Great Battles
October 7, 1941: The start of the double battle at Vyazma and Bryansk, during which the bulk of five Soviet armies are encircled by the Wehrmacht and wiped out by October 20. The Soviet losses are so heavy that only 90,000 soldiers are available to protect Moscow.

The fall of Orel and Vyazma led to panic in the Kremlin. On October 15, the diplomatic corps and the government left the city. Ministers and high-ranking officials arrived in Kuibyshev on the Volga after five days. Stalin himself remained in Moscow, while numerous other officials fled or went into hiding.
Image: Soldiers of Panzer Group 3 in front of a burning Russian village
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