of the III SS Panzer Corps, XXVI and XXXXIII Army Corps in Ivangorod. On this day at the "Sunshine" outpost to the southeast of the Narva bridgehead, the Danish NCO Egon Christophersen literally saved the main front, when with a small assault troop he counterattacked German trenches that had been seized by the Russians and regained them in hand-to-hand combat. Christophersen and his men then defended the positions against all attackers, enabling the broken German lines to reconsolidate and hold. Christophersen was awarded the Knight's Cross. The attack was repulsed in 800 Soviet deaths. Fighting went on for two more weeks with no substantial advance by either side. On 16 July, the Red Army forces found their way in the trenches of the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 Danmark. The attack was repulsed by nightfall. On the afternoon of 20 July, the Soviet air force carried out a five-wave attack on Mustvee harbour, wounding 40–50 personnel of the German flotilla on the west coast of Lake Peipus. While continuing attacks on the Narva front, the Stavka had begun to look elsewhere for their breakthrough. A new offensive, codenamed Bagration after the Napoleonic-era Russian field marshal, was launched on 22 June against Army Group Centre. Narva offensive, 24–30 July Soviet preparations For the commencement of the Soviet Narva offensive operation on 24 July, most of the Soviet units and artillery were concentrated in the Krivasoo bridgehead in the south. The Soviet operational goals were the Auvere railway station defended by the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), and the Sirgala settlement defended by the East Prussian 11th Infantry Division north west from the Soviet bridgehead. The first attack by the 8th Army was to be conducted by the 117th and the 122nd Rifle Corps. The rest of the 8th Army included the 124th and 112th Rifle Corps. Their goal was to break through the German defense of the station, while the 2nd Shock Army was to break through the defense of the III SS Panzer Corps stationed on the river north of Narva. The 2nd Shock Army included the 131st and the 191st Rifle Divisions, the 109th Rifle Corps, the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps, two artillery brigades, the 328th Separate Heavy Artillery Division, four Rocket Artillery Launcher Regiments, the 760th Anti-Tank Regiment, and 62 armoured vehicles. The two armies were to encircle and destroy the III SS Panzer Corps.