Air Operations, Europe

After a pause of several weeks, the Germans carry out a severe air raid on London.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-79 sinks the British steamer Hawkinge (2475t) from Convoy OG-69 about 800 miles southwest of Fastnet with the loss of 15 of her crew. 16 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Sunflower and the British destroyer Vanoc.
• U-203 sinks the British steamer Kellwyn (1459t) from Convoy OG-69 350 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre with the loss of 14 crewmen. 9 survivors are picked up by the British armed trawler St Nectan.
• U-126 also attacks Convoy OG-69 sinking the British steamer Erato (1335t) and the Norwegian steamer Inga I (1304t) about 200 miles west of Cape Finisterre. The Erato loses 9 crewmen, 27 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Begonia. The Inga I loses 3 crew members, 16 survivors are picked up by an escort vessel and landed at Gibraltar.

Eastern Front

The Soviet forces in and around Smolensk are cut off by the German pincer movement. The Russians, however, manage to organize a new defensive line 25 miles east of the city, and their artillery reveals a certain superiority. In the Smolensk 'cauldron' their multiple rocket-launchers firing 320 rockets in 25 seconds (called 'Katyusha' by the Russians and 'Stalin's tools' by the Germans) make their first appearance, striking mortal terror into the Germans - and into the Russian infantry too, since they had not heard of this new weapon.

In the north the Baltic port of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is attacked and taken by the Germans.

The XLI Panzer Corps crosses the Luga at Kingisepp, the remnants of the Soviet 8th Army dig in at Tallinn and Narva.

The Soviet LXI Rifle Corps attempts to break out of Mogilev, and the XLV Rifle Corps fights its way east across the Sozh.

The Soviet 26th Army counterattacks against the flank of the 1st Panzer Group between Kiev and Cherkassy. Despite heroic but foolhardy mass infantry attacks, the Germans break up the assault. On the southern flank of the Southwestern Front, the German 17th Army launches an assault against Red Army units in the Uman area.[MORE]

Germany, Command

Kluge's 4th Panzer Army is disbanded, with the 4th Army becoming an infantry force once again. Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group is thus removed from under Kluge's command and is place directly under the control of Army Group Center. This is due to disagreements between Guderian and Kluge regarding strategy and objectives, which were having an adverse effect on operations.

Lithuania

Thousands of Jews Transferred from Kovno

The Germans occupied Kovno in June 1941, and thousands of Jews were transferred to locations outside the city where they were abused and then shot by the Lithuanian guards. In all, some 10,000 Jews were murdered within the first six weeks of the Germans’ arrival.

North Africa

Gen Ettore Bastico takes over from Gen Gariboldi as Commander-in-Chief of Italian troops on this front.