By late August, the Germans in the Soviet offensive range had increased from 7 to 14 divisions (including 3 panzer divisions and 2 motorized divisions), and several more divisions were sent to support battle groups. At the same time, the Soviets were in a worse position. Ammunition and supplies were exhausted, and tank units were constantly attacked by German aircraft, suffering heavy losses. The speed of the Soviet offensive plummeted, and it fell into a World War I-style battle of attrition, and soon suffered casualties.
Zhukov, having difficulty making a major breakthrough in Modell's position, simply turned the focus of the offensive into a full-scale attack that blossomed everywhere, trying to muddy the waters. On 8 August, the Soviet 5th Army on the front south of Lezhev turned to the offensive; on 13 August, the 33rd Army further south also launched an offensive.
As a result, 8 infantry divisions of the German 3rd Panzer Army (35th, 252nd, 7th, 258th, 292nd, 98th, 31st, 183rd Divisions) were also involved in the battle. In support of the 3rd Panzer Army, Kluge drew a battle group from the 7th, 131st Infantry Divisions and 18th Panzer Divisions. At this point, his reserve team was basically used up. By late August, the German 20th Army was forced to shrink its defensive lines westward.
Zhukov's method of mixing water warfare, in addition to expanding the battlefield, did not achieve the desired effect. On 15 August, Modell thwarted Zhukov's offensive from the east, but the Germans were nearly exhausted. The situation remains dangerous. Modell asked Kluge to give him reinforcements from at least 3 more divisions. Kluge promised 2: the 72nd Infantry Division and the Greater Germanic Division. On 17 August, the 72nd Division began preparations for the start. Previously, the "Greater Germanic" division was concentrated in the southern part of the eastern front (north of Rostov) as a reserve of the army headquarters, and began to be transported to Smolensk on August 16. However, concerned about the whirlwind operation that had not stopped at that time, Hitler refused to join the main force of the "Greater German" division.