July 11th, 1941 (FRIDAY)
FINLAND: Maj. Gen. Talvela's VI Corps achieve a breakthrough and advance rapidly. However, Talvela is dissatisfied with the commander of the 5th Div Col. Koskimies and releases him from the command. Koskimies is replaced by Col. Ruben Lagus who had advanced rapidly with his Jäger Brigade. Maj. Gen. Hegglund's VII Corps has much tougher time. The defending Soviet forces are experienced and fight vigorously.
In Lapland the attacking Germans are forced to recognize their operative mistakes and ask for reinforcements. Especially the SS-Division 'Nord' has been a disappointment. Finns send Infantry Regiment 14 which was originally meant to defend the Ahvenanmaa (Åland) islands in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden.
Julius Björkland is appointed the first Field Bishop (kenttäpiispa) for the Finnish Army. Björkland was the senior minister of the defence Forces with the title of kenttärovasti.
U.S.S.R.: The Germans who have taken 600,000 Russians prisoner, are ten miles from Kiev.
Marshal Voroshilov, North; Marshal
Timoshenko, Central; Marshal Budenny, Southwest are appointed to command for these sectors
of the Soviet front.
1st Pz. Gp. turned south (away from Kiev). XIV Pz. K. (Gen.d.Inf. Gustav von Wietersheim) and XXXXVIII Pz. K. (Gen.d.PzT. Werner Kempf) cleared the southern Ukraine while III Pz.K. (Gen.d.Kav. Eberhard von Mackensen) skirted Kiev to the South and reached the Dnepr River at Kremenchug. (Jeff Chrisman)
Units of Panzergruppe 2 begin crossing the Dnepr River, XXXIV Pz. K. units at Starye Bychov, XXXXVI Pz. K. units near Shklov and XXXXVII Pz. K. at Kopys. (Jeff Chrisman)
SYRIA: General Dentz accepts Armistice terms in Syria against
Vichy instructions. 2500 Allied and 3500 French casualties.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Destroyer
HMS Defender is attacked by German aircraft and damaged. She is taken in tow
by HMS Vendett, but as her engine and boiler rooms were flooding and her
back broken she settled lower in the water and finally had to be sunk off
Sidi Barani, 60 miles east of Tobruk. (Alex Gordon)(108)
INDIA: Simla: Wavell takes up his post as C-in-C India.
In a baseball game at Sportsmans Park in St. Louis, Missouri, between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns, Yankee center fielder Joe DiMaggio goes 4-for-5 against Browns pitchers Bob Harris and Jack Kramer extending his hitting streak to 50 consecutive games.
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Algoma commissioned.