Order of battle for the Leningrad strategic defensive operation
# Order of battle for the Leningrad strategic defensive operation

This is the order of battle for the Leningrad Strategic Defensive covering the period 10 July to 30 September 1941.

## Soviet Union

### Fronts and Fleets

**Northern Front**

The Northern Front was active from 10 July to 23 August 1941 when the command was divided into the Karelian and Leningrad Fronts. Operated in Estonia.

**Leningrad Front**

The Leningrad Front (Russian: Ленинградский фронт) was first formed on 23 August 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad. The Front participated through the ed of the operation. It operated from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ilmen and in Estonia until 27 August.

**Northwestern Front**

The Northwestern Front was involved in the operation for the entire duration. It operated in the area from Pskov to Novorzhev, then south and southeast of Lake Ilmen.

**Baltic Fleet**

SOURCE:

### Red Army

**8th Army**

The 8th Army was involved in the operation for the entire period. First operating in Estonia, then divided into two parts, one the Tallinn area and the other in the Narva - Kingisepp, the army ended the operation in the area which would become the Oranienbaum Bridgehead. 6 commanders between 22 June - 30 September 1941.

**11th Army**

The 11th Army was involved in the operation for the entire period. It led the defense of the areas west and southwest of the Lake Ilmen retreating to the area south and then southeast of the lake. Commander : Vasili Morozov

**27th Army**

The 27th Army was involved in the operation for the entire period. Led the defense in the area from Slavkovichi - Novorzhev, retreating towards Kholm and then further to the north shore of Lake Seliger. Commander : Nikolai Berzarin

**34th Army**

The army's involvement began in early August 1941 near Staraya Russa and to the south. The army eventually retreated to the area east of Demyansk. Commanders : Kuzma Kachanov until 12 September - Petr Alferev

**42nd Army**

The army took part in the operation from 9–30 September 1941. Conducted combat operations in the approaches to Leningrad from the Gulf of Finland to the city of Pushkin. Commanders : Fedor Sergeevich Ivanov until 15 September - Ivan Fedyuninsky

**48th Army**

The army was involved in the operation from 10 August to 14 September 1941 when the army was disbanded. The army operated in the area west of the Lake Ilmen. Commanders : Stepan Akimov until 31 August - Maksim Antoniuk

**52nd Separate Army**

The army was involved in the operation from 26 August to the turn of the Volkhov River north of Novgorod. Commander : Nikolai Klykov

**54th Army**

The army was formed on 5 September 1941 with the mission of securing the shores of Lake Ladoga to prevent the Germans from encircling Leningrad. The army participated in the operation to the end. Commanders : Grigory Kulik until 25 September - Mikhail Khozin

Composition on 1 October 1941:

    3rd Guards Rifle Division
    4th Guards Rifle Division
    128th Rifle Division
    286th Rifle Division
    294th Rifle Division
    310th Rifle Division
    1st Mountain Brigade
    881st Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
    882nd Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
    2/5th Guards Mortar Regiment
    4/4th Guards Mortar Regiment
    21st Tank Division
    16th Tank Brigade
    122nd Tank Brigade
    5th Motorized Engineer Battalion
    135th Motorized Engineer Battalion
    136th Motorized Engineer Battalion
    3rd Reserve Aviation Group
       four Fighter Aviation Regiments
       three Bomber Aviation Regiment
       one Assault Aviation Regiment

**55th Army**

The army was formed on 1 September 1941 and operated in the area from Pushkin to the bend of the Neva River through the end of the operation. Commander : Ivan Gavrilovich Lazarev

**Leningrad People's Militia**

See Leningrad Narodnoe Opolcheniye Army for details on Leningrad's Militia units. In late September 1941 the divisions were incorporated into the Red Army.

### Operational Groups

**Luga Operational Group/Southern Operational Group**

Took part in the fighting from mid-July in Luga through 16 September when the group was disbanded in Leningrad.

**Kopor Operational Group**

Composition on 1 September 1941:

    1st Guards Leningrad People's Militia Division
    2nd Leningrad People's Militia Division
    522nd Rifle Regiment (191st Rifle Division)
    519th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
    24th Tank Regiment (1st Tank Division)
    295th Sapper Battalion

**Neva Operational Group**

Composition on 1 October 1941:

    115th Rifle Division
    1st Rifle Division (NKVD)
    4th Naval Infantry Brigade
    1st Fighter Battalion
    4th Fighter Battalion
    5th Fighter Battalion
    230th Artillery Regiment (71st Rifle Division)
    1/577th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
    24th Antitank Artillery Battalion
    20th Mortar Battalionn
    107th Tank Battalion
    21st Pontoon-Bridge Battalion

## German

Presents the largest and units of the German armed forces. It should be borne in mind that the operation involved a variety of specialist, such as artillery and self-propelled artillery (including the provision of OKH), Samokatnaya, rail, engineering, combat engineers, pontoon bridge, part of the army air defense and air defense and the Luftwaffe.

### Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord) (Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb)

Data on 8 August 1941.

**18th Army (Generaloberst Georg von Küchler)**

Participated throughout the operation. Led offensive in Estonia, along the eastern shore of Lake Peipsi, then advanced on Leningrad from the south-west and west.

The XXXXII Army Corps was transferred to the 18th Army on 18 July 1941.

    XXXXII Army Corps (Walter Kuntze)
       61st Infantry Division
       217th Infantry Division
    XXVI Army Corps (Albert Wodrig)
       93rd Infantry Division
       254th Infantry Division
       291st Infantry Division

**Panzergruppe 4 (Generaloberst Erich Hoepner)**

Participated in the operation from 10 July to 18 September 1941. The unit was the main striking force for the German forces attack towards Leningrad. The LVI Motorized Corps advanced towards Luga, bypassing the city to the north, breaking through Soviet positions south of Kingisepp, Krasnogvardeisk, and reached the Pulkovo Heights. On 15 September the main forces of the group begin its redeployment from the Leningrad axis to the Moscow axis.

The L Army Corps was transferred to the group on 14 August 1941.

    XXXXI Corps (mot.) (Georg-Hans Reinhardt)
       1st Infantry Division
       1st Panzer Division
       6th Panzer Division
       8th Panzer Division
       36th Infantry Division (mot.)
    LVI Motorized Corps (Erich von Manstein)
       269th Infantry Division
       SS Polizei Division
       3rd Infantry Division (mot.)
    XXXVIII Corps (Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis)
       58th Infantry Division
    L Army Corps (Georg Lindemann) (from 14 August 1941)
       269th Infantry Division
       SS Polizei Division

**16th Army (Generaloberst Ernst Busch)**

Participated in the operation for the entire period. Originally moving in the area south of Lake Ilmen, the army's right flank was engaged against the Western Front. After regrouping the army advanced north and south of Lake Ilmen on the Novgorod-Chudovo-Leningrad and Staraya Russa-Kholm-Demyansk axis.

    XXVIII Army Corps (Mauritz von Wiktorin)
       96th Infantry Division
       121st Infantry Division
       122nd Infantry Division
       SS Totenkopf Division
    I Army Corps (Kuno-Hans von Both)
       11th Infantry Division
       21st Infantry Division
       126th Infantry Division
    II Army Corps (Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt)
       12th Infantry Division
       32nd Infantry Division
       123rd Infantry Division
    X Army Corps (Christian Hansen)
       30th Infantry Division
       290th Infantry Division

**3rd Panzer Group**

Part of the group was involved in operations from 24 August to the end of the operation at Leningrad (XXXIX Motorized Corps) and from 30 August to 24 September 1941 in the Demyansk direction (LVII Motorized Corps).

    XXXIX Motorized Corps (Rudolf Schmidt)
       12th Panzer Division
       18th Motorized Division
       20th Motorized Division
    LVII Motorized Corps (Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen)
       19th Panzer Division
       20th Panzer Division

### Luftflotte 1

Data as of 3 August 1941.

    2.(F)/ObdL Wekusta (2nd Squadron, Long-Range reconnaissance Luftwaffe High Command)
    1 KGr z.b.V. 106 (1st Transport Squadron, 106th Military Transport Group)

**I. Fliegerkorps**

Took part in the entire operation. Reinforces by Kampfgeschwader 4 on 6 August 1941.

    5th Squadron, 122nd Intelligence Group
    Kampfgeschwader 1 - He 111H, Ju 88A (Group 2 and 3)
    Kampfgeschwader 76 - Ju 88A
    Kampfgeschwader 77 - Ju 88A
    Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 - Ju 87B, Bf 110
    Zerstörergeschwader 26 - Bf 110 (Group 1 and 2)
    Jagdgeschwader 54 - Bf 109F
    Jagdgeschwader 53 - Bf 109F (Group 2 only)

**VIII. Fliegerkorps**

The VIII. Fliegerkorps took part in the operation from late July to 20 September 1941.

    2nd Squadron, 11th Intelligence Group
    1st Transport Squadron, 4th Transport Group
    Kampfgeschwader 2 - Do 17Z (Group 1)
    Kampfgeschwader 3 - Do 17Z (Group 3)
    Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 - Bf 110 (Group 2)
    Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 - Ju 87B (Group 1, 3)
    Lehrgeschwader 2 - Bf 109E, Hs-123 (2nd and 10th Squadron)
    Jagdgeschwader 27 - Bf 109F, Bf 109E (Group 3 only)
    Jagdgeschwader 52 - Bf 109F (Group 2 only)

**Reconnaissance Group East**


    125th Naval Intelligence Group
    Kampfgruppe 806 - Ju 88A
    Jagdgeschwader 54 - Bf 109E (only 1 staffel)
