Border battles - Army group north 1941

[ViKinG]

In Robert Forczyk's book "Tank warfare on the Eastern front" he mentions on pages 42-43 that Kuznetsov had dispatched the 21st Airborne Brigade along with Lelyushenko's 21st Mechanised Corps to counter-attack Manstein's LVI panzer Korps on the Dvina River at Daugavpils. More specifically the 8th panzer division's bridgehead in the area. The author mentions that 21st Mechanised Corps received 100 BT-7 tanks from VAMM in Moscow along with a large shipment of 45mm anti-tank rounds. Lelyushenko's group attacked the 8th panzer division on June 28th all day and retreated at night after having gained no ground and taken heavy losses. According to his book, the Soviet group had 3000 men and 7 BT-7 tanks remaining on June 30th.

What I'd like to know is,

1) Who was the commander of the 21st airborne brigade and where was it located prior to moving out against Mantein's Korps?
2) What is the VAMM in Moscow?
3) where did these 100 BT-7 tanks come from?
4) My sources say that the 21st Mechanised Corps had 98 tanks on June 22nd 1941. At the main components of the Corps were the 42nd and 46th tank divisions along with the 185th motorised division. Is this correct? And did all 3 divisions partake in the fighting between June 28th-June30th?
5) What was the strength and make up of 21st Soviet airborne brigade?

Thanks in advance guys.

Luc.

[Art]

2) What is the VAMM in Moscow?

Military Academy for Mechanization and Motorization.

3) where did these 100 BT-7 tanks come from?

Ehm, from the Academy? I don't understand the question.

And did all 3 divisions partake in the fighting between June 28th-June30th?

It would be more correct to say that ad-hoc groups formed from all the three divisions did, while the most part of personnel stayed at former quarters for a lack of weapons and transport.

[Art]

1) Who was the commander of the 21st airborne brigade and where was it located prior to moving out against Mantein's Korps?

201 Brigade, actually. CO - colonel Nikolay Grigoryevich Gadalin. Brigade was stationed at Daugavpils/Dvinsk

5) What was the strength and make up of 21st Soviet airborne brigade?

TO&E organization included 4 parachute and 1 artillery battalion plus special units, total about 2600 men. I don't know what was actual make up.

[ViKinG]

Excellent information!! Thank you very much Art, Knew I could count on you!