Between October 1941 and January 1942, before the gates of Moscow, the German advance that had rolled across the Soviet Union all summer was finally stopped, and then thrown back. It was the first great defeat of the Wehrmacht, and it ended Hitler's hope of winning the war in a single campaign.
Operation Typhoon
In October the Germans launched their final push on the capital, trapping huge Soviet armies in vast encirclements near Vyazma. But the autumn rains turned the roads to a sea of mud, the rasputitsa, and slowed the advance to a crawl just as it needed speed.
At the gates
By late November German patrols could see the towers of the Kremlin, but they had almost nothing left. The cold deepened to a savage frost the invaders were not equipped to fight in. Under General Zhukov the defense held, stiffened by fresh divisions brought from the Soviet Far East.
The spires of the Kremlin were in sight, and then the cold and the counterattack came.
The counterattack
On 5 December the Soviets struck back along a huge front. The exhausted, freezing German armies were driven back between one hundred and two hundred and fifty kilometres, the first time in the war they had been forced into a general retreat.
What the day decided
Moscow held, and the myth of German invincibility died in the snow before it. The war in the east would not be short. It became a struggle of endurance and industry that the Soviet Union, having survived 1941, was increasingly able to win.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the Battle of Moscow in 1941 a turning point?
The Battle of Moscow, fought from October 1941 to January 1942, was the first great defeat of the Wehrmacht and ended Hitler's hope of winning the war in a single campaign. Moscow held, the myth of German invincibility died in the snow, and the war in the east became a long struggle of endurance and industry.
How did the autumn mud shape Operation Typhoon at Moscow in 1941?
In the Battle of Moscow the Germans launched Operation Typhoon in October 1941 and trapped huge Soviet armies near Vyazma. But the autumn rains turned the roads into the rasputitsa, a sea of mud that slowed the advance to a crawl just when it needed speed.
What let the Soviet defense hold at Moscow in 1941?
By late November 1941 German patrols could see the Kremlin towers but had almost nothing left, and the deepening frost caught invaders who were not equipped for it. Under General Zhukov the defense of Moscow held, stiffened by fresh divisions brought from the Soviet Far East.
What did the December 1941 counterattack at Moscow achieve?
On 5 December 1941 the Soviets struck back along a huge front and drove the exhausted, freezing German armies back between one hundred and two hundred and fifty kilometres. It was the first time in the war the Wehrmacht had been forced into a general retreat.
When and where was the Battle of Moscow fought?
The Battle of Moscow was fought before the gates of Moscow between October 1941 and January 1942, as the Red Army halted and then threw back the German advance that had rolled across the Soviet Union all summer.
Who won the Battle of Moscow?
The Battle of Moscow, fought from October 1941 to January 1942, was won by the Soviet Union, whose defense held before the city and then threw the Germans back. It was the first great defeat of the Wehrmacht in the war.
Take command at Moscow
Moscow is one of 40 battles in Echoes of Battle, told scene by scene, with a real-time tactical mode in the works, and set on the frozen ground where the Wehrmacht was stopped.
