July 1941

Eastern Front

The XLI Panzer Corps comes under heavy attack at Ostrov as the XXIV Rifle Corps counterattacks. German fire crushes the assault, however, forcing the battered rifle divisions to fall back.

To the south, the LVI Panzer Corps advances toward Opochka, but finds the going extremely difficult in the trackless forest and marsh that cut across its line of advance.

Schweppenburg's XXIV Panzer Corps succeeds in reaching the Dniepr during the afternoon, moving near the river at the small settlement of Stary Bykhov. The Germans become embroiled in heavy fighting with the retreating elements of Remezov's 13th Army. At the same time, the XXXIX Panzer Corps encounters strong resistance from Kurochkin's 20th Army on the approaches to Vitebsk, the Soviets preventing the early capture of that city. The Soviet V and VII Mechanized Corps also move into the combat line and begin to counterattack in conjunction with the 20th Army, striking the exposed southern wing of the XXXIX Panzer.

The 6th Army and the 1st Panzer Group unleash a fierce attack upon Muzychenko's 6th Army. Furious fighting erupts around Zhitomir where the XIV Panzer Corps fights a bitter battle. To the north the III Panzer Corps pushes closer to the Irpen at Radomyshl.

In Moldavia, Tyulenev's Southern Front begins to abandon its positions west of the Dniestr above Kishinev. The 9th Army continues to hold out around the Moldavian capital against the weaker forces of the LIV Corps.

The German advance toward Salla grinds to a hald amid ferocious Soviet defense and difficult conditions. SS Nord is attacking the town frontally, the 169th Infantry Division is attacking from the north and the 6th Finnish Infantry Division from the south. The Finns send up their 14th Infantry Division to support the attack.