I think there is a misunderstanding on what a tactical victory is It does not mean a victory of tactical formation but rather a success in battle without substantive or long lasting gain as opposed to a strategic victory which is a success in a military campaign If one sets ones sights low enough and claim the goal of the operation was merely to establish a bridgehead then it was a clear Soviet victory However I seriously doubt the goal was only to gain a bridgehead but rather to punch through the Panther Line which the Soviets clearly failed to do While the overall campaign was a clear strategic victory for the Soviets because they won the campaign in the end it was a tactical victory for the Germans because they were successful in holding Narva even though it was not long lasting i e six months