September 1941

Eastern Front

After an aruduous advance, the Finnish Army of Karelia smashes Soviet positions at Petrozavodsk, reaching Lake Onega and the line of the Svir. The fighting on the Finnish front since summer has been very costly for the axis forces, the Finnish army suffering 5,000 casualties and the Germans 21,000.

German units brrek through the Russian defenses at Salme on the island of Saaremaa. After heavy fighting, the remnants of the garrison fall back to the Syerve peninsula. Further bitter fighting continues there.

On the main combat line, the Russian forces are being bled white. Since July 10 the Northwest Front has lost 97,000 killed and missing plus 47,800 wounded, 1,500 tanks, 9,900 artillery pieces and 1,700 aircraft while the relatively new Leningrad Front has lost 65,500 killed and missing and 50,800 wounded since August 23.

Guderian opens the offensive toward Moscoe, XXIV and XLVII Panzer Corps attacking Eremenko's left wing southwest of Orel. Near Glukhov, the German armor launch a furious attack, inflicting heavy casualties upon Group Ermakov and the 13th Army. After heavy fighting, the XXIV Panzer Corps gains the Chinel Heights and the XLVII Panzer Corps encounters strong resistance at Shuravka. Ermakov's 5 divisions retreat in disorder, exposing the left flank of the 13th Army. Despite the severity of the attack and a 13-mile German advance, Eremenko believes this to be a German diversion in advance of the main attack.

The XLVIII Panzer Corps bucks the trend of the main offensive as it comes under heavy attack from both the 1st Tank Brigade and the II Cavalry Corps. Fighting will continue until October 5.

Kleist's 1st Panzer Group attacks from the Dniepr elbow. Fierce fighting erupts as the III and XIV Panzer Corps cross the Samara near Novomosskovsk, striking the right wing of Cherevichenko's South Front.

To the south, Manstein's 11th Army pins Cherevichenko frontally, preventing the withdrawal of forces to cover the hard pressed right wing.

The Soviets create a new 6th Army around Krasnograd. It has 3 rifle and 2 cavalry divisions.

The Red Army and Navy has suffered 2,129,6777 killed and missing in action during the first quarter of the war, and a further 687,626 wounded.

At the end of September the Germans field 19 panzer, 15 motorized and 103 infantry divisions in the east. Germany has lost 51,000 killed in the east during September. Germany's allies also deploy increasingly significant forces. Rumania deploys 11 divisions and 9 brigades, Hungary 3 brigades, Italy 3 divisions, Slovakia 2 divisions, Spain 1 division and Finland 16 divisions.