Battle of Smolensk
The Battle of Smolensk was a significant military engagement during World War II that took place from July 10 to August 4, 1941. It followed the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on June 22, 1941, and aimed to secure control over the key region between Smolensk and Moscow. German forces, led by Generals Fedor von Bock and Heinz Guderian, captured Smolensk on July 16, but Soviet commanders, including Marshals Semyon Timoshenko, Georgy Zhukov, and Ivan Konev, managed to stabilize their defensive positions just east of the city. Despite facing substantial losses, the Soviet forces utilized their determination to protect Moscow and the advantages of superior artillery and the innovative Katyushka mortars. While the Soviets reported their losses as 32,000 men and 685 tanks, actual numbers may have been higher, reflecting the intensity of the conflict. The battle was crucial as it marked the first successful resistance against the German Blitzkrieg tactics, allowing the Soviet Union to regroup and fortify its defenses in preparation for the defense of Moscow. The outcome of the battle boosted Soviet morale and is often considered a pivotal moment in the Eastern Front of the war, comparable to later battles such as Stalingrad and Kursk.
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Battle of Smolensk
Type of action: Ground battle in World War II
Date: July-September, 1941
Location: Yartsevo, Yelnya, Desna, Great Russia (twenty-five miles east of Smolensk)
Combatants: Germans vs. Russians
Principal commanders:German, Generals Fedor von Bock (1880–1945), Heinz Guderian (1888–1953); Russian, Marshals Semyon Timoshenko (1895–1970), Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974), Ivan Konev (1897–1973)
Result: Delayed Nazi advance on Moscow
On January 22, 1941, the Germans attacked Russia. By early July, Russian frontier armies were virtually decimated. Because of this situation, the State Defense Committee, consisting of Joseph Stalin and party heads, decided that the first priority was to hold the enemy in the center, the Smolensk-Moscow direction, in order to protect the capital.
On July 16, German generals Fedor von Bock and Heinz Guderian reached Smolensk, and the city quickly fell. Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, with the help of Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev, stabilized the lines twenty-five miles east of Smolensk, the Yartsevo-Yelnya-Desna line, two hundred miles from Moscow. Three things favoring the Russians were the determination to protect the capital; superior artillery, which made up for losses sustained in tanks and aircraft; and the Katyushka mortar. Russia later admitted to 32,000 men and 685 tanks lost, but the numbers were probably much higher. More than 1,000 men were later decorated.
Significance
The slowdown helped the Russians to regroup and build the defenses of Moscow. It was the first successful check to the Nazi Blitzkrieg, which served to lift morale, and was possibly as much a turning point in the war as Stalingrad and Kursk later.
Bibliography
Haupt, Werner. The Wehrmacht in Russia, 1941–1945: Army Group Center. Cranbury, N.J.: The Scholars Bookshelf, 1998.
Seaton, Albert. The Battle for Moscow. New York: Sarpedon, 1993.
Werth, Alexander. Russia at War, 1941–1945. New York: Avon Books, 1964.