Soviet evacuation of Tallinn
| Soviet evacuation of Tallinn | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II, Continuation War and the Summer War | |||||||
Soviet cruiser Kirov protected by smoke during evacuation of Tallinn in August 1941 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Finland Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1 Kirov-class cruiser 190 smaller vessels 30,000 men | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown |
12,000+ dead of which ~11,000 POWs(civilian and military) 28 large transports and auxiliary ships 16 warships 6 small transports 34 merchant vessels sunk | ||||||
The Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, also called Juminda mine battle, Tallinn disaster or Russian Dunkirk, was a Soviet operation to evacuate the 190 ships of the Baltic Fleet, units of the Red Army, and Soviet civilians from the fleet's encircled main base of Tallinn in Soviet-occupied Estonia during August 1941. Near the Juminda peninsula, the Soviet fleet ran into a minefield that had been laid by the Finnish and German navies, and it was repeatedly attacked by aircraft and torpedo boats, incurring major losses.