Air Operations, Europe

Bomber Command raids many towns in Germany including Hanover, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Hamburg, Berlin and Karlsruhe. There are also sweeps by fighters and fighter-bombers over northern France and the Low Countries. Rotterdam is among the targets for these operations.

It has recently become apparent that the results of the British bombing offensive have been very poor. The Butt Report is prepared from studying photographs taken at the moment of bomb release during the June and July operations. This report is presented during August. It shows that on moonlit nights, of the planes which claim to have bombed their targets, only 40 percent have dropped their bombs within 5 miles. On dark nights less than 7 percent have achieved the 'accuracy'. As there are no navigational aids available to overcome the problem yet, the whole policy of precision attacks is seriously questioned.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British steamer Trident is badly damaged by German bombing 4 miles from the mouth of the Tyne. The ship sinks on the 2nd, but the entire crew is rescued.

Diplomatic Relations

In 'the interest of national defense', Pres Roosevelt forbids the export of oil and aviation fuel from the United States except to Britain, the British Empire and the countries of the Western Hemisphere. This decision hits very hard indeed against Japan because Japan has no oil of her own and is left with only strictly limited stocks. The position is such that Japan must either change her foreign policy very radically or decide very quickly to go to war and try to gain access to the oil of the East Indies. Roosevelt's decision confirms the steps taken recently when Japanese assets were frozen.

Britain breaks off diplomatic relations with Finland.

Thailand recognizes Manchukuo, a gesture to appease the Japanese in order to maintain Tokyo's recognition of Thailand's neutrality and independence.

Eastern Front

Army Group Center contunues to attack the Soviet troops trapped in the Smolensk pocket. The Russians fight back with particular tenacity especially heavy near Vitebsk and Orsha, west of Smolensk. In this same central sector, Soviet forces under Timoshenko suddenly unleash a powerful counteroffensive at Gomel, south of Moglev, against the bridgehead established by the right wing of Army Group Center on the left bank of the Dniepr.

The Soviets attack along the northern edge of the Pripet Marshes from west of Gomel with the aim of striking into the German rear areas. In most sectors the Germans can withstand the attacks.

Eastern Front

The advance guards of Army Group North begin to attack Staraya Russa just south of Lake Ilmen on the right of their drive toward Leningrad.

In the southern sector the Italian Pasubio and Torino Divisions are sent into the line.

Gen Ernst Busch's 16th Army fights its way along the southern shore of Lake Ilmen and cuts a salient into the right flank of the 34th Army. The Soviets battle to bar the road to Staraya Russa.

To support the attacks fo the XXIV Panzer Corps around Roslavl, the IX Corps launches its attack from the Oster River.

After an aruduous march the 11th Panzer Division of the 1st Panzer Group links up with the 101st Jaeger Division of the 17th Army at Dobrianska, southeast of Uman. The 16th Panzer Division also links up with Hungarian troops at Pervomaisk, encircling the 6th and 12th Armies and part of the 18th Army between Uman and Pervomaisk, a total force of over 200,000 Soviet troops. Budenny immediately orders the 26th Army to counterattack toward Boguslav and Zvenigorodka to relieve the pocket. German forces also capture Kirovograd.

The isolation of the Soviet armies around Uman and Smolensk scratched close to a million Soviet soldiers and massive quantities of equipment from the Soviet order of battle. Despite desperated relief attempts, the Red Army effectively has to strike from its strength nearly a third of its original operational strength. However, the sheer scale of the victory was in itself a problem for the Ostheer. Determined Soviet units were able to break out to the east as the Germans found it difficult to seal the pockets with their increasingly overstretched manpower resources. The lack of motorization among German infantry division was clearly evident as the exhausted Landser struggled to cover the vast distanced to catch up with the armored units.

Occupied France

Fate of Louis Berrier

Battle of the Atlantic

• A Focke-Wulf Condor is shot down in mid-ocean by a Hurricane catapulted from the HMS Maplin, a British CAM (catapult-armed merchantman) ship which is a merchant vessel converted to carry fighter aircraft and a catapault mechanism with which to launch them. 4 more Condors are destroyed in later operations.

  Hurricane Ready for Launch

• U-401 is sunk by Convoy SL-81 escorts, the British destroyers Wanderer and St Albans and the corvette Hydrangea, south of Iceland. The entire crew of 44 are lost.

  U-401

  Class	Type VIIC
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Gero Zimmermann
  Location	Atlantic, SW of Ireland
  Cause	Depth charge
  Casualties	44
  Survivors	None

Eastern Front

After destroying big formations west of Pervomaysk on the Bug River, in the south the 1st Panzer Group under von Kleist joins up with the 17th Army under von Stülpnagel enveloping large numbers of Russians.

There is a night raid on Moscow by the Luftwaffe.

Heavy fighting continues around Lake Ilmen as the 16th Army increases its attacks.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British steamer Tunisia (4337t) is sunk by German bombing west of Ireland. 38 of the 43 member crew are lost.
• The British ocean boarding vessel Cavina intercepts the German steamer Frankfurt (5522t) west of the Azores. The ship scuttles herself to avoid capture. 26 of the crew are rescued. A second boatload refuses to be picked up and is lost.

Eastern Front

Lt-Gen M. N. Gerasimov takes command of the 23rd Army from Lt-Gen Pyotr Pshennikov.

The IX Corps comes under heavy attack and pulls back from the Moscow highway. This movement opens up an escape route for the units of the Central Front trapped around Roslavl.

Gen Mikhail Potapov's 5th Army counterattacks near Malin with two rifle divisions of the XV Rifle Corps from the west and northwest, the IX Mechanized Corps from the north and the XXII Mechanized Corps from the southeast. Heavy fighting erupts with the LI Corps of the German 6th Army. The XIX Mechanized and XXXI Rifle Corps are engaged in fighting with the XVII Corps, which has attacked along the Korosten railway.

Gen Ivan Tyulenev reports to the Stavka and Budenny, denouncing Gen Pavel Ponedelin for his failure to evade the German encirclement. The 9th and 18th Armies, fighting outside the pocket, are effectively isolated and are ordered to fall back to the Bug. The isolation of the 6th and 12th Armies around Uman has turned the flank of the 18th Army and has presented the Germans the opportunity to thrust into the rear of the 9th and 18th Armies and reach the Black Sea coast around Nikolayev. Gen Ivan Tyulenev is faced with the difficult task of extricating his battered armies and saving what he can to fight on from farther east.

Stukas Attack Soviet Troops

Battle of the Atlantic

Several u-boats attack Convoy SL-81 west of Ireland. U-372 sinks the British steamers Belgravian (3136t) and Swiftpool (5205t). 3 crewmen are lost on the Belgravian, 47 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Bluebell. Only 2 survive of a crew of 44 from the Swiftpool. They are also picked up by the Bluebell. U-75 sinks the British steamer Harlingen (5415t) with the loss of 3 of her crew. 39 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Hydrangea. U-74 sinks the British steamer Kumasian (4922t) with the loss of 1 crewman. 59 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Malouine.

Eastern Front

The fighting around Smolensk comes to an end as the pocket is liquidated. The Germans claim to have taken 310,000 prisoners and to have killed many of the 700,000-strong Soviet force. The Soviets admit far lower losses which includes 9 divisions, 3,000 tanks and armored cars and about 1,000 aircraft. The German figures are probably more accurate. The IV Luftflotte under Gen Alexander Löhr makes a very substantial contribution to the operations.

The Siege of Odessa by Rumanian-German forces begins. It ends 73 days later on 16 October. The Rumanians suffer heavy casualties.

Soviet resistance in the Smolensk pocket ends. Army Group Center claims to have taken 309,000 prisioners and destroyed or captured 3,200 tanks, 3,100 artillery pieces and 1,000 aircraft.

Around the Roslavl pocket, the VII Corps counterattacks, closing the corridor opened by the withdrawal of the IX Corps. The Central Front is once again firmly sealed.

Heavy fighting continues around Malin as the 5th Army presses home its attacks. The I Airborne Corps joins the assault.

The Rumanian 4th Army closes in around Odessa, encircling the Soviet garrison inside the port. The Red Army has been ordered to fight to the last man to prevent the fall of Odessa to the Rumanian forces.

Singapore

Further Allied reinforcements arrive.

Vichy, Politics

Adm François Darlan is promoted to be in charge of Vichy policy in North Africa. Weygand is to be his subordinate.

Barents Sea

U-652 sinks the Soviet anti-submarine trawler PS-70 off Cape Teriberka with the loss of 45 of her crew. 12 survivors are rescued by motor boats sent from the nearby coast.

Diplomatic Relations

• Konoye's government presents proposals involving some concessions in China and Indochina to the US, asking in return for the end of the freeze on Japanese assets. The proposals are not acceptable to the US and when the rejection is made known to the Japanese they propose that Konoyeand Roosevelt meet to discuss the issues at stake. This question is not resolved until after Roosevelt and Churchill meet at Placentia Bay (see August 9-12).
• Eden announces that the British Government have complained to the Iranian Government about thousands of German 'tourists' in Iran.
• Japan has also been advised not to interfere in Thailand.

Eastern Front

Having mopped up the few areas in Estonia where the Russians were still offering resistance, the Germans are solidly established on the coasts of the Gulf of Finland.

In a special communiqué issued by the German High Command, it is claimed that the Wehrmacht has inflicted 'annihilating blows unique in history'. 895,000 prisoners have been taken, 10,388 guns, 13,146 tanks and 9,082 aircraft have been captured or destroyed.

Finnish forces smash through the 23rd Army and push on to Lake Ladoga near Khitola. Elements of the 23rd are isolated north of Sortavala but continue to fight on here and at Khitola. Fighting also rages south and west of Kexholm.

Kholm and Staraya Russa fall to units of the 16th Army. The Germans have established a continuous line from Lake Ilmen to Velikiye Luki. Gen Mikhail Pronin's 34th Army, already in action south of Lake Ilmen, is ordered to recover Staraya Russa.

Guderian's 2nd Panzer Groups launches new attacks with the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions of the XXIV Panzer Corps aimed at capturing Gomel. The Stavka allocate the 43rd Army to the Reserve Front.

Gen Mikhail Potapov's assault around Malin struggles to make any headway in the face of serious German resistance. The IX and XXII Mechanized and I Airborne Corps have managed a five-mile advance in three days of heavy fighting. The German XXIX Corps fights its way into the suburbs of Kiev but is stopped by the 37th Army.

Air Operations, Europe

During the night the Soviets raid Berlin with a small force of 5 Ilyushin Il-4 bombers operating from islands in the Baltic. A few bombs fall in the suburbs of Berlin. German radio at first blames the R.A.F., but later confirms that the attackers were Russian. Berlin is bombed on 6 more occasions by the Soviets in this month.

The R.A.F. carries out repeated sweeps over northern France. 10 fighters are lost to 7 Me-109s being shot down. Douglas Bader's aircraft collides with a Messerschmitt. He parachutes to safety losing 1 of his artificial legs.

Eastern Front

Stalin takes over as Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet armed forces.

Under Stavka instructions, the Red Army introduces Lt-Gen Stepan Akimov's 48th Army around Novgorod. It fields one militia, three rifle and one tank division and one mountain brigade.

On the Baltic coast the Germans reach Kunda, slicing Gen Fedor Ivanov's 8th Army in two. The X Rifle Corps falls back into Tallinn while the XI retreats toward Narva.

The Stavka allocates the 49th Army to the Reserve Front.

The 6th and 12th Armies launch a final effort to break free but fail. Barely 11,000 men escape the pocket during the battle.

Hitler, von Brauchitsch and Halder

With the threat to its rear now acute, the 18th Army begins to fall back toward the east, fighting their way against roving German armor and infantry forces.

China

The Japanese begin a series of 40 air raids on Chungking during the few days ending August 13.

Diplmatic Relations

The Japanese ambassador in Washington, Adm Kishisaburo Nomura, proposes that there should be direct talks in Honolulu between the American President and the Japanese Prime Minister to reach agreement on the differences between the two countries.

The Atlantic Conference

Eastern Front

The Russian 28th Army is smashed fighting its way out of Kazaki, 110 miles south of Moscow.

To destroy Soviet units around Lake Ladoga, the Finns form I Corps, comprising the 2nd, 7th and 19th Infantry Divs.

Army Group North launches a fresh assault on Leningrad. The XLI Panzer and the XXXVIII Corps attack from the Kingisepp bridgehead, the LVI Panzer Corps starts from Luga, and the I and the XXVIII Corps attack from the Schimsk-Novgorod-Chudovo axis. The 18th Army is ordered to complete the conquest of Estonia, and the 16th Army is detailed to advance into the Valdai Hills.

The 2nd Panzer Group reduces the surrounded elements of the Soviet 28th Army around Roslavl, taking 38,000 prisoners, 200 tanks and 200 artillery pieces. Farther south, the 2nd Army commences an attack around Gomel against the Soviet 21st Army.

Diplomatic Relations

Over the next few days ending on the 12th, Churchill and Roosevelt meet at Argentia in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Churchill along with the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir John Dill, and the First Sea Lord, Sir Dudley Pound, arrive via the brand new battleship the Prince of Wales. Roosevelt with his advisors has come in the cruiser Augusta. The discussions cover the situation in Europe and the Far East. Churchill presses the President strongly to bring America into the war. It is agreed to send strong warnings to the Japanese and it is understood that America will almost certainly enter the war if Japan attacks British or Dutch possessions in the East Indies or Malaya. A message is also sent to Stalin, proposing a meeting in Moscow to make formal arrangements for the provision of supplies to the Soviet Union.

Roosevelt and Churchill

The conference is best remembered for the agreement later called the Atlantic Charter. This is a statement of the principles governing the policies of Britain and America and states that all countries should have the right to hold free elections and be free from foreign pressure.

Although its noble intentions will have comparatively little influence on the course of the war it is important as setting out the reasons why the United States might go to war and as a description of the aims of such a war.

The conference is important also because of the opportunity it gives the British and American staffs to get to know each other and to work together.

Baltic Sea

Soviet submarine SC-307 sinks U-144 in the Gulf of Finland north of Dagö. All 28 crew of her crew are lost.

Barents Sea

During the night German destroyers make a sortie to the Kola Inlet where they sink a Russian patrol boat, but withdraw under heavy air and artillery bombardment.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Norwegian steamer Dagny I (1392t) is badly damaged in a German air attack en route for Kirkwall. She sinks in tow of the British trawler Leicester City north of the Shetlands. 2 passengers are lost, survivors are picked up by the trawler.

Barents Sea

U-451 sinks the Soviet patrol ship Zhemchung west of Kanin with the loss of all 61 of her crew.

Diplomatic Relations

Britain and the USSR promise Turkey 'every assistance' if attacked.

Religious Services at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland

Eastern Front

The Luftwaffe hit Moscow in a night raid.

Finnish forces close to Vousalmi are involved in protracted battles with the defending 7th Army. Two Soviet divisions have been trapped at Kexholm and another is pinned down at Sortavala.

Finns Attack

Air Operations, Europe

A Soviet air raid against Berlin is mounted by the newly formed 81st Long-Range Bombing Aviation Division, commanded by Maj-Gen Mikhail Vassilievich Vodopyanov. Flying from Pushkin near Leningrad, the Soviet bombers fly along the coastlines of Estonia and Latvia, then across the Baltic to a landfall north of Stettin, before heading for Berlin. The forces comprise 14 Petlyakov Pe-8s from Pushkin, 2 squadrons of Ilyushin Il-4s and a squadron of Yermolayef Yer-2s. Only 11 Pe-8s and 3 Il-4s reach Berlin to bomb the city, causing little damage.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

British torpedo-bombers sink the Italian hospital ship California at Syracuse, Sicily.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British steamer Sir Russell (1548t) is sunk by German S-49 about half a mile north of No. 10 Buoy. The entire crew are rescued.
• The British steamer Empire Hurst (2852t) is sunk in a German bombing attack off the coast of Portugal with the loss of 26 of her crew. 9 survivors are picked up by the British anti-submarine trawler Lady Hogarth.

Eastern Front

The Finnish attacks south of Lake Ladoga reach Vuosalmi.

The Finnish Southeastern Army captures Vousalmi. To the north, Gen Eduard Dietl's force is strengthened by the addtion of two infantry divisions moved up from Norway.

Air Operations, Europe

There is an R.A.F. daylight raid on Cologne. 54 Blenheims bomb the Knapsack and Quadrath power stations. 12 aircraft are lost. Fighters escort the bombers over the eastern England to Antwerp flight path. During the night more raids hit Berlin, Cologne and 9 other German cities, airfields and shipping. 13 bombers are lost.

Raid in Progress on a Cologne Power Station

Battle of the Atlantic

The British corvette Picotee, escorting Convoy ON-5, is sunk by U-586 south of Iceland with the loss of 66 on board.

Eastern Front

Hitler issues Directive 34 on the conduct of the operations. Army Group North is ordered to continue its efforts in the direction of Leningrad with the aim of cutting off Leningrad and joining up with the Finns. Army Group South is to prevent the Russians from re-occupying the eastern bank of the Dnieper and begin the battle for the Crimea, the industrial district of Kharkov and the coalfields of the Donets basin. Army Group Center is to halt its intentions for Moscow for the moment and send part of its forces to support the other two army groups. Guderian pushes south towards Gomel. Hungarian bombers destroy the Nilolayev Bridge trapping 60,000 Soviet troops.

As the German offensive grinds forward, the Soviets counterattack with the 11th, 34th and 48th Armies. The 34th is ordered to trap the German X Corps against the southern shores of Lake Ladoga and annihilate it.

The XXIV Panzer Corps encircles elements of the Soviet 13th and 28th Armies near Krichev.

The Soviet 37th Army manages to stabilize the situation around Kiev following a counterattack.[MORE]

Diplomatic Relations

After a series of meetings aboard the HMS Prince of Wales and the USS Augusta between Churchill and Roosevelt, the Atlantic Charter is signed. This is a joint statementof the war and peace aims of the two Allied powers. The eight points of the agreement are no new territories, no territorial changes without consent of the people involved, the right of self-determination, free trade, joint economic development, 'freedom from fear and want,' freedom of the seas, and the abandonment of the use of force.

Printed Copy of the Atlantic Charter

Eastern Front

The Soviet government admits the evacuation of Smolensk 'some days earlier'.

As the Kingisepp bridgehead collapses, Gen Kliment Voroshilov throws one of his scarce reserve divisions into the battle.

South of Lake Ilmen, the 34th Army hammers the X Corps. The Germans hold an exposed salient on the southern shore of the lake and are in danger of encirclement. To prevent this, Gen Wilhelm von Leeb order the LVI Panzer Corps over to this sector. The LVI Panzer, however, is heavily engaged in fighting on the Luga and is unable to break off.

Baltic Sea

The Russian transport Sibir, carrying 2,500 wounded from Tallinn, Estonia to Kronstadt (Leningrad), is sunk by German bombers.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British armed merchant cruiser Circassia captures the Italian steamer Stella (4272t) west of Cape Verde Island. She is taken to Bermuda under a prize crew and enters British service named Empire Planet.
• A British bombing attack sinks the German steamer Lotte Halm (1193t) off Borkum.

Britain, Home Front

Clement Attlee broadcasts news of a meeting 'at sea' between Churchill and Roosevelt and the declaration of the Atlantic Charter. This asserts liberal policies that articulate their intentions not to acquire any territories or change national borders without support of the population concerned. People are also to be granted self-determination regarding how they are governed, and equal access is to be given to economic resources. The United States also secretly guarantees to defend any British possessions and to commence search-and-destroy patrols to support Atlantic convoys.

Eastern Front

On this day the Soviets begin the evacuation of their Black Sea naval base of Nikolayev. The operation lasts several days. 8 destroyers of the Black Sea Fleet cover the operation. Of the ships under construction in the port, 13 are far enough advanced to be towed away but 1 battleship, the Sovetskaya Ukraina, and 10 other vessels on the stocks have to be blown up. The Black Sea Fleet is very active in support of land operations whenever possible.

Soviet defenses on the Luga begin to crumble as the XLI Panzer Corps shatters the XLI Rifle Corps. Most of the Soviet unit is encircled close to the river but it then breaks out toward Krasnogvardievsk (now Gatchina). The Germans push forces into the breach, destabilizing the entire Luga position.

In Estonia, the 18th Army strikes Tallinn and Narva. Soviet positions at Narva become untenable, compelling Gen Fedor Ivanov to pull back to evade isolation as the German thrust toward Leningrad.

South of Lake Ilmen, the 34th Army continues to attack around Staraya Russa. The 34th has advanced 24 miles in two days.

The XXIV Panzer Corps completes the destruction of the Krichev group, capturing 16,000 Soviet soldiers.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German steamer Memelland (542t) is sunk by a mine south of Helsinki.
• The German steamer Nordeney (3667t) scuttles herself when she is intercepted by the British light cruiser Despatch and the armed merchant cruiser Pretoria Castle northeast of the Amazon Estuary.

Diplomatic Relations

Stalin receives a message from Churchill and Roosevelt suggesting a joint meeting in Moscow. They would like to send delegations to Moscow 'to arrive at speedy decisions as to the apportionment of our joing resources.'

The Polish-Soviet Military Agreement is signed in Moscow which provided for the formation of a Polish army in the USSR to embrace all Polish citizens fit for military service.

Eastern Front

Sortavala falls to the Finnish 7th Infantry Division of the I Corps after heavy fighting. The defending 198th and 168th Rifle Divisions retreat after heavy losses. East of Viipurii the Finns penetrate across Lake Vuoksa, endangering the rear of the 23rd Army.

Finnish Troops Entertained by Soviet Troops

Manstein's LVI Panzer Corps gives up its hard fought positions on the Luga line to Lindemann's L Corps and march north in order to support the XLI Panzer Corps' attack from its bridgehead at Kingisepp. As soon as he is on the move, Manstein is ordered to backtrack and march his entire force south to aid the X Corps near Lake Ilmen. Manstein moves his corps back to dno to strike the 34th Army.

The bloody struggle on the Luga has yielded Army Group North 21,000 prisoners and the destruction or capture of 300 tanks and 600 artillery pieces.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

The British carry out air raids on Catania and Syracuse. Italian sources say that 18 are killed and 25 injured in Catania.

Atlantic

During the next week, 8 German and 3 Italian submarines make repeated, but unsuccessful, attempts to attack Convoy HG-69 northwest of Gibraltar.

Diplomatic Relations

• Stalin broadcasts his acceptance of a proposed meeting in Moscow with Churchill and Roosevelt.
• The British and Soviet government send a protest note about German infiltration of Iran.

Eastern Front

The Soviet Luga line has been shattered by the XLI and the LVI Panzer Corps, forcing the Red Army to abandon Kingisepp and retreat to Garchina. The German I and the XXVIII Corps force the 48th Army out of Novgorod.

German Plan to Break the Luga Line

Air Operations, Mediterranean

The R.A.F. bombs Syracuse, Sicily.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US-Panama freighter Sessa is sunk. 24 of the 27 crew members are lost.

Diplomatic Relations

• The United States presents a formal warning to the Japanese along the lines agreed at Placentia Bay. The text of the note has been toned down somewhat from the draft originally agreed with the British and Dutch, so they do not present their notes in order not to be seen to disagree with the American line. No decision has yet been taken on the Japanese proposal of a meeting between Roosevelt and Konoye on 3 September. The Japanese will be told that it cannot take place. The Americans are worried that Konoye would not be able to make the Japanese military keep to any agreement that might be made.
• Britain and Russia demand that Iran order Germans out of the country on the grounds that many are involved in subversive activities which hurts the Allied cause. There are about 3,200 Germans in the country, the majority of which are technical experts brought in by the shah who is trying to industrialize his country without being swallowed up by either the Russians or the British. The shah at this time is demonstrably pro-German.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the Germans capture the ancient city of Novgorod, north of Lake Ilmen and southeast of Leningrad, and push forward to the October Railway which leads to Moscow.

In the southern sector they take Dniepropetrovsk, on the lower Dniepr. They are already threatening Kharkov and the Donetz basin and the Crimea. Odessa is surrounded.

Attacks headed by the XLI Panzer Corps capture Narva. The 8th Army has already evacuated most of its forces from Estonia. The 48th Army launches a desperate counterattack in an effort to prevent the Germans turning north from Novgorod and isolating Leningrad from the east. Gen Ernst Busch's 16th Army holds off the attacks of the 34th Army, while the LVI Panzer Corps deploys along the right wing of the X Corps.

Gen Konstantin Rakutin's 24th Army begins to attack the Elnya salient, pinning down 5 German divisions. This battle will rage until 21 August.

After a brief struggle, Unecha falls to the XXIV Panzer Corps. Gen Leo von Schweppenburg is ordered to block the withdrawal of the 21st Army from Gomel, which is being attacked by the 2nd Army.

Elements of the XIV Panzer Corps enter Dnepropetrovsk and are dragged into bitter street battles with the defending 6th Army. To the southwest, the broken 9th And 18th Armies fall back across the Ingulets, Nikolayev having been abandoned. German forces are heaviy attacking at Krivoi-Rog with the intention of pressing on to the Dniepr at Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe.

Baltic Sea

• The Soviet steamer Axel Carl (2170t) is sunk by German bombing in Leningrad harbor.
• The Soviet destroyer Statny sinks on a mine off Oesel, Estonia.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-38 sinks the Panamanian steamer Longtaker (1700t) southwest of Iceland with the loss of 24 of her crew. 3 survivors are picked up by the US destroyer Lansdale (DD-426).

Britain, Home Front

The National Fire Service is formed. 1,400 local fire brigades are amalgamated into 33 'fire forces'.

Eastern Front

Budenny, commanding the Soviet southern armies, begins to withdraw as many of his troops as possible behind the line of the Dniepr. In the north the Germans take Kingisepp, on the Luga west of Narva. In this sector there is also heavy fighting near Novgorod. In the central sector there are fierce engagements near Gomel. The Russians evacuate Nikolayev.

Russian proposes a settlement with Finland in which the Finns will be granted territorial concessions after an armistice.

Finnish Troops Crossing the Vuoksi

The 2nd Army and the 2nd Panzer Group capture Pochep. German forces push on to Gomel and Starodub, threateining to separate the junction of the 21sth and 13th Armies.

Soviet engineers blow the Dnepropetrovsk dams ahead of schedule. The rise in river level downstream destroy the crossing points of both the 9th and 18th Armies. At the far end of the line, the 1st SS Motorized Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler fights its way into Kherson. The battle for the town will continue for the next three days.

Mediterranean

The British submarine P-33 is sunk by a mine or in an Italian anti-submarine attack north of Tripoli. All 32 on board are lost.

Arctic

Over the next few weeks there are various British naval operations. The population of Spitsbergen is evacuated and the Norwegians are taken to Britain and the Soviets to the USSR. The first small supply convoy is sent from Iceland to the Soviet Union. Its code name is DERVISH and leaves Reykjavik with 7 ships. They arrive in Archangel on August 31. The carrier Argus also brings a cargo of Hurricanes to the Soviet Union, complete with R.A.F. pilots who will fly them in combat for the first few weeks.

Churchill in Iceland

Baltic Sea

The Soviet hospital ship Sibir (3767t) is sunk by German bombing in the Gulf of Finland. About 400 passengers are lost on the ship.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-204 sinks the Norwegian destroyer Bath traveling behind Convoy OG-71 southwest of Ireland. 81 on board the destroyer are lost. 39 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Hydrangea and 4 by the British destroyer Wanderer.
• U-559 sinks the British steamer Alva (1584t) of Convoy OG-71 600 miles west of Ushant with the loss of 1 crewman. 13 survivors are picked up by the Irish steamer Clonlara, 11 more by the British steam tug Empire Oak.
• U-201 sinks the British steamers Ciscar (1809t) and Aguila (3255t), both from the same Convoy OG-71, west-southwest of Fastnet Rock. Ciscar loses 13 crew members, 35 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Petrel. The Aguila loses 152 on board, 16 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Wallflower and the British steam tug Empire Oak.
• The Italian submarine Tazzoli sinks the Norwegian tanker Sildra west of Monrovia. The entire crew are rescued.

Eastern Front

The XXVI Corps opens the final assault upon Tallinn, artillery fire opening the battle. Heavy fighting erupts at Harku. North of Lake Ilmen, the I Corps makes progress at Novgorod, forcing 48th Army out of the city with serious losses.

Following his redeployment onto the flank of the X Corps, Manstein unleashes a ferocious attack against the 34th Army. Slicing through the thinly held Soviet flank, the 3rd Motorized and the SS Totenkopf divisions inflict heavy casualties as they push across the rear of those units fighting the X Corps. Simultaneously, the X Corps counterattacks and pins the 34th Army frontally, the entire attack taking the Soviets completely by surprise.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

There are more British air raids on Sicily with Augusta being the target.

Eastern Front

The High Command orders the 23rd Army to pull back to a shorter line between Lake Pukya and Lake Vuoksa.

The Germans launch strong attacks upon Tallinn, making slow progress into the Soviet defensive lines.

Reinhardt's XLI Panzer corps pushes toward Krasnogvardievsk, drawing the German ring around Leningrad tighter. The 8th Panzer and SS Polizei Divisions, together with the 269th and 96th Infantry Divisions isolate the remnants of the Luga Group. In ferocious fighting 6 rifle, 2 militia and 1 tank divisions are destroyed, costing the Soviets 30,000 men, 120 tanks and 400 artillery pieces.

Lt-Gen Stepan Akimov's shattered 48th Army pulls back from Chudovo after being heavily attacked by the 21st Infantry Division of the I Corps. The loss of the town severs the Moscow-Leningrad railway line. German forces reach the Volkhov and prepare to push north to isolate Leningrad from the southeast. Despite the weakness of Akimov's 48th Army, having been reduced to just 6,200 men, the Northern Front orders it to hold the line from Lyuban to Gruzino and halt the German advance along the Volkhov.

The 13th Army falls back to the line of the Sudost River.

The 18th Army has retired to the west bank of the Dniepr near Lopatikha and begins its evacuation to the east bank, while the 9th Army is in the process of pulling back across the river at Kherson.

Occupied France

French Police Round Up Jews

Battle of the Atlantic

The French submarine Rubis sinks the Finnish steamer Hogland (4360t) southwest of Stavanger, Norway.

Eastern Front

Hitler revises the instructions given in Direcetive No. 34. He says, 'The most important objective to be achieved before the onset of winter is not the capture of Moscow but the seizure of the Crimea. . . .' Besides securing Crimean wheat and occupying the Donetz basin, the German armies must also cut off the Russians from their oil supplies in the Caucasus.

In the north the Germans take Chudovo, northeast of Novgorod, cutting the main rail link between Leningrad and Moscow. In the Finnish attacks farther north Kexholm is taken from the Soviets. On the Leningrad front, the defenders occupy a salient some 12 miles wide and about 120 miles deep. The Soviet commander orders his troops to withdraw from the salient to avoid being encircled. Marshal Voroshilov calls on the people of Leningrad to defend their city at all costs.

In the central sector the Soviets pull out of Gomel after a long struggle and a series of counterattacks. The German 6th Army and I Panzergruppe begin the battle for Kiev.

In the south the Germans take Kherson on the lower Dniepr.

The Finnish II Corps captures Kexholm and advances into the rear of the Soviet 23rd Army.

The German X and LVI Panzer Corps continur to bludgeon the 34th Army around Lake Ilmen.

The 2nd Panzer Group continues its offensive operations, XXIV Panzer Corps taking Kostobobr and the XLVII Panzer Corps lunging toward Pochep. The German 2nd Army forces the Soviet 21st Army out of Gomel.

Battle of the Atlantic

• In attacks on Convoy OG-71 U-564 sinks the British steam tug Empire Oak (484t) and the Irish steamer Clonlara (1203t) west of Aveiro, Portugal. 19 on board the Empire Oak are lost, 19 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Campanula. 19 are lost on the Clonlara, 13 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Campion.
• The British netlayer Tonbridge is sunk by German bombing east of Scroby Elbow Buoy off Yarmouth with the loss of 35 of her crew.

Eastern Front

German sources give the losses suffered by the Russians during the first two months since the invasion as 1,250,000 prisoners, 14,000 tanks, 15,000 guns and 11,250 aircraft. The dead, according to the Germans, must number over three and a half million. Soviet sources give lower figures.

The retreating Soviet 8th Army comes under sustained attacks from XXVI and XXXVIII Corps. Farther south, the LVI Panzer Corps and X Corps defeat the Soviet 34th Army and reach the Lovat River. In this engagement the Soviet formation loses 12,000 troops captured and 140 tanks and 240 artillery pieces destroyed. To date Army Group North has lost 80,000 men since 22 June. Since 10 July, the Soviet Northern Front has lost 40,500 killed and missing, and a further 15,000 wounded.

The German 19th and 20th Panzer and 110th and 121st Infantry Divs begin the attack against Velikiye Luki.

As the Soviet 9th and 18th Armies withdraw across the Dnieper River, the German 6th Army launches a major assault against Red Army defenses before Kiev.[MORE]

Norwegian Sea

The British submarine Trident sinks the German steamer Ostpreussen (3030t) northwest of Soroya, Norway.

Occupied France

German authorities in Paris threaten to shoot hostages if attacks on German troops continue. 20,000 troops are searching the city for suspects.

Soviet Union, Home Front

The ongoing disasters that are befalling the Red Army force the Stavka to reorganize its forces yet again. Glavkom Northwest is disbanded, as is the Northern Front. 2 new fronts are created: Karelian and Leningrad.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-201 sinks the British steamers Stork (787t) and Aldergrove (1974t) from Convoy OG-71 northwest of Lisbon. 19 on board the Stork are lost, 3 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Campion. Only 1 crewman is lost on the Aldergrove, 38 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Campanula.
• U-564 sinks the British corvette Zinnia, an escort of Convoy OG-71, west of Portugal with the loss of 68 crew members. 17 survivors are picked up by the British corvette Campion.
• U-552 sinks the Norwegian steamer Spind (2129t) west of Portugal. All 25 members of her crew are rescued by the British destroyer Boreas.
• U-143 sinks the Norwegian steamer Inger (1418t) northwest of the Isle of Lewis with the loss of 9 of her crew. 14 survivors are picked up by the British steamer trawler Ladylove.

German Raiders

The German merchant cruiser Orion returns from its cruise and arrives in the Gironde Estuary. The cruise has lasted 510 days and 6 ships of 39,000 tons have been sunk, as well as 7 more in company with the raider Komet.

Eastern Front

2nd Panzer Group and 2nd Army from the German Army Group Center begin attacks south toward Gomel and Starodub to link up east of Kiev with the forces of Army Group South. Most of the German generals are opposed to this move and would prefer to maintain the drive toward Moscow but Hitler insists on this change in strategy.

Small Arms Training

The fighting on the Finnish front and the northern approaches to Leningrad has cost the North Front 36,800 killed and missing and a further 35,700 wounded since the opening of hostilities.

German progress is made along the roads to Velikiye Luki against stiff Soviet resistance.

Baltic Sea

The Soviet destroyer Engels sinks on a mine off Cape Juminda, Estonia.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British steamer Skagerak (1283t) sinks on a mine in the River Orwell, Harwich with the loss of 18 on board.

Eastern Front

Gen Konev leads a new Soviet counterattack in the Gomel area. It makes little progress. In the north the Finnish attacks continue to press forward and Viipuri is surrounded.

The Karelian Front fails to stop the Finnish Southeastern Army from isolating Vyborg and 3 Soviet rifle divisions. The Finnisn 12th and 18th Divs, of the IV Corps, inflict substantial casualties on the Soviets.

German forces are now within 6 miles of Tallinn, and the XLI Panzer Corps is only 20 miles from Leningrad, although the Soviet XLI Rifle Corps if fighting hard to halt its progress. The XXXIX Panzer Corps, meanwhile, completes its deployment alongside the I and XXVIII Corps for the investment of Leningrad from the southeast.

The German LVII Panzer Corps continues to batter Velikiye Luki. Farther south, the XXIV Panzer Corps captures Novo Sybkov. In an effort to slow the German advance, the Soviet 21st Army launches a counterattack against the 2nd Army near Gomel.[MORE]

Iran

British and Soviet forces move into Iran. The British and Soviet ambassadors in Teheran present an ultimatum to the Iranian government. They have been worried by reports of German 'tourists' being in the country and have decided to demand that Iran accept their 'protection' of its oil supplies. The British land forces are led by Gen E. P. Quinan and their naval support by Adm Robert Arbuthnot. They advance in two areas, to seize the oil installations near Abadan, and from northeast of Baghdad to take similar sites around Kermanshah. The Soviet forces advance in 3 columns under Gen Novikov's command. One column moves on Tabriz while the other 2 advance on either side of the Caspian. There is little opposition to either the British or the Soviet forces.

There are British landings at Bandar Shapur, Abadan and Khormashahr in the Persian Gulf area. 2 small Iranian warships are sunk and several Axis merchant ships are seized. The British forces moving on Kermanshah, commanded by Gen Slim, and all 3 Soviet columns soon make good progress. The Soviets bomb Tabriz.

Shah Reza Pahlevi protests against the Allies' aggression. Among other things, this action by the Allies has the effect of reinforcing Turkish determination to remain neutral.

Arctic

An Anglo-Canadian-Norwegian commando unit lands on the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, in the Arctic Ocean, and destroys mineral deposits and installations that are being used by the Germans.

Axis Diplomacy

Mussolini confers with Hitler at Rastenburg, East Prussia at Hitler's Headquarters known as Wolfsschanze ('Wolf's Lair') and then tour the Ukraine. Mussolini confesses to Hitler that he cannot rely on the loyalty of the Italian army.

Mussolini at the Wolfschanze

Barents Sea

U-752 sinks the Soviet minesweeping trawler Dvina (633t) northwest of Svyatoy.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-452 is sunk by a Catalina of 209 Squadron and the British anti-submarine trawler Visenda south of Iceland. The entire crew of 42 are lost.

U-452

Eastern Front

The Germans capture Dnepropetrovsk, south of Kiev. Guderian advances on the latter city from the north. Novgorod is also captured by the Germans.

The XXXIX Panzer Corps forces back the Soviet 48th Army and captures Lyuban. Volkhov is now threatened by the German 20th Motorized Div.

The LVI Panzer Corps begins the final reduction of what is left of the Soviet 22nd Army in Velikiye Luki. The Red Army in the center is now in danger of collapse, with the XLVII Panzer Corps capturing Trubchevsk and threatening the rear of the Soviet 21st and 40th Armies. In response, the Stavka disbands the Central Front and transfers the 3rd and 21st Armies to the Bryansk Front. It also orders a counterattack by the Western, Reserve and Bryansk Fronts against the 2nd Panzer Group to halt the German tanks.

In a furthern reorganization the Stavka deploys the newly formed 40th Army on the northern flank of the Southwestern Front, and the Southern Front is allocated the 6th and 12th Armies.[MORE]

Diplomatic Relations

Japan protests to the Soviet Union about the passage of American war supplies throught Vladivostock.

Eastern Front

There is a brief, unsuccessful Soviet counterattack against the German positions near Velikiye Luki.

Finnish forces are now only 7 miles from Viipuri.

As the Red Army retreats from Tallinn, German troops come under heavy fire from Soviet ships in the harbor, causing many casualties. Meanwhile, the German 18th Army and 4th Panzer Group begin their assault on Leningrad.

The German LVII Panzer Corps continues to mop up in Velikiye Luki, taking 34,000 prisoners and 300 artillery pieces. The XXIV Panzer and the 2nd Army reach the Desna, trapping the Soviet 5th Army west of the river. Though the XLVII Panzer Corps is overextended and its flanks threatened, the advance of the German tanks is endangering the northern flank of the whole Southwestern Front.

The Soviet 6th Army assaults the 13th Panzer Div at Dnepropetrovsk.

Hungarian forces take over Kamenets-Podolsk, arrest 14,000 Jews and turn them over to SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Jeckeln, Higher SS and Police Leader in the south, who promises to kill by September all the Jews whom the Hungarians have turned over. During the next two days the SS will murder all those arrested in Kamenets-Podolsk.[MORE]

Air Operations, Europe

During the night the Russians bomb Königsberg.

Battle of the Atlantic

• While on an operation south of Iceland U-570 surfaces immediately below a Coastal Command Hudson bomber and is surrendered. U-570 is taken to Iceland and eventually will enter British service as HMS Graph on 19 September 1941. The u-boat's entire crew of 44 are taken prisoner.

  U-570 Surrenders to British Hudson

  U-570

  Class	Type VIIC
  CO	Kapitänleutnant Hans Joachim Rahmlow
  Location	Atlantic
  Cause	Air attack
  Casualties	None
  Survivors	44

• U-557 sinks the Norwegian steamer Segundo (4414t) from Convoy OS-4 west of Ireland with the loss of 7 of her crew. 27 survivors are picked up by the British sloop Lulworth. U-557 then sinks 2 other ships in the same area from the same convoy, the British steamers Saugor (6303t) and Tremoda (4736t). 59 are lost from the Saugor, 23 survivors are picked up by the British rescue ship Perth. 32 crewmen are lost from the Tremoda, 21 survivors are picked up by the French minesweeper Chevreuil. The u-boat next sinks the British steamer Embassage (4954t) 100 miles west of Achill Island with the loss of 39 of her crew. 3 survivors are picked up 4 days later by the Canadian destroyer Assiniboine.
• U-202 sinks the British trawler Ladylove near Iceland with the loss of all 14 crew members.

Diplomatic Relations

The Japanese government protests to Washington against repeated violation of Japanese territorial waters by American ships carrying aid to the Russian port of Vladivostock.

Eastern Front

Retreating Soviet forces sabotage the great Zaporozhe Dam (Dnepropetrovsk Dam) over the Dnieper River. The Germans begin full-scale attacks against the Baltic port of Tallinn. The besieged Russian garrison of Hangö repels determined Finnish attacks by land and sea.

As the Soviets begin the evacuation of Tallinn, the Germans push their rearguards back to the final defense line. During the night the destruction of the last supplies begins.

With the crisis at Leningrad deepening, the GKO assumes direct control of the Karelia, Leningrad and Northwest Fronts. The Stavka also begins the deployment of the 54th, 52nd and 4th Armies along and east of the Volkhov.

Attacks by the 3rd Panzer Group force the 22nd and 29th Armies back over the Western Dvina. Soviet counterattacks bring the German advance to a halt, but not before elements of the 22nd Army have been isolated near Velikiye Luki.

Australia, Politics

Prime Minister Menzies resigns. Arthur Fadden takes over.

Baltic Sea

Several Soviet ships are lost due to German mining operations. The Soviet destroyers Kalinin and Artem both sink on mines off Cape Juminda. The Soviet destroyers Skory and Volodarski both sink on mines off Seiskaari. The destroyers Leningrad and Minsk are both damaged by mines off Tallinn.

Battle of the Atlantic

• British forces capture U-571 which later becomes the HMS Graph.
• U-558 sinks the British steamer Otaio (10,298t) from Convoy OS-4 330 miles northwest of Fastnet Rock with the loss of 13 of her crew. 58 survivors are picked up by the British destroyer Vanoc.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector, the Germans complete their mopping-up operations in Estonia and continue their pressure on Leningrad.

The Soviets evacuate their garrison, X Rifle Corps, from Tallinn by sea. Several convoys attempt to get through to Kronstadt but losses to mines and air attacks are very severe on both days. Almost all the transports are sunk, along with many of the escorting vessels from the Baltic Fleet. The next day the Finnish forces farther north take Viipuri. The Finns are preparing to halt their advance when they reach their frontier positions. This decision will contribute much to the Soviet ability to defend Leningrad.

The Soviets announce that the great dam over the Dniepr at Zaporozhye has been destroyed to keep the Germans from using it to their benefit.

Gen M. N. Gerasimov is ordered to pull 23rd Army units close to Viipurii back to the Mannerheim Line.

Bitter battles rage inside Tallinn as the Germans press closer to the port, destroying isolated Soviet units as they advance. During the day the Soviets move their ships out of the harbor, beginning the hazardous journey east to Leningrad. By dusk the last elements that can escape have boarded their ships.

Gen Georg-Hans Reinhardt's XLI Panzer Corps takes Ishora, only a few miles short of the suburbs of Leningrad.

The 16th, 19th and 20th Armies launch attacks along the line from Dukhovschina to Yartsevo.

The right wing of the Southwest Front launches a strong counterattack against the XXIV Panzer Corps on the Desna.

After a prolonged fight, the 12th Army falls back from Zaporozhe. As the Soviets withdraw, engineers destroy the hydroelectric dam and disable the generators, denying them to the Germans and flooding large areas to the south of the town.

With the battle for the Dniepr line under way, von Rundstedt orders the 1st Panzer Group to gain as many crossings over the river as possible, 6th and 17th Armies being tasked to do the same.

Baltic Sea

The Soviet destroyer Yakov Sverdlov sinks on a mine off Cape Juminda.

Eastern Front

The Finns recapture Viipuri, which they had to cede to the Soviet Union following the 'Winter War'. This brings them very close to Leningrad but, despite German insistence, they halt on their pre-war frontier - a decision taken on political grounds. Only a few of their units enter Russian territory, pressing on as far as the Svir River and Lake Oneg, thus cutting Russian communications between the White Sea and the Baltic.

Finnish armor moves toward Viipurii, encountering resistance from the hasitly erected Soviet defenses. After a brief battle, the Finnish Southeastern Army captures Viipurii. Later in the day Kivennapa also falls.

Liberation of Viipuri

After prolonged fighting, the XXXVI Corps reaches the old Russo-Finnish border in the Salla region. German and Finnish forces penetrate 25 miles along the road to Kandalaksha but are halted on the Verman River.

Tallinn falls to the XXVI Corps after a ferocious struggle. Of 23,000 Soviet soldiers taken out of the city, only 5,000 reach the safety of Kronstadt. 24 of 29 transport vessels are sunk by Keller's 1st Air Fleet and mines in the Gulf of Finland.

On the approaches to Leningrad there is heavy fighting at Kolpino and at Tosno and Mga where the 12th Panzer and 20th Motorized Divisions, supported by 3 infantry divisions, move closer to the Neva.

Gen Wilhelm von Leeb orders the encirclement of Leningrad and the capture of the Neva crossings, and the towns of Uritsk, Pulkovo, Pushkin, Kolpino and Ishora. To achieve their targets the German forces are organized into 2 groups, the Krasnogvardievsk Group and the Slutsk-Kolpino Group. The former has the XXXVIII Corps, which has the 1st, 58th, 291st and 254th Infantry Divisions, on the left and the XLI Panzer, which has the 1st and 6th Panzer and 36th Motorized Divisions, in the center, with L Corps, which has the SS Polizei and 269th Infantry Divisions, on the right. The Krasnogvardievsk Group aims to take Krasnogvardievsk, reach the Gulf of Finland and isolate the Soviet forces west of Leningrad.

The Slutsk-Kolpino Groups has the XXVIII Corps with the 121st, 96th and 122nd Divisions and part of the 12th Panzer Division. Its task is to push along the Ishora River and capture Slutsk and Kolpino. To the east, the XXXIX Panzer Corps with the 20th Motorized and the balance of the 12th Panzer Divisions, is to widen the corridor south of Lake Ladoga and then drive east from Sinyavino. The 8th Panzer Division is held in reserve behind the XLI Panzer Corps.

The 30th Army launches a ferocious counterattack east of Velizh aimed at relieving the 22nd Army near Velikiye Luki. Initial attacks penetrate the German lines, enabling Gen Lev Dovator to lead his Cavalry Group on a week-long raid inside German lines.

The 16th, 19th and 20th Armies continue their attacks along the Dukhovschina-Yartsevo line.

Eastern Front

In the Leningrad sector the Germans take Mga, cutting the last railroad link between Leningrad and the rest of the USSR.

In the central sector the Russians launch another ineffective counteroffensive north of Gomel. The armored groups of von Kleist and Guderian throw all their forces into the battle for Kiev, which is strenuously defended by Marshal Budenny's troops.

As the Finns advance norht of Leningrad, Raivola falls.

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. Lt-Gen Stepan 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.

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

Norwegian Sea

The British submarine Trident sinks the German steamers Donau (2931t) and Bahia Laura (8561t) off the Lofotens. Survivors from the 2 ships are picked up by the German destroyers Galster and Lody.

Air Operations, Europe

The R.A.F. raid Bremen.

Eastern Front

The 48th Army launches a fierce counterattack with 2 rifle divisions, an NKVD division and a mountain brigade, forcing the XXXIX Panzer Corps out of Mga and reopening the railway line to Moscow. Gen Maxim Antonyuk takes over command of the 48th Army from Lt-Gen Stepan Akimov.

With his forces at the gates of the city, the weather begins to turn against Gen Wilhelm von Leeb, the onset of the autumn rains bringing movement to a standstill. Progress becomes difficult as the untracked components of the armies bog down.

With Leningrad directly threatened, the Stavka authorizes Gen Markian Popov to raise a new army, the 55th, in the Slutsk and Kolpino areas in order to defend the southern approaches of the city. A new 42nd Army is also formed. The 55th, under Maj-Gen Iva Lazarev, has 4 rifle divisions and 1 militia division while the 42nd, under Lt-Gen Fedor Ivanov, has 1 rifle and 2 militia divisions.

On the far right wing of Army Group North, the 16th Army pushes deeper into the Valdai Hills with its LVI Panzer, II and X Corps. Demyansk falls to the 19th Panzer Division of the LVII Panzer Corps as Army Group Center's left wing drives north. The 20th Panzer Division of the LVII Panzer Corps and the II Corps isolate a large Soviet force near Lake Selinger and moves closer to Ostashkov.

The XXIV Panzer Corps launches strong attacks out of the Novgorod-Seversky bridgehead in an effort to penetrte the heart of the Southwest Front. On the left flank, the XLVII Panzer Corps comes under increasing pressure by persistent Soviet attacks at Trubchevsk.

With the 2nd Panzer Groups deep in the northern flank of the Southwest Front, the 1st Panzer Groups renews its attack, aiming to roll up Gen Mikhail Kirponos' left wing. Nikolay Feklenko's 38th Army is unable to prevent the III Panzer Corps from crossing the Dniepr southeast of Kremenchug and establishing a bridgehead on the eastern bank. Elements of the LII Corps begin to cross into the Kremenchug bridgehead.

Generalkommisar Wilhelm Kube

At the end of August the South Front holds the Dniepr line from the mouth of the river to the Vorskla River. The 9th and 18th Armies stand from the Black Sea to the Dniepr bend south of Enepropetrovsk. The newly formed 12th and 6th Armies hold the Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk sectors. Gen Georgy Sofronov's Coastal Army continues to hold on to Odessa. Army Group South deploys the 6th Army around Kiev, 17th Army from Cherkassy to the south of Kremenchug, 1st Panzer Group at Dnepropetrovsk and the 11th Army and 3rd Rumanian Army on the lower Dniepr, opposite Nikopol.

Terioki falls to the Finns as they move closer to the pre-war Russo-Finnish border.

The first major casualty returns compiled by the German High Command show that by the end of August the Ostheer has more than 410,000 casualties, 46,000 men losing their lives during August alone. In the same period barely 217,000 reinforcements have been fed into the line. The panzers have suffered similarly, 1st Panzer Group being reduced to half its original complement, 2nd Panzer Group to a quarter and 3rd to approximately forty percent. The 4th Panzer Group remains strong, with close to three quarters of its original complement in action. Panzer losses number over 1,478 vehicles, but again the number of replacements fall way short of the numbers lost.