Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow, fought from October 1941 to January 1942, was a pivotal confrontation during World War II between German and Soviet forces. Following the destruction of Soviet armies near Vyazma, the German Wehrmacht, led by Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, advanced towards Moscow with significant military might. However, their progress was hampered by challenging autumn weather, turning roads into mud and slowing their advance. As winter set in, the Germans managed to breach the outskirts of Moscow, but faced fierce resistance from Soviet defenders, bolstered by troops from Siberia.
Two critical factors contributed to the failure of the German campaign: the extreme winter conditions and the overextended supply lines that made it difficult for them to concentrate their forces effectively. A counteroffensive launched by the Soviets under General Georgy Zhukov on December 7, 1941, exploited these vulnerabilities, leading to significant German casualties and a retreat from the capital. The battle not only safeguarded Moscow, the political and logistical heart of the Soviet Union, but also marked a turning point in the war, undermining German morale and altering the trajectory of the Eastern Front. Ultimately, the Soviet defense preserved vital communication lines and limited German operational capabilities, setting the stage for future Soviet advances.
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Battle of Moscow
Type of action: Ground battles in World War II
Date: 1941–1942
Location: Near the city of Moscow in the Soviet Union
Combatants: Nearly 1 million Germans vs. 1.5 million Russians
Principal commanders:German, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock (1880–1945); Soviet, General Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974)
Result: Successful Soviet defense of Moscow; German retreat from the outskirts of the city
After the successful destruction of the Soviet armies around Vyazma, the German army under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock pushed toward Moscow at the beginning of October, 1941. Arrayed from north to south against the Soviet defenders were the Ninth Army, the Third and Fourth Panzer Groups, the Fourth Army, and the Second Panzer Group. The initial drive to Moscow was slowed by the autumn rains. The unpaved roads became little more than mudholes, preventing any movement of men or equipment. The advance sped up as the ground froze, and by the start of November, the Ninth Army and Third Panzer group swept into the cities of Klin and Kalinin, crossing the Volga River north of Moscow. This formed the spearhead that was to envelop Moscow from the north, then sweep eastward beyond the capital.
The southern arm of force consisted of the Second Panzer Group, commanded by General Heinz Guderian. Weakened by several months of continuous fighting, the panzer group was checked by the Soviets at the city of Tula, a hundred miles south of Moscow. Directly to the west of the capital, the Fourth Army and Fourth Panzer group drove steadily eastward, capturing the cities of Mohaisk and Maloyaroslavets. As the Germans came within sight of the city itself, resistance stiffened as Soviet troops from Siberia came to the defense of the capital.
The Germans never reached Moscow. Two factors contributed to their failure. The spreading of their forces across several hundred miles of front prevented the Germans from concentrating troops at vulnerable sections of the Soviet line. The sudden onset of the worst Russian winter in several decades, with below-zero temperatures and several feet of snow, halted the German advance in its tracks. The Germans lacked the clothing and equipment for winter fighting. With German troops scattered widely around Moscow, the Russians were presented with a counteroffensive opportunity.
Under the command of General Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet army crashed through the overextended Germans on December 7, 1941. The Ninth and Fourth Armies suffered from the brunt of the attack. The twin attacks to the north and south of the main German armies threatened to surround and destroy them. To hasten this goal, the Soviets dropped forces behind the German lines in an effort to disrupt any retreat. Instead, the Soviets were surrounded and eventually destroyed in 1942.
As the German soldiers retreated, the high command also suffered losses with the dismissal of most of the army commanders participating in the attack and the retirement of the army’s commander in chief, Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch. The winter weather took a heavy toll on the Germans as frostbite casualties exceeded deaths. In addition, much of their equipment froze. As the Soviet forces advanced, German resistance stiffened. The Russians recovered several hundred miles of territory including such cities as Kalinin, Kaluga, and Velikiye Luki. However, they were unable to destroy the German armies in front of Moscow.
The retreat from the capital cost the Germans more than 300,000 casualties and destroyed their sense of invulnerability. The start of the spring thaw halted the Soviet advance and left a series of salients two hundred miles from Moscow that would be evacuated by the Germans in the spring of 1943. The German army would never again get as close to Moscow as they were in 1941.
Significance
The Russian defense of Moscow protected the main communications artery of the Soviet Union. The larger German losses limited the army’s capabilities and eventually led to its defeat.
Bibliography
Seaton, Albert. The Battle for Moscow. New York: Sarpedon, 1997.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The Russo-German War. New York: Presidio Press, 1993.
The War in Europe. The War Chronicles: World War II series. Documentary. A&E Home Video, 1983.
Ziemke, Earl, and Magna Bauer. Moscow to Stalingrad. New York: Military Heritage Press, 1985.