REPORT |
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September 3, 1941 September 1 and 2 the enemy was especially active on Beloostrovsky, Koporsky and Kolpinsky areas of the front. The Karelian Isthmus – 23rd Army. An attempt to break through the enemy behind our retreating parts in Sestroretsk on September 2, 1941 was repelled by destruction battalions and two companies of railroad battalion. Frontline of the Karelian fortified area is occupied by the 142, 265 and 198 Infantry Divisions and one rifle regiment of the 115 Infantry Division. Combat status of the 198 Infantry Division is extremely low: 6 medium machine-guns left in the division, in the 450 Infantry Regiment 300 people are without machine-guns. The 708 Infantry Regiment of 2200 people, which had lost almost the entire command structure in battles, was beating off enemy attacks during September 2 and left New Alakylä by 8:00 PM. The enemy advance was stopped by units four kilometers west to Old Beloostrov. On September 2 the fortified area between Copper Plant and the Gulf was occupied by six battalions of the 291 Infantry Division and one regiment of the 1 People's Militia Division. (Because of it the 291 Infantry Division, intended for the defense of the northern bank of the Neva, was urgently redeployed to Beloostrov and Sestroreck to cover this area). Enemy breakthrough to Sestroretsk occurred under the following conditions: 43, 115 and 123 Divisions of the 23 Army began to move away from the Vyborg area to the south under the pressure and were deprived of control of the command. As a result, the enemy managed to get in the way of retreat of our divisions, as well as to intercept the Seaside highway with naval landing by the power of one regiment. In these conditions the retreat turned to a flight with the loss of all the artillery, mortar and machine-gun armament. 23 Army Command did not know the true situation in these divisions. An order to organize the occupation of the front edge of Karelian fortified area found 43, 115 and 123 Infantry Divisions in a position where most of these divisions moved to the Koivisto area, thus having opened the way for the enemy on Beloostrov and Sestroretsk. Currently, the divisions are hastily being done up and supplied with regimental artillery and mortars. On September 4 the 115 Infantry Division with two infantry regiments a total of 5500 people will be thrown in Porogy for supplying the northern bank of the River Neva. Today's night an advance to the main line is planned for 43 and 123 Infantry Divisions to Gruzino and Lembolovo directions to reinforce the garrison troops of the Karelian fortified area. . . .
The Central Archive of the Russian Ministry of Defence. F. 217. L. 1221. S. 3. J. 18-21. Original. Translated by Ilya Kuznetsov, 2013
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