World War II: Soviet Air Forces bomb an evacuated town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying the entire historical Swedish-era town.

Soviet Air Forces

Aerial warfare branch of the Soviet Union's armed forces

The Soviet Air Forces were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917, and faced their greatest test during World War II. The groups were also…

Narva

City in Estonia

Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva River, which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. As of January 1, 2025, the population of Narva, Estonia, was…

German occupation of Estonia during World War II

In the course of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany invaded Estonia in July–December 1941, and occupied the country until 1944. Estonia had gained independence in 1918 from the then-warring German and Russian Empires. However, in the wake of the August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, the…

Swedish Empire

Historical period in the history of Sweden (1611–1721)

The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region. During this period it also held…