July 1941

Eastern Front

Fiege's XXXVI Corps joins the offensive from Finland, attacking the XLII Rifle Corps deployed in the Salla region. The Germans direct attack toward Kandalaksha, aiming to sever communications between Murmansk and Russia proper. In conjunction with thest attacks, the III Finnish Corps moves from Uhtua. The difficult terrain in this region severely hamper the attack of the XXXVI Corps.

Lt-Gen F. S. Ivanov's 8th Army falls back to the Dvina and through Riga escaping entrapment by Kuchler's advancing infantry. After fierce street fighting with Soviet rearguards, the XXVI Corps captures Riga.

To meet the German blow along the Dvina that is expected at any moment, the Northwest Front has only severly weakened forces at its disposal. Of its 31 divisions, 22 have fallen below half strength. Having been badly hurt by the fighting at the border, Gen Petr P. Sobennikov has fewer than 1,450 guns and mortars remaining across his entire front command, while many hard pressed front line divisions have been drastically reduced, some being down to only a few hundred men in the field.

Schweppenburg secures his bridgehead across the Berezina around Bobruisk. The infantry of Army Group Center begins ths long process of disengaging from the Soviet forces remaining in the Minsk encirclement and moving off to the east to support the armor.

Reichenau's 6th Army and Kleist's 1st Panzer Group push through Gen Mikhail P. Kirponos' battered Southwest Front with the III, XIV and XLVIII Panzer Corps advancing around Rovno, Dubno and Kremenets respectively. The northern flank of the 1st Panzer Group is being protected by the XVII, XLIV and XXIX Corps of the 6th Army against the stout defense of Gen Mikhail I. Potapov's 5th Army. The difficult terrain of the Pripet Marshes makes movement very difficult in the area.

To the south the final phase of the German offensive begins as the armies on the Russo-Rumanian border attack Gen Ivan V. Tyulenev's newly formed South Front. The LIV Corps attacks from Jassy, striking the junction of the 9th and 18th Armies and hitting the XLVIII Rifle Corps hard north of the town. From Stefanesti, north of Jassy on the banks of the Prut, The XXX Corps attacks while the XI Corps, deployed on the northern flank, pushes north across the Prut around Lipkany to sever the junction of the 18th and 12th Armies. On the flanks of the 11th Army the Rumanian 3rd and 4th Armies begin their offensive operations.