Battle of Moscow

This article is about the 1941 battle. For other uses, see
Battle of Moscow (disambiguation).
The Battle of Moscow (Russian: )
is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of
strategically signicant ghting on a 600 km (370 mi)
sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took
place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive eort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow,
capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
and the largest Soviet city. Moscow was one of the primary military and political objectives for Axis forces in
their invasion of the Soviet Union.
The German strategic oensive named Operation Typhoon was planned to conduct two pincer oensives, one
to the north of Moscow against the Kalinin Front by the
3rd and 4th Panzer Armies, simultaneously severing the
MoscowLeningrad railway, and another to the south of
Moscow Oblast against the Western Front south of Tula,
by the 2nd Panzer Army, while the 4th Army advanced
directly towards Moscow from the west. A separate operational German plan, codenamed Operation Wotan, was
included in the nal phase of the German oensive.

The eastern front at the time of the Battle of Moscow:

Initial Wehrmacht advance to 9 July 1941
Subsequent advances to 1 September 1941
Encirclement and battle of Kiev to 9 September 1941
Final Wehrmacht advance to 5 December 1941

crossed the Dnieper River, on the path to Moscow.[9]

In August 1941, German forces captured Smolensk, an
important stronghold on the road to Moscow.[10] At this
stage, although Moscow was vulnerable, an oensive
against the city would have exposed both of the German
anks. In part to address these risks, in part to attempt
to secure Ukraines food and mineral resources,[11] Hitler
ordered the attack to turn north and south and eliminate
Soviet forces at Leningrad and Kiev.[12] This delayed the
German advance on Moscow.[12] When the advance on
Moscow resumed on 2 October 1941, German forces had
been weakened, while the Soviets had raised new forces
for the defence of the city.[12]

Initially, the Soviet forces conducted a strategic defence

of the Moscow Oblast by constructing three defensive
belts, deploying newly raised reserve armies, and bringing troops from the Siberian and Far Eastern Military
Districts. Subsequently, as the German oensives were
halted, a Soviet strategic counter-oensive and smallerscale oensive operations were executed to force the German armies back to the positions around the cities of
Oryol, Vyazma and Vitebsk, nearly surrounding three
German armies in the process.

Background

2 Initial German advance

September 10 October)

For more details on this topic, see Operation Barbarossa.

The original German invasion plan, which the Axis
called Operation Barbarossa, called for the capture of
Moscow within four months. On 22 June 1941, Axis
troops invaded the Soviet Union and destroyed most of
the Soviet Air Force on the ground, advancing deep into
Soviet territory using blitzkrieg tactics, destroying entire
Soviet armies. While the German Army Group North
moved towards Leningrad, Army Group South took control of Ukraine, and Army Group Center advanced towards Moscow. By July 1941, Army Group Center

(30

2.1 Plans
For more details on this topic, see Battle of Moscow
order of battle.
For Hitler, the Soviet capital was secondary and he believed the only way to bring the Soviet Union to its
knees was to defeat it economically. He felt this could
be accomplished by seizing the economic resources of
1

INITIAL GERMAN ADVANCE (30 SEPTEMBER 10 OCTOBER)

Ukraine east of Kiev. [13] When Walther von Brauchitsch,

Commander-in-Chief of the Army, supported a direct
thrust to Moscow, he was told that only ossied brains
could think of such an idea.[13] Franz Halder, head of the
Army General Sta, was also convinced a drive to seize
Moscow would be victorious after the German Army inicted enough damage on the Soviet forces.[14] This view
was shared by most within the German high command.[13]
But Hitler overruled his generals in favor of pocketing
the Soviet forces around Kiev in the south, followed by
seizure of Ukraine. The move was successful, resulting
in the destruction of 660,000 Red Army personnel by
September 26 and further advances.
With the end of summer, Hitler redirected his attention
back to Moscow and assigned Army Group Center to
this task. The forces committed to Operation Typhoon
included three infantry armies (the 2nd, 4th and 9th)
supported by three Panzer (tank) Groups (the 2nd, 3rd
and 4th) and by the Luftwae 's Luftotte 2. Overall,
more than one million German troops were committed to
the operation, along with 1,700 tanks and 14,000 guns.
German aerial strength, however, had been severely reduced over the summers campaigning as the Luftwae
had lost 1,603 aircraft destroyed and 1,028 damaged.
Luftotte 2 had only 549 serviceable machines, including 158 medium and dive-bombers and 172 ghters,
available for Operation Typhoon.[15] The attack relied on
standard Blitzkrieg tactics, using Panzer groups rushing
deep into Soviet formations and executing double-pincer
movements, pocketing Red Army divisions and destroying them.[16]
Facing the Wehrmacht were three Soviet fronts forming a
defensive line between the cities of Vyazma and Bryansk
which barred the way to Moscow. The armies comprising these fronts had also been involved in heavy ghting. Still, it was a formidable concentration consisting
of 1,250,000 men, 1,000 tanks, 7,600 guns. The Soviet
Air Force/Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (VVS) had suered
appalling losses of some 7,500[17] or 21,200[18] aircraft.
Extraordinary industrial achievements had begun to replace these, and at the outset of Typhoon the VVS could
muster 936 aircraft, 578 of which were bombers.[19]

With all the men at the Front, Moscow women dig anti-tank
trenches around Moscow in 1941

posed and then splitting its mobile forces north to complete the encirclement of Vyzama with 4th Panzer Army,
and other units south to close the ring around Bryansk in
conjunction with 2nd Panzer Army. The Soviet defense,
still under construction, was overrun and spearheads of
the Second and Third Panzer Groups met at Vyazma on
10 October 1941.[21] Four Soviet armies (the 19th, 20th,
24th and 32nd) were trapped in a huge pocket just west
of the city.[22]
The encircled Soviet forces continued their resistance
and the Wehrmacht had to employ 28 divisions to eliminate them, using troops which could have supported the
oensive towards Moscow. The remnants of the Soviet Western and Reserve Fronts retreated and manned
new defensive lines around Mozhaisk.[22] Although losses
were huge, some of the encircled units escaped in
small groups ranging in size from platoons to full rie
divisions.[23] Soviet resistance near Vyazma also provided
time for the Soviet high command to bring reinforcements up to the four armies defending Moscow (namely,
the 5th, 16th, 43rd and 49th). Three rie and two tank
divisions were transferred from the Far East with more to
follow.[22]

Once Soviet resistance along the Vyazma-Bryansk front

was eliminated, German forces were to press east, encircling Moscow in similar fashion by outanking it from the
north and south. However, before plans got underway the
continuous ghting had reduced their armies in ghting
eectiveness. Logistical diculties became more acute
as well. Guderian, for example, wrote that some of his
destroyed tanks had not been replaced along with fuel
shortages at the start of the operation.[20]

2.2

The Battles of Vyazma and Bryansk

The German oensives during operation Typhoon

The German attack went according to plan, with 3rd

Panzer Army pushing through the middle nearly unop- In the south near Bryansk, initial Soviet performance was

3
barely more eective than Vyazma. The Second Panzer
Group executed an enveloping movement around the city,
linking with the advancing 2nd Army and capturing Orel
by 3 October and Bryansk by 6 October.

called from Leningrad to take charge of Moscows defense, with Colonel General Ivan Konev as his deputy.[33]
On 12 October, he ordered the concentration of all available forces on a strengthened Mozhaisk line, a move supported by Vasilevsky.[34] The Luftwae still controlled
the sky wherever it appeared and the Stukageschwader
and Kampfgruppen (Stuka and bomber groups) ew 537
sorties, destroying some 440 vehicles and 150 artillery
pieces.[35][36]

But the weather began to change against the Germans. By

7 October, The rst snow fell and quickly melted, turning roads and open areas into muddy quagmires, a phenomenon known as rasputitsa in Russia. German armored
groups were greatly slowed allowing Soviet forces to fall
back and regroup.[24][25]
On 15 October, Stalin ordered the evacuation of the
Soviet forces were able to counterattack in some cases. Communist Party, the General Sta and various civil
For example, the 4th Panzer Division fell into an ambush government oces from Moscow to Kuibyshev (now
set by Dmitri Leliushenko's hastily formed 1st Guards Samara), leaving only a limited number of ocials beSpecial Rie Corps, including Mikhail Katukov's 4th hind. The evacuation caused panic among Muscovites.
Tank Brigade, near the city of Mtsensk. Newly built T- On 1617 October, much of the civilian population tried
34 tanks were concealed in the woods as German armor to ee, mobbing the available trains and jamming the
rolled past them; as a scratch team of Soviet infantry con- roads from the city. Despite all this, Stalin publicly recapital, somewhat calming the fear
tained their advance, Soviet armor attacked from both mained in the Soviet
[23]
and
pandemonium.
anks and savaged the German Panzer IV tanks. For
the Wehrmacht, the shock of this defeat was so great that
a special investigation was ordered.[23] Guderian and his
troops discovered, to their dismay, that the Soviet T-34s 3 Mozhaisk defense line (13 30
were almost impervious to German tank guns. As the
October)
general wrote, Our Panzer IV tanks with their short 75
mm guns could only explode a T-34 by hitting the engine
from behind. Guderian also noted in his memoirs that By 13 October 1941, the Wehrmacht had reached the
the Russians already learned a few things.[26][27]
Mozhaisk defense line, a hastily constructed double set
Other counterattacks further slowed the German oen- of fortications protecting Moscows western approaches
sive. The 2nd Army which was operating to the north of that extended from Kalinin towards Volokolamsk and
Guderians forces with the aim of trapping the Bryansk Kaluga. Despite recent reinforcements, only around
Front, had come under strong Red Army pressure assisted 90,000 Soviet soldiers manned this line - far too few
to stem the German advance.[37][38] Given the limited
by air support.[28]
resources available, Zhukov decided to concentrate his
According to German assessments of the initial Soviet deforces at four critical points: the 16th Army under
feat, 673,000 soldiers had been captured by the WehrmaLieutenant
General Rokossovsky guarded Volokolamsk,
cht in both the Vyazma and Bryansk pockets,[29] although
Mozhaisk was defended by 5th Army under Major Genrecent research suggests a lowerbut still enormous
eral Govorov, the 43rd Army of Major General Golubev
gure of 514,000 prisoners, reducing Soviet strength by
defended Maloyaroslavets, and the 49th Army under
41%.[30] The personnel losses (permanent as well as temLieutenant General Zakharkin protected Kaluga.[39] The
porary) calculated by the Soviet command are smaller but
entire Soviet Western Frontalmost destroyed after its
still massive, namely 499,001.[31] On 9 October Otto Diencirclement near Vyazmawas being recreated almost
etrich of the German Ministry of Propaganda, quoting
from scratch.[40]
Hitler himself, forecast in a press conference imminent
destruction of the armies defending Moscow. As Hitler Moscow itself was also hastily fortied. According to
had never had to lie about a specic and veriable mili- Zhukov, 250,000 women and teenagers worked building
tary fact, Dietrich convinced foreign correspondents that trenches and anti-tank moats around Moscow, moving althe collapse of all Soviet resistance was perhaps hours most three million cubic meters of earth with no mechanaway. German civilian moralelow since the start of ical help. Moscows factories were hastily converted to
Barbarossasignicantly improved, with rumors of sol- military tasks: one automobile factory was turned into a
diers home by Christmas and great riches from the future submachine gun armory, a clock factory manufactured
mine detonators, the chocolate factory shifted to food
Lebensraum in the east.[32]
production for the front, and automobile repair stations
However, Red Army resistance had slowed the Wehrmaworked xing damaged tanks and military vehicles.[41]
cht and the brutally cold Russian winter was only weeks
Despite these preparations, the capital was within striking
away. When, on 10 October 1941, the Germans arrived
distance of German panzers, with the Luftwae mountwithin sight of the Mozhaisk line west of Moscow, they
ing massive air raids on the city. The air raids caused
encountered another defensive barrier manned by new
only limited damage because of extensive anti-aircraft
Soviet forces. That same day, Georgy Zhukov was redefenses and eective civilian re brigades.[42]

WEHRMACHT AT THE GATES (1 NOVEMBER 5 DECEMBER)

On 13 October 1941 (15 October, according to other sending tanks into such a large city without heavy infantry
sources), the Wehrmacht resumed its oensive. At support seemed risky after the costly capture of Warsaw
rst, the Germans attempted to bypass Soviet defenses in 1939.[46]
by pushing northeast towards the weakly protected city
of Kalinin and south towards Kaluga and Tula, capturing all except Tula by 14 October. Encouraged by
these initial successes, the Germans launched a frontal
assault against the fortied line, taking Mozhaisk and
Maloyaroslavets on 18 October, Naro-Fominsk on 21 October, and Volokolamsk on 27 October after intense ghting. Because of the increasing danger of anking attacks,
Zhukov was forced to fall back,[23] withdrawing his forces
east of the Nara River.[43]
In the south, the Second Panzer Army initially advanced
towards Tula with relative ease because the Mozhaisk defense line did not extend that far south and no significant concentrations of Soviet troops blocked their advance. However bad weather, fuel problems, and damaged roads and bridges eventually slowed the Germans,
and Guderian did not reach the outskirts of Tula until
26 October.[44] The German plan initially called for the
rapid capture of Tula, followed by a pincer move around
Moscow. The rst attack, however, was repelled by the
50th Army and civilian volunteers on 29 October, after
a desperate ght within sight of the city.[45] On 31 October, the German Army high command ordered a halt to
all oensive operations until increasingly severe logistical
problems were resolved and the rasputitsa subsided.

4
4.1

Wehrmacht at the gates (1

November 5 December)
Wearing down

The mud of the rasputitsa before Moscow, November 1941

By late October, the German forces were worn out, with

only of their motor vehicles still functioning, infantry
divisions at to strength, and serious logistics issues
preventing the delivery of warm clothing and other winter equipment to the front. Even Hitler seemed to surrender to the idea of a long struggle, since the prospect of

A 7 November 1941 parade by Soviet troops on Red Square depicted in this 1949 painting by Konstantin Yuon vividly demonstrates the symbolic signicance of the event.

To stien the resolve of the Red Army and boost the

civilian morale, Stalin ordered a traditional military parade on 7 November (Revolution Day) to be staged in
Red Square. Soviet troops paraded past the Kremlin
and then marched directly to the front. The parade carried a great symbolic signicance by demonstrating the
continued Soviet resolve, and was frequently invoked as
such in the years to come. Despite this brave show,
the Red Armys position remained precarious. Although
100,000 additional Soviet soldiers had reinforced Klin
and Tula, where renewed German oensives were expected, Soviet defenses remained relatively thin. Nevertheless, Stalin ordered several preemptive counteroensives against German lines. These were launched despite
protests from Zhukov, who pointed out the complete lack
of reserves.[47] The Wehrmacht repelled most of these
counteroensives, which squandered Soviet forces that
could have been used for Moscows defense. The oensives only notable success occurred west of Moscow near
Aleksino, where Soviet tanks inicted heavy losses on
the 4th Army because the Germans still lacked anti-tank
weapons capable of damaging the new, well-armored T34 tanks.[46]
From 31 October 15 November, the Wehrmacht high
command stood down while preparing to launch a second oensive towards Moscow. Although Army Group
Centre still possessed considerable nominal strength, its
ghting capabilities had thoroughly diminished because
of combat fatigue. Although the Germans were aware of
the continuous inux of Soviet reinforcements from the
east, as well as the presence of large reserves, given the
tremendous Soviet casualties they did not expect the Soviets to be able to mount a determined defense.[48] But
in comparison to the situation in October, Soviet rie divisions occupied a much stronger defensive position: a
triple defensive ring surrounding the city and some re-

4.2

Final pincer

mains of the Mozhaisk line near Klin. Most of the Soviet eld armies now had a multilayered defense with at
least two rie divisions in second echelon positions. Artillery support and sapper teams were also concentrated
along major roads that German troops were expected to
use in their attacks. There were also many Soviet troops
still available in reserve armies behind the front. Finally,
Soviet troopsand especially ocerswere now more
experienced and better prepared for the oensive.[46]

5
of all available reserves forces further south. Initial German attacks split the front in two, separating the 16th
Army from the 30th.[46] Several days of intense combat
followed. Zhukov recalled in his memoirs that The enemy, ignoring the casualties, was making frontal assaults,
willing to get to Moscow by any means necessary.[49]
Despite the Wehrmacht 's eorts, the multi-layered defense reduced Soviet casualties as the Soviet 16th Army
slowly retreated and constantly harassed the German divisions trying to make their way through the fortications.
The Third Panzer Army nally captured Klin after heavy
ghting on 24 November, and by 25 November Solnechnogorsk as well. Soviet resistance was still strong,
and the outcome of the battle was by no means certain. Reportedly, Stalin asked Zhukov whether Moscow
could be successfully defended and ordered him to speak
honestly, like a communist. Zhukov replied that it was
possible, but that reserves were desperately needed.[49]
By 28 November, the German 7th Panzer Division had
seized a bridgehead across the Moscow-Volga Canal
the last major obstacle before Moscowand stood less
than 35 km (22 mi) from the Kremlin;[46] but a powerful counterattack by the 1st Shock Army drove them
back across the canal.[50] Just northwest of Moscow, the
Wehrmacht reached Krasnaya Polyana, little more than
20 km (12 mi) from Moscow;[51] German ocers were
able to make out some of the major buildings of the Soviet capital through their eld glasses. Both Soviet and
German forces were severely depleted, sometimes having
only 150200 riemena company's full strengthleft
in a regiment.[46]

Soviet poster proclaiming, Lets make a stand for Moscow!"

By 15 November 1941, the ground had nally frozen,

solving the mud problem. The armored Wehrmacht
spearheads were unleashed, with the goal of encircling
Moscow and linking up near the city of Noginsk, east of
the capital. To achieve this objective, the German Third
and Fourth Panzer Groups needed to concentrate their
forces between the Moscow reservoir and Mozhaysk,
then proceed to Klin and Solnechnogorsk to encircle the
capital from the north. In the south, the Second Panzer
Army intended to bypass Tula, still in Soviet hands, and
advance to Kashira and Kolomna, linking up with the
northern pincer at Noginsk.

4.2

Final pincer

In the south, near Tula, combat resumed on 18 November 1941, with the Second Panzer Army trying to encircle
the city.[46] The German forces involved were extremely
battered from previous ghting and still had no winter
clothing. As a result, initial German progress was only
510 km (3.16.2 mi) per day, reducing the chances of
success.[52] Moreover, it exposed the German tank armies
to anking attacks from the Soviet 49th and 50th Armies,
located near Tula, further slowing the advance. Guderian
nevertheless was able to pursue the oensive, spreading
his forces in a star-like attack, taking Stalinogorsk on 22
November 1941 and surrounding a Soviet rie division
stationed there. On 26 November, German panzers approached Kashira, a city controlling a major highway to
Moscow. In response, a violent Soviet counterattack was
launched the following day. General Belovs 2nd Cavalry
Corps, supported by hastily assembled formations which
included 173rd Rie Division, 9th Tank Brigade, two
separate tank battalions, and training and militia units,[53]
halted the German advance near Kashira.[54] The Germans were driven back in early December, securing the
southern approach to the city.[55] Tula itself held, protected by fortications and determined defenders, both
soldiers and civilians. In the south, the Wehrmacht never
got close to the capital.

On 15 November 1941, German tank armies began their

oensive towards Klin, where no Soviet reserves were
available because of Stalins wish to attempt a counteroffensive at Volokolamsk, which had forced the relocation Because of the resistance on both the northern and south-

SOVIET COUNTEROFFENSIVE

Ocial Soviet Meteorological Service records show the

lowest December temperature reached 28.8 C (20
F).[62] The absolute numbers did not matter to the German troops who were freezing with no winter clothing,
and whose equipment was not designed for such severe
weather. More than 130,000 cases of frostbite were reported among German soldiers.[37] Frozen grease had to
be removed from every loaded shell[37] and vehicles had
to be heated for hours before use. The same cold weather,
typical for the season, hit the Soviet troops, but they were
better prepared.[61]
The Axis oensive on Moscow stopped. Heinz Guderian wrote in his journal that the oensive on Moscow
German soldiers in heavy snow west of Moscow
failed ... We underestimated the enemys strength, as
well as his size and climate. Fortunately, I stopped my
troops on 5 December, otherwise the catastrophe would
ern sides of Moscow, on 1 December the Wehrmacht be unavoidable.[63]
attempted a direct oensive from the west along the
Minsk-Moscow highway near the city of Naro-Fominsk.
This oensive had only limited tank support and was
forced to assault extensive Soviet defenses. After meet- 5 Soviet counteroensive
ing determined resistance from the Soviet 1st Guards
Motorized Rie Division and ank counterattacks staged
by the 33rd Army, the German oensive stalled and
was driven back four days later in the ensuing Soviet
counteroensive.[46] On 2 December a reconnaissance
battalion managed to reach the town of Khimkisome
8 km (5.0 mi) away from Moscowand captured its
bridge over the Moscow-Volga Canal as well as its railway station, which marked the farthest advance of German forces on Moscow.[56][57]

The Soviet winter counter-oensive, 5 December 1941 7 May

1942

Adapted to the climate: Red Army ski soldiers in Moscow. Still

from documentary Moscow Strikes Back, 1942

The temperature dropped far below freezing. On 30

November, von Bock reported to Berlin that the temperature was 45 C (49 F).[58] General Erhard Raus, commander of the 6th Panzer Division, kept track of the daily
mean temperature in his war diary. It shows a suddenly
much colder period during 47 December: from 36 to
38 C (37 to 38 F).[59] Other temperature reports varied widely.[60][61] Zhukov said that Novembers freezing
weather stayed around 7 to 10 C (+19 to +14 F)[62]

Although the Wehrmacht 's oensive had been stopped,

German intelligence estimated that Soviet forces had no
more reserves left and thus would be unable to stage a
counteroensive. This estimate proved wrong, as Stalin
transferred over 18 divisions, 1,700 tanks, and over 1,500
aircraft from Siberia and the Far East,[64] relying on intelligence from his spy, Richard Sorge, which indicated that
Japandeep in preparation for the Pearl Harbor attack
would not attack the Soviet Union. The Red Army had
accumulated a 58-division reserve by early December,[37]
when the oensive proposed by Zhukov and Vasilevsky
was nally approved by Stalin.[65] Even with these new
reserves, Soviet forces committed to the operation numbered only 1,100,000 men,[60] only slightly outnumbering
the Wehrmacht. Nevertheless, with careful troop deployment, a ratio of two-to-one was reached at some critical points.[37] On 5 December 1941, the counteroensive started on the Kalinin Front. After two days of little

7
progress, Soviet armies retook Krasnaya Polyana and sev- 30) arrived from retting in Germany, whilst four Transeral other cities in the immediate vicinity of Moscow.
portgruppen (Transport Groups) with a strength of 102
Junkers
Ju 52 transports were deployed from Luftotte
The same day, Hitler signed his directive No.39, ordering
4
(Air
Fleet
4) to evacuate surrounded army units and
the Wehrmacht to assume a defensive stance on the whole
improve
the
supply
line to the front-line forces. It was
front. German troops were unable to organize a solid dea
last
minute
eort
and it worked. The German air
fense at their present locations and were forced to pull
arm
was
to
help
prevent
a total collapse of Army Group
back to consolidate their lines. Guderian wrote that disCentre.
Despite
the
Soviets
best eorts, the Luftwae
cussions with Hans Schmidt and Wolfram von Richthofen
had contributed enormously to the survival of Army
took place the same day, and both commanders agreed
that the current front line could not be held.[66] On 14 Group Center. Between 17 and 22 December the Luftwae destroyed 299 motor vehicles and 23 tanks around
December, Franz Halder and Gnther von Kluge nally
the Red Armys pursuit of the German
gave permission for a limited withdrawal to the west of Tula, hampering
Army.[74][75]
[67]
the Oka river, without Hitlers approval.
On 20 December, during a meeting with German senior ocers, In the center, Soviet progress was much slower. SoHitler cancelled the withdrawal and ordered his soldiers viet troops liberated Naro-Fominsk only on 26 Decemto defend every patch of ground, digging trenches with ber, Kaluga on 28 December, and Maloyaroslavets on 2
howitzer shells if needed.[68] Guderian protested, point- January, after 10 days of violent action. Soviet reserves
ing out that losses from cold were actually greater than ran low, and the oensive halted on 7 January 1942, afcombat losses and that winter equipment was held by traf- ter having pushed the exhausted and freezing German
c ties in Poland.[69] Nevertheless, Hitler insisted on de- armies back 100250 km (62155 mi) from Moscow.
fending the existing lines, and Guderian was dismissed Stalin continued to order more oensives in order to trap
by Christmas, along with generals Hoepner and Strauss, and destroy Army Group Center in front of Moscow, but
commanders of the 4th Panzer and 9th Army, respec- the Red Army was exhausted and overstretched and they
tively. Fedor von Bock was also dismissed, ocially for failed.[76]
medical reasons.[70] Walther von Brauchitsch, Hitlers This victory provided an important boost for Soviet
commander-in-chief, had been removed even earlier, on morale, with the Wehrmacht suering its rst major de19 December.[71]
feat on land. Having failed to vanquish the Soviet Union
Meanwhile, the Soviet oensive continued in the north.
The oensive liberated Kalinin and the Soviets reached
Klin on 7 December, overrunning the headquarters of the
LVI Panzer Corps outside the city. As the Kalinin Front
drove west, a bulge developed around Klin. The Soviet
front commander, General Konev, attempted to envelop
any German forces remaining. Zhukov diverted more
forces to the southern end of the bulge, to help Konev
trap the Third Panzer Army. The Germans pulled their
forces out in time. Although the encirclement failed, it
unhinged the German defenses. A second attempt was
made against the Second Panzer Army near Tula, but
met strong opposition near Rzhev and was forced to halt,
forming a salient that would last until 1943. In the south,
the oensive went equally well, with Southwestern Front
forces relieving Tula on 16 December 1941. A major
achievement was the encirclement and destruction of the
German XXXIX Corps, protecting Guderians Second
Panzer Armys southern ank.[72]
The Luftwae was paralysed in the second half of December. The weather, recorded as 42 C (44 F),
was a meteorological record.[73] Logistical diculties
and freezing temperatures created technical diculties
until January 1942. In the meantime, the Luftwae had
virtually vanished from the skies over Moscow, while the
Red Air Force, operating from better prepared bases and
beneting from interior lines, grew stronger.[73] On 4 January, the skies cleared. The Luftwae was quickly reinforced, as Hitler hoped it would save the situation. Two
Kampfgruppen (Bomber Groups) (II./KG 4 and II./KG

in one quick strike, Germany now had to prepare for a

prolonged struggle. Operation Barbarossa had failed.

6 Aftermath
See also: Battles of Rzhev
The Red Armys winter counter-oensive drove the
Wehrmacht from Moscow, but the city was still considered to be threatened, with the front line relatively close.
Because of this, the Moscow theater remained a priority for Stalin, who at rst appeared to be in shock due
to the initial German success.[77] In particular, the initial
Soviet advance was unable to level the Rzhev salient, held
by several divisions of Army Group Center. Immediately
after the Moscow counter-oensive, a series of Soviet attacks (the Battles of Rzhev) were attempted against the
salient, each time with heavy losses on both sides. By
early 1943, the Wehrmacht had to disengage from the
salient as the whole front was moving west. Nevertheless, the Moscow front was not nally secured until October 1943, when Army Group Center was decisively repulsed from the Smolensk landbridge and from the left
shore of the upper Dnieper at the end of the Second Battle of Smolensk.
Furious that his army had been unable to take Moscow,
Hitler dismissed his commander-in-chief, Walther von
Brauchitsch, on 19 December 1941, and took personal
charge of the Wehrmacht,[71] eectively taking control of

7 CASUALTIES
experience. As Guderian wrote in his memoirs, This
created a chill in our relations, a chill that could never
be eliminated afterwards.[78] This increased Hitlers distrust of his senior ocers and severely reduced the German advantages due to their superior military leadership.
Germany now faced the prospect of a war of attrition,
something it was not prepared for and bound to lose in the
long run. Overall, the battle was a stinging defeat for the
Axis, though not necessarily a crushing one, and it ended
German hopes for a quick and decisive victory over the
Soviet Union.
For the rst time since June 1941, Soviet forces had
stopped the Germans and driven them back. This resulted in Stalin becoming overcondent and deciding to
further expand the oensive. On 5 January 1942, during
a meeting in the Kremlin, Stalin announced that he was
planning a general spring counteroensive, which would
be staged simultaneously near Moscow, Leningrad and in
southern Russia. This plan was accepted over Zhukovs
objections.[79] Low Red Army reserves and Wehrmacht
tactical skill led to a bloody stalemate near Rzhev, known
as the "Rzhev meat grinder", and to a string of Red Army
defeats, such as the Second Battle of Kharkov, the failed
attempt at elimination of the Demyansk pocket, and the
encirclement of General Vlasov's army near Leningrad in
a failed attempt to lift the siege of the city. Ultimately,
these failures would lead to a successful German oensive in the south and to the Battle of Stalingrad.

A documentary lm, Moscow Strikes Back, (Russian:

, Rout of the
German Troops near Moscow), was made during the
battle and rapidly released in Russia. It was taken to
America and shown at the Globe in New York in AuMedal For the Defence of Moscow: 1,028,600 were awarded gust 1942. The New York Times reviewer commented
that The savagery of that retreat is a spectacle to stun
from 1 May 1944.
the mind.[80] As well as the Moscow parade and battle
scenes, the lm included frank images of German atrocities committed during the battle, the naked and slaughtered children stretched out in ghastly rows, the youths
dangling limply in the cold from gallows that were rickety, but strong enough.[80]
The defense of Moscow became a symbol of Soviet resistance against the invading Axis forces. To commemorate
the battle, Moscow was awarded the title of "Hero City"
in 1965, on the 20th anniversary of Victory Day. A Museum of the Defence of Moscow was created in 1995.[81]

7 Casualties
German soldiers surrender: still from the documentary Moscow
Strikes Back, 1942

Both German and Soviet casualties during the battle of

Moscow have been a subject of debate, as various sources
provide somewhat dierent estimates. Not all historiall military decisions and setting most experienced Ger- ans agree on what should be considered the Battle of
man ocers against him. Additionally, Hitler surrounded Moscow in the timeline of World War II. While the start
himself with sta ocers with little or no recent combat of the battle is usually regarded as the beginning of Op-

[3] Stahel (2011). Kiev 1941, by David Stahel Kiev 1941. p.

339.
[4] Glantz (1995), p. 78.
[5] Bergstrm 2007 p.90.
[6] Williamson 1983, p.132.
[7] Both Sources use Luftwae records. The often quoted
gures of 9001,300 do not correspond with recorded
Luftwae strength returns. Sources: Prien, J./Stremmer,
G./Rodeike, P./ Bock, W. Die Jagdiegerverbande der
Deutschen Luftwae 1934 bis 1945, Teil 6/I and II; U.S
National Archives, German Orders of Battle, Statistics of
Quarter Years.
2001 Russian stamp for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of
Moscow

[8] Bergstrm 2007, p. 111.

[9] Heinz Guderian, Erinnerungen eines Soldaten (Memoirs of

a soldier), Smolensk, Rusich, 1999, p. 229.

eration Typhoon on 30 September 1941 (or sometimes
on 2 October 1941), there are two dierent dates for the [10] Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Moscow, 19731978, entry
end of the oensive. In particular, some sources (such as
Battle of Smolensk
Erickson[82] and Glantz[83] ) exclude the Rzhev oensive
from the scope of the battle, considering it as a distinct [11] Guderian, pp. 267272.
operation and making the Moscow oensive stop on 7
[12] Alan F. Wilt. Hitlers Late Summer Pause in 1941. MiliJanuary 1942thus lowering the number of casualties.
tary Aairs, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp. 187191

There are also signicant dierences in gures from various sources. John Erickson, in his Barbarossa: The Axis
and the Allies, gives a gure of 653,924 Soviet casualties
between October 1941 and January 1942.[82] Glantz, in
his book When Titans Clashed, gives a gure of 658,279
for the defense phase alone, plus 370,955 for the winter
counteroensive until 7 January 1942.[83] The estimate
of 400,000 German casualties by January 1942 reported
in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia was published in 1973
78.[70] On the other hand, Wehrmacht daily casualty reports show 35,757 killed in action, 128,716 wounded,
and 9,721 missing in action for the entire Army Group
Center between 1 October 1941 and 10 January 1942.[84]

[13] Flitton 1994.

[14] Niepold, Gerd (1993). Plan Barbarossa. In David M.
Glantz. The Initial Period of War on the Eastern Front, 22
June August 1941: Proceedings of the Fourth Art of War
Symposium, Garmisch, FRG, October 1987. Cass series on
Soviet military theory and practice 2. Psychology Press.
p. 67. ISBN 9780714633756.
[15] Bergstm 2007, p. 90.
[16] Guderian, pp. 3079.
[17] Hardesty, 1991, p.61.

Regardless of these disagreements, the Battle of Moscow [18] Bergstrm 2007, p.118.
is considered among the most lethal battles in world his[19] Bergstrm 2007, p. 9091.
tory.
[20] Guderian, p. 307

See also
Ivan Panlov

[21] Clark Chapter 8,"The Start of the Moscow Oensive,

p.156 (diagram)"name="GlantzVAB">Glantz, chapter 6,
sub-ch. Viaz'ma and Briansk, pp. 74 .

Panlovs Twenty-Eight Guardsmen

[22] Vasilevsky, p. 139.

German war crimes during the Battle of Moscow

[23] Glantz, chapter 6, sub-ch. Viaz'ma and Briansk, pp. 74

.
[24] Guderian, p. 316.

Footnotes

[1] Mercatante (2012). Why Germany Nearly Won: A New

History of the Second World War in Europe. p. 105.
[2] Stahel (2013). Operation Typhoon: Hitlers March on
Moscow, October 1941. p. 45.

[25] Clark, pp. 165-166.

[26] Guderian, p. 318.
[27] David M. Glantz. When Titans Clashed. pp. 80, 81.
[28] Bergstrm 2007, p.91.

10

[29] Georey Jukes, The Second World War The Eastern

Front 19411945, Osprey, 2002, ISBN 1-84176-391-8,
p. 29.
[30] Jukes, p. 31.

9 FOOTNOTES

[62] Chew (1981), p. 33.

[63] Guderian, pp. 3545.
[64] Goldman p. 177

[31] Glantz, When Titans Clashed p. 336 n15.

[65] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 37.
[32] Smith, Howard K. (1942). Last Train from Berlin. Knopf.
pp. 8391.

[66] Guderian, pp. 3535.

[33] The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (19701979).

2010 The Gale Group, Inc

[67] Guderian, p. 354.

[34] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 10.

[68] Guderian, pp. 3601.

[35] Plocher 1968, p. 231.

[69] Guderian, pp. 3634.

[36] Bergstrm 2007, p.93

[37] Jukes, p. 32.

[70] Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Moscow, 197378, entry

Battle of Moscow 194142

[38] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 17.

[71] Guderian, p. 359.

[39] Marshal Zhukovs Greatest Battles p.50.

[72] Glantz and House 1995, pp. 8890.

[40] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 18.

[41] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 22.

[73] Bergstrom 2003, p. 297.

[42] Braithwaite, pp. 184210.

[74] Bergstrm 2007, p. 112113.

[43] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 24.

[75] Bergstrm 2003, p. 299.

[44] Guderian, pp. 32930.

[76] Glantz and House 1995, p. 9197.

[45] Zhukov, tome 2, pp. 235.

[46] Glantz, chapter 6, sub-ch. To the Gates, pp. 80.
[47] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 27.
[48] Klink, pp. 574; 590592
[49] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 28.
[50] Zhukov, tome 2, p. 30.
[51] Guderian, p. 345.

[77] Roberts, Cynthia A. (December 1995). Planning for

war: the Red Army and the catastrophe of 1941. EuropeAsia Studies (Taylor & Francis, Ltd.) 47 (8): 12931326.
doi:10.2307/153299. JSTOR 153299. Marshal Georgii
K. Zhukov, who had pressed Stalin on several occasions
to alert and reinforce the army, nonetheless recalled the
shock of the German attack when he noted that 'neither
the defence commissariat, myself, my predecessors B.M.
Shaposhnikov and K.A. Meretskov, nor the General Sta
thought that the enemy could concentrate such a mass of
... forces and commit them on the rst day ...

[52] Guderian, p. 340.

[53] Erickson, 'The Road to Stalingrad,' p.260
[54] A.P. Belov, Moscow is behind us, Moscow, Voenizdat,
1963, p. 97.
[55] Belov, p. 106.
[56] Henry Steele Commager, The Story of the Second World
War, p. 144

[78] Guderian, p. 365.

[79] Zhukov, tome 2, pp. 434.
[80] T.S. (17 August 1942). Movie Review: Moscow
Strikes Back (1942) 'Moscow Strikes Back,' Front-Line
Camera Mens Story of Russian Attack, Is Seen at the
Globe. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 March 2015.

[57] Christopher Argyle, Chronology of World War II Day by

Day, p. 78

[81] Rodric Braithwaite, Moscow 1941: A City and Its People

at War, p. 345.

[58] Chew (1981), p. 34.

[82] John Erickson, Barbarossa: The Axis and the Allies, table
12.4

[59] Raus (2009), p. 89.

[60] Glantz, ch.6, subchapter December counteroensive,
pp. 86.
[61] Moss (2005), p. 298.

[83] Glantz, Table B

[84] Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Army/Army
Group, 1941. Retrieved 28 March 2012.

11

10

References

Braithwaite, Rodric. Moscow 1941: A City and Its

People at War. London: Prole Books Ltd, 2006
(hardcover, ISBN 1-86197-759-X).
Collection of legislative acts related to State Awards
of the USSR (1984), Moscow, ed. Izvestia.
Belov, Pavel Alekseevich (1963). Za nami Moskva.
Moscow: Voenizdat.
Bergstrm, Christer (2007). Barbarossa The
Air Battle: JulyDecember 1941.
London:
Chervron/Ian Allen. ISBN 978-1-85780-270-2.
Boog, Horst; Frster, Jrgen; Homann, Joachim;
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Gerd R. (1998). Attack on the Soviet Union.
Germany and the Second World War IV. Translated by Dean S. McMurry, Ewald Osers, Louise
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Nagorski, Andrew (2007). The Greatest Battle:

Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow
That Changed the Course of World War II. New
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Reinhardt, Klaus. Moscow: The Turning Point? The
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Sokolovskii, Vasilii Danilovich (1964). Razgrom
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Erickson, John; Dilks, David (1994). Barbarossa:

The Axis and the Allies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-0504-5.

Tooze, Adam (2006). The Wages of Destruction:

The making and breaking of the Nazi economy. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-100348-1.

Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (1995).

When Titans clashed: how the Red Army stopped
Hitler. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
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Vasilevsky, A. M. (1981). Lifelong cause. Moscow:

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Goldman, Stuart D. (2012). Nomonhan, 1939; The

Red Armys Victory That Shaped World War II.
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Hardesty, Von. Red Phoenix. Washington, D.C.:
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Williamson, Murray (1983). Strategy for Defeat:

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Zhukov, G. K. (1971). The memoirs of Marshal
Zhukov. London: Cape. ISBN 0-224-61924-1.

11 External links
Map: Deployment of troops before the battle of
Moscow
Map (detailed): Battle of Moscow 1941. German
oensive

Lopukhovsky, Lev (2013). The Viaz'ma Catastro WW2DB: Battle of Moscow

phe, 1941 The Red Armys Disastrous Stand Against
Operation Typhoon. Translated & Edited by Britton Stuart. West Midlands: Helion & Company Ltd. Coordinates: 5545N 3738E / 55.750N 37.633E
ISBN 978-1-908916-50-1.
Moss, Walter (2005). A History of Russia: Since
1855, Volume 2. Anthem Russian and Slavonic
studies (2 ed.). Anthem Press. ISBN 1-84331-0341.

12

12

12
12.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Battle of Moscow Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Moscow?oldid=673350919 Contributors: Bryan Derksen, The Anome,

Danny, Maury Markowitz, Karl Palmen, Rickyrab, Leandrod, Zocky, Bobby D. Bryant, Docu, Ineuw, Tpbradbury, Topbanana, Raul654,
Jason M, Adam Carr, Dimadick, Robbot, Altenmann, Spamhog, DHN, Halibutt, Bkell, Der Marschall, Oberiko, Seabhcan, Wwoods, Everyking, Wyss, Ezhiki, Kpalion, Mboverload, OldakQuill, Kolt, Gdr, Kusunose, Jokestress, Eranb, Loopy, Cynical, Billthesh, Zhouyn,
Irpen, Klemen Kocjancic, Lacrimosus, Ornil, N328KF, Ularsen, Brutannica, Bender235, Ylee, Omnibus, El C, Hayabusa future, Shanes,
.:Ajvol:., Get It, Ertly, SecretAgentMan00, King nothing, Obradovic Goran, Orangemarlin, SnowFire, Andrew Gray, Denniss, Benson85,
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Chobot, Bgwhite, YurikBot, Wavelength, Brandmeister (old), Lareneg, Kurt Leyman, Kirill Lokshin, Alex Bakharev, David R. Ingham,
Renata3, Brian Crawford, Grakm fr, Mieciu K, Bota47, Jkelly, StuRat, Silverhorse, Vino s, Mercenary2k, Barbatus, Curpsbot-unicodify,
Hirudo, Nick-D, SmackBot, Kuban kazak, Inego~enwiki, WilyD, Delldot, Cla68, Elk Salmon, Hmains, Squiddy, Jayanta Sen, Bhoesicol, Je5102, Colonies Chris, Jayanthv86, Tswold@msn.com, Cplakidas, SuperDeng, OrphanBot, General Grievous, Valenciano, Andreas1968, PokeTIJeremy, AlexeySmirnov, The PIPE, Ohconfucius, -Ilhador-, Zahid Abdassabur, Arvand, IronGargoyle, Illythr, Volker89,
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Dodo19~enwiki, Parsecboy, Bongwarrior, VoABot II, Catslash, Rivertorch, Buckshot06, The Anomebot2, JHB, Catgut, MetsBot, BilCat,
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Bad Night, Nickmolo, Trumpet marietta 45750, Garret Beaumain, Mrg3105, Chiswick Chap, Colchicum, Molly-in-md, Ko Soi IX, Tatrgel,
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AHMartin, SieBot, Testing times, Manchjurshi, Soz101, Ori, Jokeguide~enwiki, Phe-bot, Wukappa, RATHED, EEBAN, Wilson44691,
Yone Fernandes, Fratrep, CharlesGillingham, Jaan, Dabomb87, Miyokan, Gr8opinionater, Binksternet, Clivemacd, Scartboy, Maxthatkillz,
Mild Bill Hiccup, Ceiling Cat, Piledhigheranddeeper, DragonBot, EnigmaMcmxc, Excirial, Noneforall, Ioannes Tzimiskes, NuclearWarfare, Egmontaz, A.h. king, Wrongmonth55, SilvonenBot, Thisterms, Addbot, Mortense, NiVekeN, Spinner145, Magus732, MasterDarksol, Ace Mendiola, SoSaysChappy, Schmausschmaus, LinkFA-Bot, Brufnus, Berkunt, Zorrobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Ptbotgourou,
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monk, Ryan.opel, RjwilmsiBot, Tpanov, EmausBot, John of Reading, Gfoley4, Blablaaa, Italia2006, Josve05a, Huhlolnvm, Alpha Quadrant
(alt), Kiosacoup, GWJ1964, Igor Piryazev, Brandmeister, Nostler, Donner60, Pun, Ego White Tray, Tohyonghan, Mocha2007, Whoop
whoop pull up, ClueBot NG, , Widr, Helpful Pixie Bot, Gob Lofa, Lowercase sigmabot, Ad.edelweiss, PhnomPencil, Wiki13, Ernio48,
Hahageorge, Hamish59, Glacialfox, Peacemaker67, Klilidiplomus, NichoEd, Choy4311, Pinonmesagerman, ChrisGualtieri, Khazar2, Esszet, Trollmarine, Alexander Pastukh, DA - DP, Dexbot, ToBeFree, Dissident93, Mogism, Pyotr Isaev, EyeTruth, Haminoon, GeorgeBch, Ugog Nizdast, JamesRussels, Cnd474747, Alexfortin17, Spilarongi, Snowsuit Wearer, Yura2404, TheEpTic, 22merlin, Jonas Vinther,
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