fire in the forests, requiring the assistance of the 909th Assault Gun Brigade and the 519th Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion. Under heavy fire and losing contact with divisions to his left and right, Versock withdrew to the north to re-join I Corps on the night of June 24. The following day Adolf Hitler ordered I Corps to halt their withdrawal, and extended their front by sixty miles, and that Army Group North was to counterattack to the forests in the south. On June 27, the division succeeded in delaying the advance of the Soviet 6th Guards Army at Obol, protecting the left flank of the 16th Army; the city, itself was lost later that day, however. On June 30, Polotsk was reinforced, per Adolf Hitler's orders, in order to stop the Soviet's 43rd Army. The 4th Shock Army and 6th Guards Army reached the city outskirts on July 2 and the city centre the following day. August saw a brief return to the 18th Army, who remained in Latvia, before being sent back to the 16th Army in October under Major General Harald Schultz; Versock had been promoted to commander of XXXXIII Corps in September. In October, it and the 18th Army were encircled within the Courland Pocket; both armies remained sealed by the Soviets, who did not consider too much of a threat, as "Army Group Courland" until their surrenders at the end of the war on May 9, 1945; Schultz was taken prisoner and was not released until 1955. Components 1939 31st Grenadier Regiment 32nd Grenadier Regiment 102nd Grenadier Regiment 24th Reconnaissance detachment 24th Artillery Regiment 24th Monitoring detachment 24th Engineer Battalion 24th Anti-tank Battalion 24th Signal Battalion 24th Reserve Battalion 24th Supply unit 1942 31st Grenadier Regiment 32nd Grenadier Regiment 102nd Grenadier Regiment 24th Motorcycle detachment 24th Artillery Regiment 24th Engineer Battalion 24th Anti-tank Battalion 24th Signal Battalion 24th Supply unit 1943 31st Grenadier Regiment 32nd Grenadier Regiment 102nd Grenadier Regiment 24th Fusilier Battalion 24th Artillery Regiment 24th Engineer Battalion 24th Anti-tank Battalion 24th Signal Battalion 24th Field-replacement Battalion 24th Supply detachment Commanders Major General Werner Kienitz (15 October 1935 – 1 April 1938) Lieutenant General Sigismund von Förster (1 April – 10 November 1938) Major General Friedrich Olbricht (10 November 1938 – 15 February 1940) Major General Justin von Obernitz (15 February – 14 June 1940) General of the Infantry Hans von Tettau (14 June 1940