🗓 #OTD in 1941, the Battle of Moscow commenced – one of the biggest battles in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Ordinary Muscovites and students of military schools stood up to defend the city along with Red Army soldiers. No other capital in the world resisted Hitler so fiercely.

By the end of September 1941, the Nazi forces invaded the Baltics, Byelorussia, Moldavia and a substantial part of Ukraine, besieged Leningrad and approached Moscow. Given the strategic and political importance of the Soviet capital, Hitler threw major forces to assault it: 1.8 million people, 1,700 tanks and around 1,000 aircraft.

👉 Under those circumstances, the State Defence Committee declared a state of siege in Moscow and adjacent areas that had not been captured by the enemy. Intense preparations for street fighting began, and the most important government and industrial facilities were mined.

Hitler’s plan envisaged the capture of Moscow within the first three to four months and the complete destruction of its population. The selfless resistance of the Red Army units, militia and cadets prevented these plans from coming to life. The Soviet forces held back around twenty German divisions in fierce battles that raged for two weeks, which made it possible to reinforce the defence line and move the reserves to Moscow.

In early December, when the Wehrmacht forces were largely depleted, the Red Army was able to launch a counteroffensive, rout the assault units of the Army Group Centre and remove the threat hanging over the capital.

☝️ The success of the Soviet forces in the Battle of Moscow dispelled the myth of the Third Reich’s invincibility, thwarted the Nazi blitzkrieg plans, and stopped the Japanese government from joining the war on Germany’s side. This was Hitler’s first major defeat in World War II.

#BattleOfMoscow #WeRemember