The Battle of Raseiniai

The Battle of Raseiniai (23–27 June 1941) was a tank battle fought between the elements of the 4th Panzer Group commanded by Gen. Erich Hoepner and the 3rd Mechanized Corps commanded by Major General Kurkin & 12th Mechanised Corps commanded by Major General Shestapolov in Lithuania 75 km northwest of Kaunas in the attempt by the commander of the Northwestern Front, Kuznetsov to contain and destroy German troops that had crossed the Neman River (Nemunas).

The result of the battle was the almost complete destruction of Soviet armoured forces of the Northwestern Front, clearing the way for the continued German offensive towards the crossings of the Daugava River (Western Dvina). This was one of the major battles during the initial phases of Operation Barbarossa known in Soviet history as the Border Defensive Battles (22–27 June 1941) as part of the larger Baltic Strategic Defensive Operation. 

The Soviet forces comprise 749 tanks at the start of the battle. By the time the dust settled, they had lost over 700.  The German tank losses were light 

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