Operation Beowulf

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Operation Beowulf
Part of World War II and the Eastern Front (World War II)
Defense of the Moonsund Islands 22 June - 22 October 1941
Date 9 September-21 October 1941 Location Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, and Muhu (Estonia) Result German victory
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Georg von Küchler	Nikolay Kuznetsov
Units involved
61st Infantry Division	3rd Infantry Brigade of the North-Western Front
Strength
10,000	23,700
Casualties and losses
2,850 killed, missing, or wounded	4,700 killed 19,000 captured[1]

Operation Beowulf refers to two German plans to occupy the islands of Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhu, off the Estonian west coast. Both plans had the same objectives but assumed differing start points. The attack, using Beowulf II, started on 9 September 1941 and had achieved its objectives by 21 October.^[2]