July 1941

Eastern Front

The Finnish 15th Infantry Division launches new attacks along the Repola axis, meeting only limited resistance from the scattered Soviet force in this region.

After breaking the back of the Soviet resistance close to the Dvina, the Germans advance to the Velikaya River. The 1st Panzer Division of the XLI Panzer Corps reaches Ostrov late in the day. The defending XXIV Rifle Corps resists bravely but is outdone by the Germans and is forced to fall back after suffering heavy casualties. The hastily extablished Soviet defenses along the old Russo-Estonian border are easily breeched with the 6th Panzer Division of the XLI Panzer Corps slicing through the Stalin Line behind the 1st Panzer.

Because of the rapid disintegration of this defense line, the Stavka orders the immediated fortification of the Luga River line, in order to prevent a German advance upon Leningrad. Popov's Northern Front, responsible for the defense of the southern approaches to Leningrad, is painfully short of soldiers and equipment to man the newly ordered position. His forces are already being stretched thinly to the north where Finnish attacks are pressing Soviet troops into Karelia and toward the northern suburbs of Leningrad. The Leningrad Soviet orders the formation of three militia divisions to help in hte manning of the Luga line. A single rifle division, the 177th, begins to deploy before Luga, while the 191st moves to cover Kingisepp and the 111th is ordered east of Luga. The 1st Mountain Brigade begins to deploy around Schimsk.

While the German armor penetrates deep into the Soviet rear once again, the infantry protects their flanks. Divisions of the XXVI Corps are marching rapidly north toward the Estonian border between the Baltic and Lake Peipus, while the XXXVIII and I Corps are struggling in the wake of the panzers. On the southern wing, the 16th Army continues to push its units up behind the LVI Panzer but is constantly hampered by the fact it is tied down on its right by Hitler's insistence on protection of the junction with Army Group Center. The Soviet 11th Army is being pushed steadily back before this tide of infantry, retreating generally northeastward, away from the West Front and into operational isolation near Idritsa.

The XLVII Panzer Corps reaches the Berezina at Brodets, 10 miles south of Berezino, and storms across. Remnants of the 13th Army fights to prevent the consolidation of the bridgehead but are simply to weak to prevent it. A single rifle division attempts to hold the German attacks at Studenka, while the 1st Motorized Division hits the XXXIX Panzer Corps at Borisov.

Marshal Timoshenko, having take command of the West Front on June 2?, arrives at his front headquarters to find the command in disarray. The West Front has been reduced to only 200 operational tanks and fewer than 400 aircraft. Due to the scale of losses suffered at the frontier, the Stavka begins to man its new defense line, ordering Timoshenko to 'organize a reliable defense alogn the western Dvina and Dniepr Rivers, and, after concentrating reserves... deliver a series of counter strokes along the Lepel, Borisov and Bobruisk axes.

With this in mind, Timoshenko begins to plan a counterattack. Attacking with the 22nd Army at Polotsk to pin down the LVII Panzer Corps, the 20th Army moves forward along the line of the Dniepr to Shklov, while the 21st Army deploys to the south. Kurochkin's 20th Army, with 7 rifle divisions, is ordered to drive the XXXIX Panzer Corps out of the Lepel area in conjunction with the V and VII Mechanized Corps, which will attack north of Orsha toward Senno. Each mechanized corps has just over 1,000 tanks.

As his new armies maneuver into the line, Ershkov's 22nd Army takes up positions from Drissa to Vitebsk and Koniev's 19th Army assembles near Vitebsk. Kurochin is digging his 20th Army in between the Dniepr and the Dvina Rivers, while the remnants of Remezov's 13th Army tries to hold the Berezina line forward of Orsha and Rogachev. Gerasimenko has by this time successfully deployed his 21st Army between Rogachev and Rechitsa, securing the southern flank of the West Front against the Pripet Marshes. In addition, the last desperate survivors of the 4th Army, who escaped the Minsk pocket, are falling back to the east, hoping to rejoin the main combat line between the 13th and 21st Armies. To the rear, near Smolensk, the 16th Army has arrived from the Ukraine and is preparing to move up to the combat line, despite the attention of the Luftwaffe.

While the Soviets are making these preparations for the continuation of the struggle, the Ostheer officially allocates the headquarters of the 2nd Army to take command of the infantry divisions of the 'old' 4th Army. The new 2nd Army will operate in conjunction with Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group.

Running battles are fought as Kleist pushes along the road to Kiev. Muzychenko's shattered 6th Army abandons massive quantities of equipment as it withdraws, suffering heavy casualties to constant German air attacks.

To the left of Kirponos's battered armies, the South Front constructs a temporary bridge across the Dneistr at Khotin in order to facilitate the withdrawal of Smirnov's 16th Army across the river. The Luftwaffe targets the bridge, launching heavy raids that succeed in destroying the crossing and trapping elements of the 18th Army on the south bank. The bulk of the army is able to escape across a hastily erected reserve bridge. There is also heavy fighting around Mogilev-Podolski ass the XXX Corps establishes a bridgehead over the Dneistr. German gains here increase the threat to the 26th and 12th Armies to the north, fighting in a salient position as they fall back. The German 17th Army is exerting pressure upon the rear of the 12th and 18th Armies as it pushes between the Bug and Dneistr Rivers.

With his armies heavily committed, Rundstedt directs that, as soon as Zhitomir and Berdichev fall, the 1st Panzer Group is to turn its XIV and XLVIII Panzer Corps south toward Kirovograd, into the rear of teh Soviet forces retreating before the 17th and 11th Armies. To support the advance on Kiev by the 3rd Panzer Group, the 6th Army is divided into a northern and a southern group. The northern group continues its advance upon Kiev with the 3rd Panzer, while the southern group accompanies the XIV and XLVIII Panzer Corps south to link up with the 11th Army. The XIv and XLVIII are to move from Berdichev in the direction of Pervomaisk, via Kazatin and Belaya Tserkov and bring about the encirclement of the 6th, 12th, 26th and 18th Armies of the Southwest Front and South Front. At the same time Stuplnagel's 17th Army is to advance through Vinnitsa and drive the Soviets into the arms of the panzers.