July 1941

Eastern Front

The XLI Panzer Corps takes Pskov after a day of heavy fighting with the XLI Rifle Corps. Manstein moves his LVI Panzer Corps up to Ostrov.

With Reinhardt firmly established along the Velikaya, Army Group North receives orders from OKH regarding objectives for the next phase of operations. The XLI Panzer Corps is to smash through the Soviet positions to the south of Lake Peipus and reach the Luga River around the city Luga prior to its direct attack upon Leningrad. At the same time, Manstein is to lead his LVI Panzer Corps on a deep flanking attacks toward Lake Ilmen.

Of its original complement of 23 divisions, the Northwest Front has just 7 near full strength and 11 with between 2,000 and 3,000 soldiers. Armored strength is down to just 332 operational tanks. The heavy fighting in Latvia and Lithuania since the beginning of the attack has been expensive to the Northwest Front, some 73,900 soldiers being killed or missing and a further 13,300 wounded. Over 2,520 tanks, 3,500 artillery pieces and 990 aircraft have also been lost. As in the south, the Soviet Command has fed new units into the battle as they withdraw, some 14 divisions and 1 brigade joining the hardpressed frontier armies.

After a bloody last stand, the remnants of the Soviet forces trapped in the Minsk pocket are crushed, enabling the 9th and 2nd Armies to release infantry to support the panzers in their drive east.

Having captures Polotsk, teh 19th Panzer Division moves toward Nevel, but progress is slow because of the rugged terrain and the stout Soviet defense. Vitebsk, burning and gutted, falls to the XXXIX Panzer Corps, but furious battles continue as the 19th Army launches repeated attacks aimed at pushing the Germans back. Farther south, the Soviets break off their attacks at Senno.

The fighting in Belorussia since June 22 has cost the West Front 418,000 casualties, 4,800 tanks, 9,247 artillery pieces and 1,777 aircraft lost. During this disaster, the Soviet Command has reinforced the West Front with 45 divisions, giving the front 579,000 men in early July.

Tanks of the XIV Panzer Corps capture Zhitomir despite Soviet counterattacks. Elements of the 5th Army cut the Zhitomir road but fail to prevent the German drive. Heavy fighting breaks out along the line from Berdichev, Skvira nad Fastov, where the XLVIII and XIV Panzer Corps are attacking the 6th Army. Units of the IV Mechanized Corps and ad hoc forces of the 6th Army hit the 11th Panzer Division hart at Berdichev.

With the Germans still advancing, Kirponos orders his force to fall back to the line Korosten-Novgorod-Volynsky-Shepetovka-Starokonstantinovka-Proskurov but the Germans have already penetrated far to the east of this line.

Up to this point the fighting in the Ukraine has cost the Soviet forces tremendous losses. In ferocious battles the Southwest and South Fronts have lost nearly 242,000 ment, nearly 4,400 tanks, 5,800 artillery pieces and 1,200 aircraft.