At his airfield near Kovel, Lieutenant Arkhipenko’s 17th Fighter regiment, plus the fighter regiment that flew in from Vinnitsa, were caught on the ground and virtually finished off on this third day of the war. This was a perfect illustration of how Germans achieved the air superiority by systematically reducing Soviet airfields by follow-up attacks. In the evening of June 24, with the Germans already southeast of Kovel, Arkhipenko’s superiors made the decision to relocate their surviving aircraft to a reserve airstrip near Rovno. By this time, the two regiments numbered only ten I-153s and one MiG-1 as still-operational aircraft.
As these planes took off, the “unhorsed” pilots were loaded into a truck and sent to Rovno as well. In his memoirs, Arkhipenko mentioned that he was one of these pilots without aircraft, but did not mention how his plane was damaged. Most likely it was put out of commission in the same morning attack that did so much damage to the two fighter regiments. The plane-less pilots did not get much rest at Rovno, being immediately shuffled farther east to Zhitomir.[30]
IX Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. K. K. Rokossovskiy Commanding
Since coming to the rescue of the 135th Rifle Division at Voinitsa and Lokachi in the morning of June 24, the 131st Motorized Rifle Division was under heavy pressure from the Germans. Division’s commander Kalinin remembers:
During the night [of June 23–24] units dug in…. Almost everything was conducted in full view of the enemy: the western bank of Styr was dominating the eastern one, and Germans had the ability to see in depth of our defenses. During the previous night, they attempted to cross Styr in the area of 743rd Motorized Rifle Regiment, but unsuccessfully. At dawn their aviation was bombing our front lines and rear echelons. Throughout the 24th of June, division fought against tanks and infantry, sometimes hand-to-hand.[31]
In 2003, a Russian history magazine called The Moscow Journal printed excerpts from unpublished memoirs of Cpl. Ivan K. Yakovlev, who fought during those days as a machine gunner in the 593rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 131st Motorized Rifle Division. Yakovlev described the events of June 24:
Day began sunny, free of clouds…. Soon the “Junkers” planes attacked positions of the neighboring regiment. We listened nervously, sitting in [our] trenches and feeling the earth under us begin to shake. The [Germans] advanced directly upon us…. Who’s going to die, who will live this time? Our friends are already fighting near us. After lunch the 1st Battalion received orders to form up in the neighboring forest in full gear. Five light BT tanks, 45mm [cannons], and 76mm cannons were already there. Battalion was heading to support the neighboring regiment, which was retreating east under pressure from overwhelming German forces. Our company, at the head of the column, climbed on the tanks and artillery vehicles, and the battalion force-marched after us along the forest road.
Soon, around one bend in the road we saw how several Red Army men, upon seeing the tanks, hurriedly dove in the forest. Company [Commissar] Ignatov halted his vehicle, jumped to the ground, and ordered: “Cowards and panickers, fall in!” Retreating soldiers began coming out of the thickets: dirty, without equipment. They formed up along the road in one line. Upon questioning by [commissar], they replied that the Germans bombed them heavily, destroyed artillery batteries and trenches; then, after crossing the river, [their] tanks breached defenses and moved east…. [Commissar] and a squad of soldiers stayed behind to collect [other] retreating soldiers….
As we moved on, we could more clearly hear mortar explosions and machine-gun bursts. The leading tank slowed down, its commander periodically sticking his head out of the turret to peek and listen. Suddenly, two soldiers blocked our way. One of them, a junior lieutenant, informed us that just ahead, beyond the tree line, the 3rd Battalion of the retreating [743rd Motorized Rifle Regiment] was setting up temporary defensive positions.
Commander of this battalion, Captain Muzychenko, was planning to conduct only a holding action until the arrival of reinforcements.[32] Now, the arrival of a full-strength battalion with tanks and artillery allowed him to conduct successful local counterattacks as well.
Grim realities of war were taking place already on this third day of combat. Yakovlev described the aftermath of a Soviet counterattack: “[Germans] would not raise hands, shooting back until the last; however, we did not coddle them, either—not more then ten men were taken prisoner.”[33]
Also, this early in the war, the Soviet soldiers taken prisoner, often through circumstances beyond their control, did not know what to expect when other Soviet units freed them. Yakovlev again:
In the barn we found Red Army men taken prisoner by the Germans. Their glances, happy, and at the same time guilty and cautious (it was terrible to receive the tag of “coward and traitor”!), were mutely asking: “What will happen to us?” Our [commissar] Ignatyev, did not know what to decide: his compassion was struggling with duty. Captain Muzychenko [intervened]: “Wounded to the hospital! Healthy—go eat and reorganize…. You will fight in my battalion.” He addressed the liberated soldiers, “You will redeem your guilt in combat.” The battalion’s low murmur approved [his decision].[34]
While the advance elements of the 131st Motorized Rifle Division engaged the enemy, bulk of the IX Mechanized Corps, the 20th and 35th tank divisions, were still coming up, strung out between Lutsk and as far back as Klevan.
XIX Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. Nikolay V. Feklenko Commanding
Around 2100 hrs on June 24, forward elements of XIX Mechanized Corps began arriving in the area of Mlynuv, roughly ten miles north of Dubno. Pressing farther west, a reconnoitering tank company of sixteen tanks under Senior Lieutenant Ivashkovskiy ran into its German counterparts scouting for crossings over a narrow and muddy Ikva River. In a sharp clash, Ivashkovskiy’s company lost two tanks and was forced to withdraw.
As the forward elements of XIX Mechanized Corps arrived in the Mlynuv-Dubno area, they linked up their left flank with the right-flank 228th Rifle Division of the XXXVI Rifle Corps. This rifle corps from the reserves of the South-Western Front was taking up positions along the Dubno-Kremenets road. Thus, while XIX Mechanized Corps’ left flank was relatively secured, a gap developed between its right flank and Rokossovskiy’s IX Mechanized Corps.
XV Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. Ignatiy I. Karpezo Commanding
The early morning of June 24 found the XV Mechanized Corps firmly in control of vicinity of Brody, with its defensive positions facing northwest to Radekhov and north to Berestechko. Since German reconnaissance units were already operating in the vicinity of Berestechko, corps commander Major General Karpezo received orders to destroy these forward German elements. He was to cooperate with Lieutenant General Ryabyshev’s VIII Mechanized Corps in carrying out this mission.
However, the two tank divisions of the XV Mechanized Corps spent the day constantly shifting their positions. Amid the summer heat, dust, and air attacks, the 10th and 37th tank divisions changed directions several times, without engaging the enemy. Both steadily continued losing vehicles to difficult terrain and technical difficulties. This was to have a significant effect on the course of battle during the next few days. Without pressure from the XV Mechanized Corps on June 24, Germans were able to bring up two infantry divisions to support the vanguard 11th Panzer Division.