Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began on 22 June 1941. In the fortnight prior, JG 54 had been moved to an airfield in Lindenthal near Rautenberg, East Prussia, present-day Uslowoje in Kaliningrad Oblast. Tasked with supporting Army Group North in its advance through the Baltic states towards Leningrad, the unit began combat operations shortly afterwards. On 24 June 1941, Kittel claimed his first two aerial victories, two Tupolev SB-2 bombers, shot down during an early morning mission. On 30 June 1941, he downed his first Ilyushin Il-2 "Shturmovik". His third victory earned him the Iron Cross, Second Class ("Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse"). By that time, the German advance had taken JG 54 to Staraya Russa, just south of Leningrad, and they would remain there for nearly two years. On 24 August Kittel had surpassed the 5-victory mark with his sixth victory to establish himself as an ace.