Mountain Division 28th Light Infantry Division 11th Army (Reinforcements arriving from 28 August) 30th Army Corps 170th Infantry Division 24th Infantry Division 132nd Infantry Division 12th Panzer Division 3rd Mountain Division Luftwaffe Luftwaffenkommando Ost Luftflotte 1 Jagdgeschwader 54 Jagdgeschwader 77 Soviet Army 8th Army 6th Guards Rifle Corps 128th Rifle Division 3rd Guards Rifle Division 19th Guards Rifle Division 24th Guards Rifle Division 191st Rifle Division 122nd Tank Brigade 4th Guards Rifle Corps 259th Rifle Division 22nd Rifle Brigade 23rd Rifle Brigade 32nd Rifle Brigade 33rd Rifle Brigade 53rd Rifle Brigade 137th Rifle Brigade 140th Rifle Brigade 98th Tank Brigade 2nd Shock Army 327th Rifle Division 6th Rifle Brigade 4th Tank Brigade Soviet Air Force 14th Air Army Battle Neither side was aware that the other was building up forces and planning to launch an offensive in the region. The Germans only realized that the Soviet action was a major offensive in the following days after the start of the attack by the 8th Army on 27 August. This resulted in the 11th Army and the 8th Air Corps being reassigned to deal with a major Soviet offensive and abandon preparations for the offensive on Leningrad. Likewise the Soviet forces were unaware of the redeployment of the 11th Army to Leningrad and only expected to face ten divisions of the 18th Army. The redeployment of forces from the Crimea was not detected. This meant that the Soviet forces were launching an offensive when at a numerical disadvantage even before the battle started. Soviet offensive, Leningrad Front, 19–26 August Ultimately the Soviet operation started before the German one, on 19 August, although German sources give later dates. This is because the offensive by the Volkhov Front did not begin until 27 August. The German operation was due to begin on 14 September. The Leningrad Front launched its offensive on 19 August, however due to the limited supplies and manpower, the front was only to capture and expand bridgeheads across the Neva River, that would help it to link up with the Volkhov Front. The German side did not see this as a major offensive, because the Leningrad Front had already mounted several local offensives in July and early August. On 19 August Franz Halder noted in his diary only "local attacks as usual" in the Region. Therefore, no additional defensive measures were taken. Soviet main offensive, Volkhov Front, 27 August –