German forces held their own and hampered the USSR’s attempts to build a stronghold in Narva.
The battle consisted of two phases: the Battle for Narva Bridgehead and the Battle of Tannenberg Line. The USSR—Stalin in particular—wanted to take control of Estonia and use strategic locations in the country to attack Finland and Prussia via sea and air. German forces held their own and hampered the USSR’s attempts to build a stronghold in Narva. Both sides lost more than 500,000 soldiers combined.