June 1941

Eastern Front

Manstein forces the LVI Panzer Corps free of Daugavpils and Reinhardt extends the XLI Panzer Corps's bridgehead at Jekabpils. Ferocious battles are being fought all along the Dvina line ast the infantry of the 16th and 18th Armies in the wake of the panzers become embroiled in bitter fighting with hastily erected Soviet defenses.

With the Dvina line well and truly breached, Kuznetsov is dismissed as commander of the Northwest Front and Gen Sobennikov, formerly 8th Army commander, is appointed to take his place. Gen F. S. Ivanov takes command of the 8th Army.

The XXIV Panzer Corps gains control of Bobruisk and secures a crossing over the Berezina. Several counterattacks are launched by the Soviets, but each one is repelled. Attacks by Soviet aircraft against the Berezina bridges also fail as the Luftwaffe foils each attack.

As one of his first acts as commander, Eremenko orders the 13th Army to consolidate all units fighting in the Minsk area and immediately counterattack. This order is quickly amended, however, to the withdrawal of forces to the Berezina. Eremenko's predecessor arrives in Moscow late in the day to be dragged before the fiercely angry dictator, subjected to a tirade of abuse and then promptly shot for his failure to halt the German forces.

On the other side of the line, the Germans carry out a number of command changes as they complete the destruction of the pockets close to the frontier. The 2nd and 3rd Panzer Groups, while remaining under the command of Guderian and Hoth, are brought under the overall control of Kluge's 4th Army, into what is termed the 4th Panzer Army. Kluge quickly clashes with both of his subordinate commanders, particularly with Guderian, over the conduct of the campaign. The infantry of the 'old' 4th Army are taken over by the headquarters of the 2nd Army, which arrives from the Balkans.

The general intention is, upon completion of the Bialystok-Minsk cauldron battles, the panzers shall lead a broad advance to the Dniepr and encircle the remnants of the West Front and the new Reserve Front around Smolensk. The infantry of the 9th and 2nd Armies are to mop up behind the panzers while also covering the flanks. This new command structure, however, goes against the fundamental concepts of armored warfare. Instead of striking on a narrow sector with a great concentration of force, the blow is dissipated across a front of 200 miles. OKH consults with the command of Army Group Center and stresses the importance of seizing the Dniepr crossings as rapidly as possible so that the Soviets are prevented from using the river line as a possible defensive position. The capture of Rogachev, Mogilev and Orsha are called for, in addition to the conquest of Vitebsk and Polotsk, which are to be secured on the Dvina in order to open up the northern pincer of a subsequent encirclement operation around Smolensk.

The Soviet counterattack against the 1st Panzer Group finally ends as the IX Mechanized Corps begins to fall back under intense German pressure. Rovno and Ostrog both fall.

After two days of intense fighting, the Soviets relinquish control of Lvov to the German 17th Army. Despite this loss, Kirponos manages to keep his force relatively intact and, acting upon the orders of the Red Army high command, begins to retire to a line from Korosten, through Novgorod Volynsky and Proskurov. Losses during the retreat from the frontier have been heavy, The Southwest Front losing more than 2,600 tanks since June 22. Furthermore, despite his best efforts, Kleist is loose behind Kirponos' flank and drives on toward Kiev. In support, the infantry of Reichenau's 6th Army struggles to maintain the pace set by the panzers, skirting the edge of the Pripet Marshes, in which Potapov's 5th Army has taken refuge.

In an effort to establish some semblance of authority and secure a bedrock of command, the State Committee for Defense, more commonly known as the GKO, is established. The new body made up of senior commanders of the army, air force and navy and includes party representatives such as Molotov, Voroshilov, Malenkov and Beria. The Supreme Command, also referred to as the Stavka, is also established at the same time.