August 1941

Eastern Front

Mga falls to the XXXIX Panzer Corps after heavy fighting, severing the last rail link out of Leningrad to the rest of the Soviet Union. Only a narrow land corridor remains open to the south of Lake Ladoga. Akimov's 48th Army has been forced back to the line Mga-Kirishi.

The Soviets launch a determined offensive to drive the Germans from the Elnya salient. Inside the salient, the 4th Army has 5 infantry divisions, all of which have been in constant action since the beginnning of BARBAROSSA. Against this force Zhukov assembles 8 divisions, 5 rifle, 2 tank and 1 mechanized. A brief artillery bombardment opens the attack by the 24th Army, which penetrates the German front line but struggles to push farther into the salient.

Schweppenburg's XXIV Panzer Corps succeeds in overcoming the 40th Army, which was attacking the Desna bridgehead. The left wing of Eremenko's Bryansk Front also begins to counterattack, striking the long left flank of the 2nd Panzer Group. In order to take the pressure off the northern wing of the Southwest Front, the Stavka orders Eremenko to attack in 2 groups toward Roslavl and Starodub, with aims at smashing the 2nd Panzer Group. Eremenko calls for a single powerful strike but the Stavka overrules him, calling instead for the destruction of the German forces at Pochep, Novgorod-Seversky and Novozybkov. The 50th ane 3rd Armies are to attack along the Roslavl axis with support from thr 43rd Army of the Reserve Front, while the 13th And 21st Armies are to encircle and destroy the main components of the 2nd Panzer Group. Group Ermakov is to operate ahead of the 3rd Army and drive through to Novgorod-Seversky.

Reichenau's 6th Army is involved in heavy fighting as it forces its way into Kiev. Vlassov defends the city street by street.

As the Finns advance norht of Leningrad, Raivola falls.