following this, the 48th took up positions forward of luga and novgorod as part of the luga defense line. that line was penetrated in the renewed german advance, and luga fell on 20 august, with heavy soviet casualties; the army was a wreck with only 6,235 men, 5,043 rifles and 31 guns remaining. it was transferred to the northern front and ordered to defend the gruzino-liuban sector southeast of leningrad. on 23 august northern front was subdivided, and 48th army became part of the new leningrad front.