June 1941

Eastern Front

Gen Erich Hoeppner's 4th Panzer Group attacks from the East Prussian frontier north of Memel and south of Tilsit. With artillery and air support, Gen Georg-Hans Reinhardt's XLI Corps and Gen Erich von Manstein's LVI Panzer Corps strike Lt-Gen Petr Petrovich Sobennikov's 8th Army. The Soviet command is totally surprised and the forward Soviet units are easily overrun.

The LVI Panzer Corps pierces the left flank of the Soviet 8th Army and advances rapidly through wooded territory. They pass Rasainiai and reach the Dubissa River securing a crossing after a daring assault upon the Airogola viaduct. After a brief battle supporting infantry take Rasainiai. The XLI Panzer Corps launches its assault from Tilsit striking a single rifle division in the center of the 8th Army with 2 panzer, 1 motorized and 1 infantry divisions. The single defending division fights desperately but is unable to hold off the German attacks. The division soon crumbles and the road to Taurage is open. Reinhardt's progress is slower than von Manstein's as the Soviets throw in different forces in repeated counterattacks.

All throughout the day Col-Gen Fyodor Isodorovich Kuznetsov attempts to rally his Northwest Front forces but German air superority prevents any effective measures at the border. The Baltic Military District, now the Northwest Front, with headquarters at Subach, along with many Soviet command and communications facilities come under repeated Luftwaffe attacks.

As the panzers press forward, the infantry begin their long march. The 18th Army, moving out of its cramped assembly areas behind the LVI Panzer Corps, fans out into Lithuania and pushes north along the coast toward Libau to force the 8th Army away from the coast. Farther inland, costly battles rage along forested tracks as small detachments of Soviets ambush German units, holding up the advance until they can be destroyed or retreat into the interior.

Gen Ernst Busch leads his infantry forward on the right wing of Army Group North. They press east from the East Prussian border toward the Nieman River. These units hit the right wing of the 8th Army and the northern wing of the 11th Army. Thoroughly rattled, Kuznetsov's armies begin to separate. Early in the day, as von Manstein's corps moves along the road to Airogola, Kuznetsov orders the III and XII Mechanized Corps to concentrate for a counterattack aimed at stopping the Germans moving toward Siauliai. Subordinating both corps to 8th Army command, Kuznetsov orders an attack at midday on the 23rd. The XII Mechanized Corps orders its forces to cooperate with the III and attacks the Germans at Taurage. Because of the almost total collapse of Soviet communications, the front commander is largely unaware of the serious situation developing in the 11th Army sector. Kuznetsov is in effect tackling the lesser of two evils. His movements merely delay Reinhardt's advance momentarily while von Manstein's pushes almost unhindered toward the Dvina.

Field Marshal Fedor von Bock's Army Group Center begins its offensive as the Luftwaffe arrives over Soviet air bases and military facilites behind the frontier. Moving southwest of Vilnius, Gen Hermann Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group rips open the southern flank of Lt-Gen V. I. Morozov's 11th Army, pushing east for the Nieman River. With the LVII Panzer Corps on the left, the XXXIX Panzer to its right and infantry following, Hoth severs the junction between the Northwest and West Fronts. As a result, Kuznetsov is compelled to detach the XII and III Mechanized Corps from Sobennikov's 8th Army and bring them south to aid the crumbling 11th. The movement of the 2 mechanized corps is hindered by the Luftwaffe and will be ultimately stopped by Reinhardt's armor in the first major tank battle of the campaign.

As the advance of the panzers gets under way, Gen Adolf Strauss's 9th Army hits the forward elements of V. I. Kuznetsov's 3rd Army. The surprised Soviet forces, out of touch with their high command and hard pressed by German ground and air attacks, suffer tremendous casualties. Because of incessant Luftwaffe attacks upon forward dumps, supplies run low near the end of the day. The cohesion of the Soviet front line formations begins to break up after just a few hours of combat.

Near Grodno German infantry are involved in fierce struggles with the Soviets. Kuznetsov vainly attempts to bring his armor into battle, but despite the fact that the XI Mechanized Corps was deployed close to Grodno, it can not be deployed because of attacks by Kesselring's 2nd Air Fleet. Soviet armored losses on the approach roads are crippling.

In the center of the army group, the 2nd Panzer Group launches a furious assault upon the garrison of Brest-Litovsk. Despite repeated attacks they are unable to capture the city because of the ferocious resistance put up by the NKVD border guards. After confused fighting in the outskirts, the Soviets withdraw into the citadel and prepare to withstand a prolonged German siege. North and south of the city, the remainder of Guderian's group begins their offensive. Gen Joachim Lemelsen's XLVII Panzer Corps moves across the Bug River north of the town and pushes toward Pruzhany, where it meets resistance from elements of the XIV Mechanized Corps. Gen Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg's XXIV Panzer Corps succeeds in crossing the Bug south of Brest. As the Soviet defenses are being penetrated by the armor, the marching infantry of von Kluge's 4th Army come to grips with Soviet forces left behind. As with the 3rd Panzer Group, infantry follow each armored corps of Guderian's 2nd Panzer.

As in the north, the Soviets in the center are taken entirely by surprise. The 3rd, 4th and 10th Armies along with the front commander are caught entirely unaware. Many Soviet units are under sustained ground and air attack and disintegrate in the first few hours of fighting. Some isolated detachments, however, do fight ferociously inflicting heavy casualties upon the attacking Germans.

The Luftwaffe is extremely active throughout the day. Soviet concentrations are bombed at Bialystok, Grodno, Lida, Volkovsky, Brest-Litovsk and Kobrin, the headquarters of Gen Aleksandr A. Korobkov's 4th Army. Communications throughout the redesignated West Front collapse, leaving Western Front commander Col-Gen Dmitry G. Pavlov unaware of the disasters that are unfolding around him. In only two hours, relentless Luftwaffe attacks succeed in shattering the command structure of the 4th Army. Fuel and ammunition dumps come under particularly heavy attack, while numerous airfields are disabled. Gen K. D. Golubev's 10th Army, deep inside the Bialystok salient, also receives a considerable pounding losing many of its supply facilities.

The Soviet defenses across the central sector lie wide open. Golubev's forces, despite ferocious fighting, are already losing their battle agains the German 8th and 4th Armies. With much of his rear services destroyed, it will be only a matter of time before his army is bled to death. Golubev reports to Pavlov that his VI Calvary Corps has been virtually wiped out and the remnants of his frontier rifle divisions are falling back. In an effort to restore the situation, Pavlov orders the XIV Mechanized Corps to move from Pruzhany and launch an immediate counterattack to throw the Germans back to the border. Despite severe difficulties in its deployment, the XIV manages to engage the 18th Panzer Division of the XLVII Panzer Corps and embroil it in a protracted armored duel for most of the day.

By dusk, the Germans have firmly invested elements of the XXVIII Rifle Corps in Brest-Litovsk and are determined to capture the city as quickly as possible. At the same time, Golubev decides to begin the withdrawal of the 10th Army behind the Narev River to prevent its encirclement, the collapse of the northern and southern flanks having endangered the whole army. The VI Mechanized Corps is ordered to move up to the Narew to protect the rear of the retiring rifle divisions. In an effort to find out what is happening in the 10th Army sector, Pavlov sends his deputy, Gen Ivan V. Boldin, to Golubev's unit. Late in the evening Boldin manages to locate Golubev, whose headquarters has been moved to some woods southwest of Bialystok. Here Boldin is informed that the 10th has suffered extremely severe casualties, and the VI Mechanized Corps is severely short of tanks but is moving to the east bank of the Narew to cover the withdrawal of the frontier units. Reporting these developments to Pavlov, Boldin is ordered to put a shock group together to prevent any possible German penetration toward Volkovysk. During the night Boldin attempts to assemble what meager force he can. He plans to attack toward Grodno from northeast of Bialystok where he presumes the XI Mechanized Corps is already in action.

Field Marshal von Rundstedt's Southern Army Group launches the first phase of its offensive against Soviet forces in the northwest Ukraine. The Luftwaffe is very active attacking Soviet defenses and airfields along this entire front destroying nearly 300 Soviet aircraft in the first few hours. With this air support, German panzers and infantry cross the frontier. Gen Ewald von Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, with Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau's 6th Army in close support, cross the border between Rava-Russki and Strumilov to exert pressure upon the junction of the Soviet 4th, 5th and 6th Armies. In the Rava-Russki region the VI Rifle Corps is heavily engaged and, despite bitter fighting, fails to prevent German forces from crossing the Bug. Assault groups successfully overpower NKVD guards on bridges over the Bug, opening the road to the interior. The III, XIV and XLVIII Panzer Corps of von Kleist's 1st Panzer Group are able to begin their advance toward Kiev with only minor losses.

Gen Karl-Henrich von Stülpnagel's 17th Army also attacks with the goal of crushing the Soviet 6th and 26th Armies deployed in the Lvov area. Fierce fighting occurs between Tomasov and Przemysl as German infantry struggle to break through the frontier units. Around Przemysl the VIII Rifle Corps of Gen F. Y. Kostenko's 26th Army attempts to hold off these attacks but fails to prevent a crossing of the San River. Late in the day the Germans take Przemysl, but the VIII Rifle Corps counterattacks immediately preventing the Germans from exploiting their success.

As the day progresses, the Germans establish secure bridgeheads over the Bug so that by noon, both the 6th and 17th Armies are across the rivers which barred their line of advance. Amid fierce fighting the Soviet border formations give way to the attacks of the III Panzer Corps. The XV Rifle Corps on the right flank of Gen Mikhail I. Potapov's 5th Army crumbles, opening the junction between the 5th and 4th Armies. A short time later, the two armies lose contact with each other. Further German pressure against the junction of the 5th and 6th Armies prompts Gen Mikhail P. Kirponos, the Southwest Front, formerly the Kiev Military District, commander, to commit the XXII and IV Mechanized Corps. By dusk, however, he becomes aware of the danger presented by the deep advance of von Kleist's panzers into the northern flank and begins the difficult task of concentrating his armor to fend off the German thrust. The main obstruction to the implementation of this decision is the complete superiority the Germans have in the air.

Units of Dietl's mountain corps cross the Russo-Norwegian border and move int the Pechenga area. Resistance from the Soviets is slight. The 52nd Rifle Division takes up defensive positions to cover the approaches to Murmansk.

Finland declares neutrality as Germany attacks but the Soviets respond by attacking Finnish shipping in the Gulf of Finland and firing from their base at Hanko.

Throughout the first day of fighting the Luftwaffe achieves spectacular successes, 60 Soviet airfields being bombed and nearly 1,500 aircraft destroyed, with a further 300 confirmed as downed in combat.

Despite their extensive preparations close to the border, the Soviet forces are taken by surprise. Many frontier units are caught relaxing in their barracks as the offensive begins, and a great number of army and front commanders are absent from their units. This general lack of preparedness greatly increases the losses incurred during this first stage of the German attack.

Stalin, in a state of shock, refuses to believe that the Germans have attacked. As the frontier armies are torn apart, the Politburo orders the Red Army to keep out of Germany. However, at 0530 the German ambassador in Moscow delivers a statement to Molotov, effectively declaring war upon the Soviet Union. Incredibly, the radio link with the German foreign office is kept open and the Soviets ask the Japanese to mediate. As the morning progresses, however, it becomes clear that the German attack is not going to stop and the Soviet General Staff orders the frontier armies to throw them back to the border. Only a couple of hours later Timoshenko issues Directive No. 3 ordering all frontier armies to begin full-scale offensives toward the border. At noon Minister Molotov broadcasts to the Soviet people that, in breach of the 1939 Non-Aggression Pact, Germany has attacked the Soviet Union and as a result the nations are at war. The pre-war military districts have been redesignated combat fronts and Marshal Timoshenko, victor of the Winter War with Finland, is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army.