Eastern Front

Army Group North hurriedly regroups its XLI and LVI Panzer Corps, the XLI being moved along the eastern shores of Lake Peipus to attack toward the lower Luga and the LVI being moved from its original axis back to Ostrov to resume the advance to Lake Ilmen. After only a brief rest, the Germans resume the offensive along and around the Luga. Heavy fighting sees the XLI Panzer Corps establish a number of small bridgeheads across the Luga south of Kingisepp. The sheer ferocity of the Soviet defens, however, stall the XLI Panzer and XXXVIII Corps. Manstein attacks with the LVI Panzer Corps, still being supported by the I Corps. Elements of the 8th Panzer Division reach Soltsy but are then attacked by the X Mechanized Corps and rifle units from Group Vatutin. In heavy fighting the Soviets have isolated the 8th Panzer from the 3rd Motorized on its left and the SS Totenkopf to the rear.

Finnish Bicycle Battalion Advancing toward Tolvajärvi in the Early Morning of 13 July 1941

The Soviets concentrate the new 34th Army around Staraya-Russa to forestall a German attempt to penetrate the Lovat line. On the southern approaches to Leningrad, the battered but still intact 8th Army is removed from Northwest front command and transferred to the North Front, as was the XLI Rifle Corps.

The XXXIX Panzer Corps continues to attack the 19th Army, having inflicted heavy casualties upon Koniev's green troops. To the south, the 29th Motorized Division of the XLVII Panzer Corps advances to within 11 miles of Smolensk, while the XLVI Panzer advances north of Mogilev and the XXIV Panzer to the south. The LXI Rifle and XX Mechanized Corps are isolated inside Mogilev and the XLV Rifle Corps close to it.

As the West Front disintegrates, the 21st Army launches the first of many counterattacks. This fresh force attacks with the 3 rifle divisions of the LXIII Rifle Corps from the Rogachev-Zhlobin area to the west, striking the XLIII and LIII Corps of the German 2nd Army. At the same time the LXVII Rifle and XXV Mechanized Corps attack the southern flank of the 2nd Panzer Group. With bitter fighting, the LXIII Corps throws the Germans out of both Rogachev and Zhlobin.

The Soviets' attacks near Novgorod Volynsky begin to die down after 4 days of bitter fighting. Bothe the 5th and 6th Armies begin to abandon their attack against the flanks of the German 6th Army and the 1st Panzer Group following the heavy losses of the past weeks. The IX Mechanized Corps has been reduced to 32 tanks, the XIX to 33 tanks and the XXII to 30 tanks.

As an indication of the bitterness of the fighting, casualty returns by the Ostheer at the beginning of July shows that since June 22 the armies in the line have suffered 96,000 casualties.

Mediterranean

• The British submarine Taku sinks the Italian steamer Caldea (2703t) 10 miles north-northwest of Benghazi.
• The British tanker Pegasus (3597t) sinks on a British mine at Beirut.