Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion plan, called for the capture of Moscow within four months. On 22 June 1941, Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union, destroyed … See more

By 13 October 1941, the Wehrmacht had reached the Mozhaisk defense line, a hastily constructed set of four lines of fortifications protecting Moscow's western approaches which … See more

Furious that his army had been unable to take Moscow, Hitler dismissed Brauchitsch on 19 December 1941, and took personal charge of the … See more

Plans
For Hitler, the Soviet capital was secondary, and he believed the only way to bring the Soviet Union to its knees was to defeat it economically. He felt this could be accomplished by seizing the economic resources of … See more

Wearing down
By late October, the German forces were worn out, with only a third of their motor vehicles still functioning, infantry divisions at third- to half … See more

Although the Wehrmacht's offensive had been stopped, German intelligence estimated that Soviet forces had no more reserves left and … See more

The defense of Moscow became a symbol of Soviet resistance against the invading Axis forces. To commemorate the battle, Moscow was … See more