as their largest operation, supported by the 37th and 38th estonian police battalions and a tank squadron commanded by mauritz freiherr von strachwitz, they destroyed the bridgehead of two soviet divisions and recaptured kärevere bridge by 30 august. the operation shifted the entire front back to the southern bank of the emajõgi and encouraged the ii army corps to launch an operation attempting to recapture tartu. the attack of 4–6 september reached the northern outskirts of the city but was repulsed by units of the soviet 86th, 128th, 291st and 321st rifle divisions. relative calm settled on the front for the subsequent thirteen days. by september, the division totalled 15,400 men, of whom two-thirds were conscripts. also in september, the badly-mauled 2nd estonian police regiment was disbanded and its personnel were absorbed by the division. the 2nd estonian police regiment had been formed in july from three veteran police battalions, and had formed part of "kampfgruppe" "jeckeln" commanded by the higher ss and police leader for northern russia, "ss-obergruppenführer" and general of waffen-ss and police, friedrich jeckeln, who was executed for war crimes after the war. on 29 october 1944, the 287th estonian police battalion was absorbed by the division. the 287th estonian police battalion had been formed in april 1943 from men who had deserted from the estonian-recruited red army 249th rifle division the previous month.