The Battle of Moscow
The invasion of the Soviet Union was a major success for the Nazi Germany and a disaster for the Russians. Within a few weeks, the Red Army was decimated and by August, the Wehrmacht crushed the defense of the city of Smolensk which was the last major obstacle on the route to Moscow. Although the fierce Russian resistance inflicted heavy casualties to the Germany Army, its commanders became overconfident into success. Many were convinced that the Soviet Union is as good as conquered but the Wehrmacht made several key mistakes. The plan to defeat Russia in just four months turned out to be unrealistic and as a result, the German soldiers were not properly equipped for the infamous Russian winter. In addition, the Russian fanatical resistance slowed down the German advance, while Hitler ordered his generals to turn south and capture Kiev after the fall of Smolensk which further delayed the Operation Typhoon.
The Battle of Moscow finally began on October 2, 1941, when Field Marshal Fedor von Bock was ordered to launch the Operation Typhoon. He was given the force of three Panzer Armies (out of four in the Eastern theater) and the 2nd, 4th and 9th Infantry Divisions. All together, the German commander had on disposal a force of 1 million men, 1,700 tanks and 950 planes, while the Soviet capital was defended by 500,000 men, about 900 tanks and 300 planes. The numerical superiority and the Blitzkrieg tactic yielded results and by October 7, the main routes to Moscow were open to the Wehrmacht. However, the German advance was halted at the towns of Vyzma and Bryansk. The Wehrmacht encircled about 500,000 Russian troops (the accounts of the number vary but there is no doubt that the Germans trapped a large part of the Red Army) but it prevented the Germans to proceed towards Moscow leaving such large force in their rear. This gave the Moscow defenders commanded by Georgi Zhukov enough time to organize the defense at the Mozhaisk Line, one of the defense lines around Moscow that stretched from Kalinin and Kaluga.
Von Bock attacked the Mozhaisk Line and broke through in several areas, approaching the Russian capital to 45 miles from the center. By mid-October, however, heavy rain turned the roads into sea of mud which temporarily put the German tanks and vehicles out of service. The Typhoon Offensive came to a standstill and enabled the Soviets to turn their capital into a fortress. Thousands of civilians were mobilized to dig anti-tank ditches, while Stalin also ordered formation of resistance groups. The Russians considerably improved the defense but Moscow was still in great danger. Despite that, Stalin refused to leave the city and insisted on holding the traditional military parade on the Red Square on November 7 to celebrate the anniversary of the October Revolution (the Bolsheviks came to power on October 25, 1917, according to the Old Style Julian Calendar which corresponds to November 7 in the New Style Gregorian Calendar). Stalin's seemingly unreasonable demand, however, dramatically lifted the Russian morale and calmed the terrified Moscow population.
By mid-November, the ground was finally frozen and the Germans decided to launch a second offensive on Moscow. But by the beginning of the German assault on November 15, the Russian defense was far better prepared. Moscow was surrounded by a triple defensive ring, while Zhukov concentrated his forces along all major roads where the Germans were expected to assault. Lastly, Stalin had on disposal additional reserve forces behind the front. Nevertheless, the Germans managed to break through the defensive line and came as far as 18 miles to the center of Moscow. The Russian defense held out and the German offensive again came to a standstill. Meanwhile the temperatures began to drop dramatically, while Stalin got reassurance that Japan will not attack the Soviet Union which enabled him to transfer troops from Siberia and the Far East to Moscow. The evaluation of the German Intelligence that the Red Army was too weak to launch a counter-offensive thus turned out to be a huge mistake.
On December 5, Stalin approved counter-attack north of Moscow and another one south of the city on December 15. The German army which was severely hit by the Russian winter which was particularly harsh that year was now facing 1,1 million men who were well prepared and used to temperatures as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-28 degrees Celsius). Hitler insisted on defending the line but the German troops could not resist the Russian offensive, while the Luftwaffe was unable to provide assistance due to extremely low temperatures. Hitler who was infuriated with the withdrawal dismissed three of his generals in Russia including von Beck, over 30 senior officers and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Walther von Brauchitsch.
By January 7, the Wehrmacht was pushed 62-160 miles (100-250 kilometers) from the Soviet capital and the German threat to Moscow was virtually eliminated because Stalin did not gave the Germans another chance to get as close to Moscow until the end of the war. The Soviet leader ordered new offensives but his forces became overstretched and the Russian offensive came to a standstill. Nevertheless, the victory in the Battle of Moscow gave the Red Army a major advantage in psychological sense, while the Wehrmacht suffered a major blow to the morale. The Operation Barbarossa failed as the German forces failed to defeat the Soviet Union before winter which meant that Germany would now had to fight a prolonged war for which it was not prepared.
In January 1941, the Germans have been forced to retreat for the first time from the beginning of the war in 1939, while the failure of the Operation Barbarossa also forced Hitler to call off the Operation Sealion, the planned invasion of Britain. Hitler ordered transfer of 800,000 men from the Western to the Eastern front but the Wehrmacht would not recover its strength from the early stages of the Operation Barbarossa.
Casualties of the Battle of Moscow vary greatly but it is estimated that about 1 million men were killed, wounded or captured from October 1941 to January 1942. Many of the German casualties were also victims of the freezing temperatures and lack of proper winter equipment.
