July 1941

Eastern Front

The Finnish Army of Karelia launches large-scale attacks, with the IV Corps breaking through the positions of Gorolenko's 7th Army at Korpiselka. Finnish forces puch toward the northen shores of Lake Ladoga, aiming for Petrozavodsk and Olonets.

Hoeppner's 4th Panzer Group launches new attacks toward the Luga, but encounters heavy resistance from remnants of the Soviet forces scattered throughout the region. Reinhardt's XLI Panzer Corps breaks out from Pskov, with the XXXVIII Corps in support. In the heavy fighting around Pskov, the Germans throw the 118th Rifle Division back toward Gdov, leaving the road to Luga open. The Soviet Command hastily tries to plug the gap with the 90th Rifle Division but the Germans catch it on the march from Strugi-Krasnye. As the Germans approach Luga, the XLI Panzer Corps is repulsed in a direct assault on the town. The 1st and 6th Panzer Divisions swing northwest to try again at Sabsk, only to be repelled a second time. Manstein's LVI Panzer Corps, supported by the I Corps, breaks free from Ostrov, capturing Porkhov with the 3rd Motorized Division after a fierce battle.

At this time the North Front forces on the southern approaches to Leningrad number about 153,000, while the Northwest Front has a further 272,000 against the Germans trying to push along the Leningrad axis.

Koniev's 19th Army renews its attacks against the XXXIX Panzer Corps at Vitebsk, launching a fierce attack with a single motorized division in an attempt to deter a renewed German advance. Hoth's III Panzer Corps finds itself hard pressed to hold off the Soviet thrust as it juggles forces between the outer pincer formed by the LVII Panzer Corps and the inner one of the XXXIX Panzer.

To the south, Guderian launches the XXIV Panzer Corps across the Dniepr, successfully gaining a bridgehead at Stary Bykhov. Reinforcements move swiftly forward in their wake, and the hastily erected 13th Army defenses collapse as German panzers push east into the rear of the West Front. The 4 battered rifle divisions of the 13th Army try vainly to hold off the German attack, but simply can not halt Guderian's tanks.

The fighting in the center since June 22 has cost the Soviets 417,790 casualties, 4,799 tanks, 9,427 artillery pieces and 1,777 aircraft.

Near Korosten and Novgorod Valynsky, the northern group of the German 6th Army is attacked by the XXXI Rifle (on the right flank of the attack), IX, XIX and XXII Mechanized Corps (forming the center and left of the attack). German attacks have isolated the VII Rifle Coprs on the Sluch River and the Soviets strive to free this beleaguered force. The XXXI Rifle Corps makes little progress against the XVII Corps, while the mechanized forces advance around 10 miles. Farther south, Muzychenko's 6th Army also counterattacks, hitting the right flank of the 1st Panzer Group.

With German tanks close to Kiev, forces at Berdichev attack to the southeast but are held up by the Soviet attacks. The fighting on the Berdichev, Zhitomir and Fastov position continues over the next five days as the Soviets throw in repeated attacks in a vain effort to halt the German armor. The 9th Panzer Div launches a strong attack southeast of Zhitomir and pushes closer to Skvir. As the Soviet withdrawal continues, the 26th Army is drawn into the battle.

The Red Army reorganizes it higher command structure. A number of Glavkom (theater commands) are established in order to coordinate the front defenses more effectively. The first is Glavkom Northwest under the command of Marshal Voroshilov, which comprises the North and Northwest Fronts with the Baltic and Northern Fleets, followed by Timoshenko's Glavkom West which has the West Front and the Pinsk Flotilla under its command. To the south is Glavkom Southwest under Marshal Budenny which comprises the Southwest and South Fronts and the powerful Black Sea Fleet.