Of the German Army Groups that attacked Soviet Russia, Von Leeb's Army Group North, tasked with seizing the Baltic States and Leningrad, was the smallest and weakest. Fortunately, General Kuznetzov's Northwestern Front was in an even weaker state. When Army Group North attacked on 22 June, it soon smashed through the Dvina River Line, and the Stalin Line, and flooded into Latvia. Despite brave counterattacks and defense by the Soviet forces, the Germans pressed on towards Leningrad, which by 9 September was encircled. This book examines the German offensive, and also the courageous Soviet attempts to halt the German spearhead, defending every possible line against overwhelming odds.