August 1941

Eastern Front

The Finns reach the Vuoksi River, 7 miles from Viipurii.

The XXVI Corps penetrates the shrinking Tallinn perimeter from the east and south, capturing the last airfield inside the pocket. Heavy fighting continues at Pirita, while the Minna Harbor is under intense artillery fire and Paldiski is isolated. Soviet ships in the harbor step up their counter-barrage, inflicting heavy losses upon the attacking Germans. As the remnants of the garrison struggle to hold out, front command orders the evacuation of the city. Rearguards fight for every yard of the city, defending the Kadriorg Park against German attack.

The 18th Army and the 4th Panzer Group commence their attack upon Leningrad, drawing Voroshilov's Leningrad Front into bitter fighting on the city's southern perimeter.

Kuntzen's LVII Panzer Corps is involved in heavy fighting with the 22nd Army in Velikiye Luki. Farther south, the XXIV Panzer Corps rushes the Desna at Novgorod-Seversky and secures a bridgehead. By dusk the 2nd Army has also reached the river and is involved in heavy fighting with Potapov's retreating 5th Army, which is trapped to the west. The left flank of the 2nd Panzer Group is increasingly over-extended as the spearhead pushes south, the XLVII Panzer Corps struggling to hold off the persistent Soviet attacks. Guderian is forced to call upon the supporting infantry to take over some sections of his front in order to relieve his over-extended armored corps.

The rapid advance of the German armored forces to the south threaten to undermine the newly deployed 40th Army, imperilling the northern wing of the Southwest Front. As Guderian pushes south, the Stavka informs Eremenko that: 'it seemed possible to envelop the Starodub position, destroy the enemy in Starodub and close up the 21st and 13th Armies.'

Heavy fighting rages at Dnepropetrovsk as the 13th Panzer Division comes under strong attack from the Soviet 6th Army.

Tyulenev is relieve of command of the South Front and Ryabyshev of the 38th Army is appointed in his place.<>