If there is someone who can help(?)
this is the briefing about Armeegruppe Nord and the attack on Staraya Russa.
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The Battle for Staraya Russa was part of the attack of ArmeeGruppe Nord towards Leningrad.
After battling for the line between Pskov-Ostrov the Germans went for the control of Lake Ilmen. Therefore they needed the control over Novgorod, northwest of Lake Ilmen, and Staraya Russa, south of Lake Ilmen. They captured Staraya Russa on august 9th 1941. 3 Days later the Russian 34th Army counterattacked the Lake Ilmen area but were stopped and thrown back by a combined German force who were called in to support X Korps. After these fightings Staraya Russa stayed under German control until february 18th 1944.
Staraya Russa was a historical city, Staraya means 'old', and once one of the major cities of Russia.
After the Germans left there was nothing left of its greatness.
Barbarossa:
directive 21: 18/12/40 codeword: 'Dortmund'
B-day, Y-hour: 22/06/41, 0315hr
*Armee Gruppe Nord 'von Leeb'
**16e Armee 'Ernst Busch' (8 infantry divisions)
**18e Armee 'von Küchler'
**Panzergruppe 4 'Erich Hoepner' (3 Panzerdivisions, 3 motorized infantrydivisions & 2 Infantrydivisions)
*41e Panzerkorps 'Georg Reinhardt'
*56e Panzerkorps 'Erich von Manstein'
**Luftlotte 1 'Alfred Keller'
**reserve: 3 infantry divisions
objectives:
Düna river (300km)-Velikaya river (550km)-Estland-Letland-Litua-Marinebases-Kronshtadt-Leningrad
*Russians:
**Special Baltic Military District, later 'Northwestern Front' (from 22/06/41)
**8th Army 'P.P. Sobenninov'
*backup: 12th Mechanized Korps 'Kurkin' (750 old tanks)
**11th Army 'V.I. Morozov'
*backup: 3rd Mechanized Korps 'Kurkin' (110 KV-1, KV-2 & T-34's combined with 550 old tanks)
**reserve: 27th Army 'Berzarin'
#STARAYA RUSSA#:
*German Forces
08/07/41: Pskov captured
12/07/41: 4th Panzergruppe under command from 'Hoepner' rests at east of Pskov waiting for infanterie. Infantry consists of
"30th 'Briesen'-Infanterie Division" under command from 'von Tippelkirch' with 6,26 & 46 regiment.
"126th 'Rheinisch Westfälisch'-Infanterie Division" under command from 'Laux' with 422,424 & 426 regiment.
"290 'Schwert'-Infanterie Division" under command from 'von Wrede' with 501,502 & 503 regiment.
They were all part from the 16e Armee.
22/07/41: spearheads 4th Panzergruppe reach Lake Ilmen
31/07/41: Armee Nord reaches Lake Ilmen.
01/08/41: first contact
02/08/41: recon assisted by arty
03/08/41: opening battle by artillery (1/2hr), IR426 attacks added by sturmtroops, pioneers and flamethrowers. They enter Peretjorki at 0530. IR422 enters Wolkowizy at 0600.
1400: IR426 enters woods east of Lunyschino and continue towards Bubnowschtina.
30 Idiv attacks.
Frontline from Jewanowo through Kakiljowa to the forest south of Barsunicha.
Aufklärungsbattalion operates alone at west bank of Lake Ilmen, encounters enemy east of Borissowo.
04/08/41: 0900:Nagowo, 10 km NW of S.R. falls. AM: Russian heavytank counter-attack on Nagowo which is repelled. Enemy resistance with arty and airplanes.
IR46 from ID30 perform flankattack at Bakotschino and succeed.
05/08/41: 1400:IR426 reaches Kretscha stream, IR422 enters forests east of Makowka stream.
06/08/41: 0900:attack starts:German infantry from 3rd batallion from 426 Infantry Regiment enter Staraya Russa. Battalion reaches Polistj by afternoon.
IR422 reach Datscha Doktora by evening. Left flank: 1st Bt. Advances towards the Regiment & Aufkl.Abt. fights in front of Balogisha.
07/08/41: aerial attack VIII Fliegerkorps, IR426 crosses the Polistj, IR422 clears the left bank.
08/08/41: Aufkl Bt still fights and captures Medwedna and Kretschewo (left flank).
08-09/08/41: heavy fighting during night at right bank after russian counterattack with artysupport
09/08/41: 0800: IR426 reaches Mednikowa. By evening the Germans captured the hill of Anischina, 4km east of S.R.
Staraya Russa is now under German control (until 18/02/44).
12/08/41: Russian counterattack by 34th Army against 10th Corps at South-East of lake Ilmen, North-East of Staraya Russa.
13/08/41: 10th Corps retreats.
16/08/41: 56th Panzerkorps???(founded 03/42), 3rd Infanterie Motorized division ‘Jahn’ and 3rd SS Panzer-“Totenkopf” division ‘Keppler’, all from 4th Panzergruppe, rush towards 10th Corps and defeat the Russian 34th Army.
17/08/41: Novgorod near Lake Ilmen falls under German control.
*Russian forces at Staraya Russa:
180-183-254-237 Rifle Divisions
1st Tank Brigade
all under XXII (22nd) Rifle Corps
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I have doubts concerning 56th Panzerkorps.
All help is welcome.
Koen 8)
by Koen[B] on 19 Jan 2006 16:36 
