Germany's Army Group North had been besieging Leningrad for over two years. In January of 1944, the RKKA (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army) under General Govorov launched an offensive that threatened to encircle the besieging army. Through a series of skillful rear-guard actions, theIII SS Panzer Corps was able to withdraw to the natural defensive position of the Narva River near the city of Narva.