WI Manstein is stopped of Daugavpils?

In RH manstein occupied Daugavpils 26 June 1941 and obtained a bridgehead on Daugava river. In RH the was another good place for bridgehead-Šiauliai, but it was protected by soviet 202th mechanized division and 9th artillery brigade. WI Kuznetsow(commander of the soviet North-west front) has done the same thing in Daugavpils and 56th tank corps would spend 1-2 days to defeat or turn soviet troops-so 27th Soviet army could be in time for preaparing for defence at the defensible Daugava River line? In this case soviet north front could fall back better and Nazis would stop for some weeks at the Daugava line!
 
This is a bit like the earlier thread which led into the scenario where Barbarossa didn't catch the Red Army by surprise.

One trivial question: Šiauliai isn't on the Daugava. Are you thinking of a different city farther downstream, like Jēkabpils? Or upstream at Polotsk?

It does seem that, since Rīga fell on July 1st anyway, that part of the front was breaking down in a way that holding the Daugavpils bridge would have only slowed the overall advance.

But the seige of Leningrad would have been delayed, and possibly avoided, or at least made less horrible.

Here's a thought, though: if the Germans were stopped, what if they reacted by digging in on the Daugava (as in 1915) and committed the offensive forces of Army Group North to the Moscow offensive, or possibly further south-- so the Center forces could be shifted south to trap the Kiev pocket AND still have enough to keep advancing. Though this would leave the left flank of the forces advancing on Moscow vulnerable. Perhaps a 1941 race for the Caucasus?
 
One trivial question: Šiauliai isn't on the Daugava. Are you thinking of a different city farther downstream, like Jēkabpils? Or upstream at Polotsk?
EEk...I mean, that Daugavpils could be protected in the same way. of course, german brigeheads were Riga and Jakobstadt:confused:
 
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