive (Russian: Таллинская наступательная операция) (17–26 September 1944) was carried out by the Leningrad Front to drive German forces from mainland Estonia.
• The
  Moonsund Landing Operation (Russian: Моонзундская десантная операция) (27 September–24 November 1944) was the amphibious landing on the Estonian islands of Hiiumaa, Saaremaa and Muhu, which block access to the Gulf of Riga. According to Soviet data Germany lost 7,000 dead soldiers and 700 captured.^[9]
• The Memel offensive (Russian: Мемельская операция) (5–22 October 1944) was an attack by the 1st Baltic Front aimed at severing the connection between the German Army Groups Centre and North.

From the German defensive perspective, the period included the following operations:

• Operation Cäsar, aimed at the restoration of contact between Army Groups Centre and North 16–21 September 1944;
• Operation Aster
  aimed at the evacuation of Army Group North from mainland Estonia 17–26 September 1944;
• The siege of Memel 5–27 October 1944;
• Formation of the Courland Pocket 15–22 October 1944.

Aftermath

Soviet victory

The Baltic offensive operation resulted in the expulsion of German forces from Estonia and Lithuania. The Soviet fronts involved in the battle lost a total of ca. 280,000 men to all causes (killed, missing, wounded, sick).

Communication lines between Army Group North and Army Group Centre were permanently severed, and the former was relegated to an occupied Baltic seashore area in Latvia. On 25 January, Adolf Hitler renamed Army Group North to Army Group Courland implicitly recognising that there was no possibility of restoring a new land corridor between Courland and East Prussia.^[10] The Red Army commenced the encirclement and reduction of the Courland Pocket which retained a possibility of being a major threat, but were able to focus on operations on its northern flank that were now aiming at East Prussia. Operations by the Red Army against the Courland Pocket continued until the surrender of the Army Group Courland on 9 May 1945, when close to 200,000 Germans were taken prisoner there.

The German command released thousands of native conscripts from military service. However the Soviet command began conscripting Baltic natives as areas were brought under Soviet control.