July 1941

Eastern Front

Unknown to Dietl, the Soviets land a force of 1,500 men behind his line on the Litsa. They then march to attack the Germans from the rear.

As Soviet defenses before Leningrad crumble, forward units of Reinhardt's XLI Panzer Corps moves up to the mouth of the Luga, expanding their small bridgeheads at Kingisepp.

Southwest of Lake Ilmen the 8th Panzer Division captures Soltsy. Morozov's 11th Army is counterattacking along the Soltsy-Dno axis with two shock groups. The 'Northern Group' contains a single tank divisin of the I Mechanized Corps and two rifle divisions ot eh XVI Rifle Corps. This group strikes 8th Panzer from the north. The 'Southern Group' contains three rifle divisions of the XXII Rifle Corps attacking Soltsy from the east, while elements of the Luga Operational Group (LOG), containing a militia division and the 1st Mountain Brigade, attacks along the Novgorod axis.

At this stage of the battle Pyadyshev has arrayed his forces in three groups, the Kingisepp Group h two rifle and two militia divisions opposite the XLI Panzer Corps, the Luga Group in the Luga region with three rifle and one tank division, and the Eastern Group at the far end of the line with a militia division and a mountain brigade.

The Germans progress north and south of Smolensk as their plan to envelop the West Front proceeded. On the flanks of the broad advance, the 9th and 2nd Armies struggle to maintain the pace set by the panzers, despite the fact that the weary soldiers of the two infantry armies are marching an average of 30 miles each day, fighting battles with Soviet rearguards as they advance. At Gorki and Mstislavl, the Germans are involved in fierce fighting with the 13th Army.

As German forces move close to Kiev, the Southwest Front command is ready for the possibility of a German parachute assault across the Dniepr. In order to counter this possible threat the III Airborne Corps is hastily deployed at Borispol.