Bombing of Tallinn in World War II The German Luftwaffe and Soviet Long Range Aviation bombed the Estonian capital Tallinn several times during World War II . The first instance was during the Summer War of 1941 ( part of Operation Barbarossa ) . A number of bombing missions followed in 1942 – 43 . The largest of the bombings occurred in March 1944 in connection with the Battle of Narva and is known as March bombing ( ) . Thousands of Soviet bombs set the town on fire , killed 757 people , of whom 586 were civilians and 75 prisoners of war , wounded 659 , and left 25 , 000 people without shelter in the spring thaw . Luftwaffe raids in 1941 . Luftwaffe commenced bombing of Tallinn from the first days of the war in June , and this intensified in August due to the Soviet attempts to evacuate the city ' s residents , elements of the Baltic Fleet , formations of the 8th Army , and industrial assets important for war production . Red Air Force raids , 1942 - 43 . Tallinn was bombed on several occasions during May and September , 1942 . During 1943 , several bombing missions were performed by the Red Air Force on Tallinn in February , March , May , August , and September . Red Air Force raids in 1944 . The heaviest of the air assaults was on 9 March . A week before , the Mayor of Tallinn had given an order to the city dwellers to leave the town , but the evacuation failed . The extent of the attack was beyond the expectations of the local people and the headquarters of the Army Group North . A bombing run consisting of 300 aircraft dropping 3068 bombs , 1725 of them explosive and 1300 incendiary , inflicted heavy damage to the city . The fire brigades were scarce on water , as Soviet saboteurs had blown up the city pumping station before the air raid . Military damage was minor , with a few military installations and supply stores destroyed . The major military loss was the burning of a million litres of fuel in the fuel depot . Of the enterprises with some military importance , the " Luther " plywood factory and the " Urania - Werke " - run cable factory were destroyed . Most of the bombs fell on the dwellings and public buildings , including the Estonia Theatre , St . Nicholas Church , the city synagogue , four cinemas , and the Tallinn City Archives . A large part of the wooden suburbs burnt down and the city centre suffered major damage . According to the official report , 757 people were killed , of whom 586 were civilians , 50 were military personnel , and 121 were prisoners - of - war . 213 had serious injuries , 446 had minor injuries . Amongst the injured were 65 military servicemen and 75 prisoners - of - war . Later , more victims were found , with the number of deaths estimated at up to 800 . More than 20 , 000 people were left without a shelter in the spring thaw , while the military objects were almost untouched . Regarding the high number of civilian casualties and low damage to military and strategic installations in the cities , the Soviet bombing raids were conducted primarily in order to destroy the morale of local civilians opposed to a return of Soviet occupation forces . Regardless of Soviet intentions , the high civilian casualty toll of the raids had significantly increased the hostility of the Estonian public towards the Soviet army . On 27 February , a Soviet air raid had hit children playing in the school yard of Luunja Parish , killing four . The date of their burial was turned into a national memorial day , accompanied by the poem " " Uus Herodes " " ( " Modern Herod " ) published by Henrik Visnapuu . More Estonians felt an urge to fight against the Soviet advance . A slogan was written on the ruins of the Estonia Theatre , saying : The slogan became the title of the newspaper of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS ( 1st Estonian ) . The last Red Air Force bomb raid to Tallinn was commenced at night before 22 September 1944 . Memorials . The last ruins — along the Harju Street in the Old Town — served as a memorial to the victims of the raid ; but the ruins were filled in 2007 and a park built over them after careful archaeological work . In popular culture . The song " Varemeist tõuseb kättemaks " by Estonian rock band HPMA is made as remembrance for the victims of bombing Tallinn on 9 March 1944 .