Background
Ruhnu Island in an isolated island the southern part of the Gulf of Riga with a mayor strategic importance across the centuries. Being seized by the Russian Empire 1708. In 1877 a new lighthouse was built there and in the beginning of the 20th century also a radio station. Since the German armies reached the borders of Latvia on spring 1915, on 1 May 1915 the Imperial German Navy proceeded a naval raid on Ruhnu facililites, seriously damaging the beacon and the surroundung area. [1] Cruiser SMS Augsburg took part on the attack. [2]
To reduce the increased activity of the Russian naval forces in underwater and mine warfare in June 1917, German Admiralty decided another attack on Ruhnu Island, this time targeting Russian telegraph station there. On June 13, German aircraft bombarded the Russian base at Lebara port with some high explosive bombs, the next day the Ruhnu telegraph station was bombed setting several buildings on fire. [3] Following this operation, on June 15, a certain number of the German seaplanes landed on the island and destroyed the remaining parts of the Russian facility with explosives. The attackers met with no resistance and after completing their tasks all the aircraft have returned on their base. [4]
The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were Christianization campaigns undertaken by Catholic Christian military orders and kingdoms, primarily against the pagan Baltic, Finnic and West Slavic peoples around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.
Saaremaa is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435. The main island of the West Estonian archipelago, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare maakond (county), is the town of Kuressaare.
Kuressaare is a town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2024 was 13,185.
Saare County is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi. The county borders Lääne County to the east, Hiiu County to the north, and Latvia to the south. In 2022, Saare County had a population of 31,292, which was 2.4% of the population of Estonia.
Ruhnu is an Estonian island in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Its territory of 11.9 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) is administratively part of Saare maakond (county). Ruhnu lies geographically closer to the coast of Courland on the mainland of Latvia than it is to any point in the rest of Estonia. With less than 150 official residents, the Ruhnu vald (parish) has the smallest population of Estonia's 79 municipalities. Before 1944, it was for centuries populated by ethnic Swedes and traditional Swedish law was used.
Muhu is an island in the West Estonian archipelago of the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km2 (76 sq mi), it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
Ruhnu Parish is a municipality in Saare County, Estonia. It encompasses the island of Ruhnu in the Gulf of Riga, together with a number of uninhabited islets. Its population is the smallest of any of Estonia's 79 municipalities, the parish being exempt from the usual minimum population size of 5000. There are 60 permanent inhabitants during winter time; in summer the number increases to 150. In 2015 the parish council approved Ado Tuuga's designs for the municipality's flag and coat of arms.
Operation Albion was a World War I German air, land and naval operation against the Russian forces in October 1917 to occupy the West Estonian Archipelago. The campaign aimed to occupy the Baltic islands of Saaremaa (Ösel), Hiiumaa (Dagö) and Muhu (Moon). The three islands were part of the Russian Empire and strategically dominated the central and northern Baltic Sea. The land campaign opened with German landings at the Tagalaht (Tagga) bay on the island of Saaremaa (Ösel), on 12 October, after extensive naval operations to clear mines and subdue coastal artillery batteries. German forces secured the island by 16 October and the Russian army evacuated Muhu (Moon) on 20 October.
The Battle of Moon Sound was a naval battle fought between the forces of the German Empire, and the then Russian Republic in the Baltic Sea during Operation Albion from 16 October 1917 until 3 November 1917 during World War I. The German intention was to destroy the Russian forces and occupy the West Estonian Archipelago, and achieved both objectives. The Imperial German Navy had ten battleships, one battlecruiser, nine light cruisers, one mine cruiser, fifty destroyers and six submarines while the Russians had only two pre-dreadnoughts, three cruisers, three gunboats, twenty-one destroyers, and three British submarines.
Slava was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, the last of the five Borodino-class battleships. Completed too late to participate in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War, she survived while all of her sister ships were either sunk during the battle or surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12th–13th century.
A British submarine flotilla operated in the Baltic Sea for three years during the First World War. The squadron of nine submarines was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet. The main task of the flotilla was to prevent the import of iron ore from Sweden to Imperial Germany. The success of the flotilla also forced the German Navy in the Baltic to keep to their bases and denied the German High Seas Fleet a training ground. The flotilla was based in Reval (Tallinn), and for most of its career commanded by Captain Francis Cromie.
Sõrve is a peninsula which forms the southernmost section of the Estonian island Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea. Its length is 32 km, and its maximum width 10 km. South of it lies Irbe Strait, the main entrance to the Gulf of Riga.
The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a World War I naval operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea in August 1915. The operation's objective was to destroy the Russian naval forces in the Gulf in preparation for landing German troops to facilitate the fall of Riga in the later stages of the Central Powers' offensive on the Eastern Front in 1915. The German fleet, however, failed to achieve its objective and was forced to return to its bases; Riga remained in Russian hands until it fell to the German Army on 1 September 1917.
The Moonsund landing operation, also known as the Moonzund landing operation, was an amphibious operation and offensive by the Red Army during World War II, taking place in late 1944. It was part of the Baltic offensive, and was designed to clear German forces of Army Group North from the islands in East Baltic Sea, the West Estonian archipelago. The attacking forces were from the 8th Army of the Leningrad Front.
Estonia was under military occupation by the German Empire during the later stages of the First World War. On 11–21 October 1917, the Imperial German Army occupied the West Estonian archipelago, including the larger islands of Saaremaa (Ösel), Hiiumaa (Dagö), and Muhu (Moon).
Peeter All was an Estonian fisherman, farmer, ship captain, shipowner, rescuer of mariners in distress, and salvage diver. He is best known for his multifaceted maritime career and contributions to the Estonian maritime industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
The Action of 8 June 1915 was a combined air and naval clash between the Italian airship M.2 Città di Ferrara and Austro-Hungarian Navy L48 seaplane and two military vessels near the coast of north-eastern Italy as a part of Adriatic campaign of World War I. The airship was chased after a bomb raid on Fiume by an air and navy patrol while the Austro-Hungarian aircraft crew was able to destroy the airship in the air. This incident is marked in aviation history as the first case of an airship being shot down by another aircraft.
Germany 
Russia 
?