In the prepared assault, the Soviet artillery had an eightfold superiority over its German counterpart. The Soviet air force consisted of 546 bombers against 49 German dive bombers. The standing manpower in the Krivasoo bridgehead was 46,385 Soviets against the 17,100 German troops at the defense of Auvere station. However, the Soviet force was unaware of the recently constructed Tannenberg line, granting the German side an element of surprise. German preparations The Soviet success in Belorussia and Ukraine brought the High Command of the German Armed Forces to propose a withdrawal of the Army Group Narwa and the 18th Army to the line between Riga and Daugavpils 400 kilometres south of Narva. The aim of the officers was to keep the battle front as short as possible and to use the available troops in the Ukraine. On 12 July, the commander of the army detachment Infantry General Johannes Frießner proposed the plan to Hitler, whose reaction was to stand or die at the Narva line. Simultaneously, the German Headquarters had intelligence data on the Leningrad Front preparing for the Narva offensive. The Army Group North were out of reserves. Disregarding Hitler's order, Frießner ordered a new defensive line built, the Tannenberg Line (Tannenbergstellung), with the main defenses located on the three Sinimäed Hills fifteen kilometres to the west of Narva. On 21 July, Frießner asked permission to withdraw to the prepared positions. As Hitler was afraid, the Finnish will of resistance would suffer from it, he informed the Finnish High Command about his plans. Finding out, that the withdrawal to a new line was not considered a problem by the Finnish side, Hitler gave the order to retreat. Battle of Auvere In the morning of 24 July, the Soviet assault commenced with 30–50 batteries firing 17,000 shells and grenades (2,000 tons), inflicting significant casualties to the Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 45 Estland in Auvere estate and 44th East Prussian Regiment in Sirgala settlement. After two hours of preparatory artillery fire, the two regiments were attacked from the air. Three German and eight Soviet bombers were shot down in air combat. Under artillery cover, the Soviet 122nd Rifle Corps and a tank brigade pierced into the East Prussian positions, while the 117th Rifle Corps encircled the Estonian regiment, who reformed themselves in a circular defense. Relieved by a company of Panther tanks and three Nebelwerfer rocket artillery launchers, the Estonians went