October 1941

Eastern Front

The attacks by the 3rd Panzer Group toward Kalinin meet fierce resistance from the 22nd and 29th Armies and progress is slow. The 4th and 9th Armies boty attempt to push forces east while simultaneously tring to destroy Lukin's isolated armies. Lukin attempts his first break out from the Vyasma pocket but is held back by the Germans. Heavy fighting rages through the day as repeated attacks fail to punch out to the east.

Soviet forces encircled to the south of Bryansk, launch a desperate attack in an effort to break out but are halted with heavy casualties. As the isolated armies surrender, the Germans start to move the 2nd Army onto the southern flank of the 2nd Panzer Army.

Schweppenburg's XXIV Panzer Corps is involved in furious fighting at Mtsensk as the I Guards Rifle Corps continues to slow the advance, despite their own heavy losses. Fierce battles rage at Kaluga ans the XIII Corps pushes the 49th Army back.

The 18th and 9th Armies surrender to the 1st Panzer Army. In all, 106,000 Soviet soldiers are captured and 210 tanks and 670 artillery pieces either captured or destroyed. Kleist begins to redeploy his units for the advance toward Rostov, while Hoth moves north to attack Voroshilovgrad. Unfortunately, the deterioration of the weather has brought movement to a standstill, only the tired and sodden infantry being able to slog forward through the clinging mud. On the Azov coast the weather is not quite so bad and Kleist manages to cross the Mius north of Taganrog, the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division reaching the city during the day. Russian resistance though is fierce.