Operation Typhoon

Situation

The Red Army forces assembled to defend Moscow consisted of three Fronts defending a front 800km (480 miles) in length. In the north, the Western Front consisted of the 22nd, 29th, 30th, 19th, 16th and 20th Armies and occupied the area from Lake Seliger to Iartsevo. In the centre, the Reserve Front was deployed between Yelnya and Roslavl and consisted of the 24th, 43rd, 31st, 49th, 32nd and 33rd Armies. Finally, in the south, the Bryansk Front was deployed between Roslavl and the Seim River and consisted of the 50th, 3rd and 13th Armies and Operational Group Ermakov. The Russians had prepared several defensive works on the approaches to Moscow, the first was established along the Desna and Sudost Rivers to the west of Vyazma. Further east, the Rzhev-Vyazma defence line consisted of two separate belts of fortificatios. The first, ran from Lake Seligar, through Selizharov and Olenino to Dorogobuzh, while a second ran almost paralel some 45km to the east. The largest defence system was the Mozhaisk defence line, which was anchored on four fortified regions at Volokolamsk, Mozhaisk, Maloaroslavets and Kaluga.
The Red Army forces were a mixture of veteran units, depleted by heavy fighting, and newly formed, poorly trained and equipped Peoples Volunteer formations. Most of the armored vehicles assembled were of older types and artillery units were severely under equipped. The complex command structure and constant reshuffling of commanders lead to uncertainty and confusion. The Headquarters were short of experienced officers and sufficient radio equipment. The widespread fear of German signals intercept operations lead to many commands communicating only via runners. All these factors lead to communications rapidly breaking down once the battle began.
German forces assembled for the operation, were, from north to south, the 9th Army which, in conjunction with the 3rd Panzer Group, would attempt to break through Red Army positions in the Beloi area and advance to the Vyasma-Rshev road.
The 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups were to be reinforced and resupplied in preparation for an attack against Red Army forces in the Vyazma area, in an attempt to breach the Western Front and advance directly towards Moscow.
The 4th Army, in conjunction with the 4th Panzer Group, would attack along the Smolensk-Moscow highway in the direction of Vyasma.
The 2nd Panzer Army's southern flank, would advance along the Svopa and Oka Rivers, while the northern flank would attempt to roll up the Desna River positions, in conjunction with the 2nd Army.
In preparation for the offensive, the 2nd Panzer Army had repositioned itself at the end of September in the sector between Gadyashch and Novgorod Ssversk on the Desna River. Consisting of the 24th, 46th and 47th Panzer and a proposed reinforcement by the 34th and 35th Army Corps, niether of which had arrived in time for the beginning of the offensive.
Finally, the 2nd Army was to provide flank protection for the 4th Army, while in addition, attempting to break through the enemies Desna River positions, advancing in the direction of Tsuchinishchi and Meshchovsk, with the objective of capturing the industrial areas of Bryansk and Ordshonikidsegrad.

The Offensive begins

The 2nd Panzer Group initiated a preparatory attack on the 30th of September. The 24th and 47th Panzer Corps, attacked against the forces of the Russian 13th Army in the direction of Orel. They achieved complete surprise and advanced rapidly, the 47th Panzer Corps capturing Shuravaka and Sevsk. On the 1st of October, the 24th Panzer Corps captured Ssversk and Kushcherovka. The 47th Panzer Corps continued with its initial success, reaching Karashchev, some 130km from its start line. The Russian 13th Army was forced to withdraw and the southern flank of Army Group Center was secured in preparation for the main offensive.
When the main offensive opened on the 2nd of October, German forces achieved immediate success. Elements of the 3rd Panzer Group forced a breakthrough of Russian positions between Baturino and Iartsevo, at the junction of the 16th and 19th Armies, capturing crossings over the Votrya and Vop Rivers. It also forced the withdrawal of the 19th Army's 244th and 91st Rifle Divisions. The 89th Rifle Division and 127th Tank Brigade conducted a counter-attack in an attempt to slow the German advance and cover the withdrawal of the two Divisions.
The 9th Army also made good progress, breaking through the defences of the 161st Rifle Division to the east of the Vop Forest, at the junction of the 30th and 19th Armies. In an effort to close the breach, a counter-attack was initiated by Mobile Group Boldin, which consisted of the 101st Motorized, 126th and 152nd Rifle Division's, supported by the 126th and 128th Tank Brigades. In conjunction, the 30th Army's 207th Motorized and 242nd Rifle Divisions also mounted an attack from the direction of Belyi. The two attacks attempted to close the gap between the 30th and 19th Armies and in coordination with the 31st Army to restore defensive posititions along the Dnepr River.
The German 4th Army attacked the 20th Army in a southeasterly direction, with its 9th, 43rd and 7th Army Corps, between Smolensk and Roslavl, whilst also providing flank protection for the 4th Panzer Group to its south.
Further south, elements of the 2nd Army had forced a crossing of the Desna River, against the defending forces of the Russian 3rd Army, which had been forced into a limited withdrawal.
By the 3rd of October, the 2nd Panzer Group was approaching Orel. The success on this axis allowed it to redirect its 47th Motorized Corps to the north, in the direction of Bryansk. Its 18th Panzer Division advanced along the Orel-Bryansk road in the direction of Karashchev, while the 17th Panzer Division moved directly towards Bryansk, capturing important Desna River bridges. The two Panzer Divisions had also cut into the rear areas of the 13th and 3rd Armies and threatened to encircle the entire Bryansk Front. In an attempt to resolve the threat, the 6th and 298th Rifle Divisions initiated a counter attack in the direction of Seredina Buda, while Operational Group Ermakov also attacked in the direction of Dmitriev.
On the 4th of October, the 3rd Panzer Group was making good progress in the direction of Vyazma, its 57th Panzer Corps defeating the 103rd Tank Brigade to the south of Belyi.
The same day, the 4th Panzer Group attacked the junction of the 43rd and 50th Armies. The 24th Army was all but destroyed, while the 43rd Army began to withdraw in disorder and the southern flank of the 20th Army was torn open. A 100km wide breach was opened between the Reserve and Bryansk Fronts as the 10th and 2nd Panzer Divisions advanced towards Vyazma and Yukhnov, deep in the rear of the two Fronts.
On October the 5th, German forces captured Yukhnov and with it an important bridge on the Kunava river. In an attempt to contain the German bridgehead, an air-landing was effected between Ugra and Mozhaysk. By the end of the same day, the majority of the 2nd Army had crossed the Desna River and the following day reached the Roslavl-Bryansk road.
On the night of October the 6th, the Russian 19th and 16th Armies began to withdraw eastwards towards the Dnepr River. However, to the north and south, the 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups were already driving deep into their rear.
On the 7th of October, the 3rd Panzer Group's 57th Panzer Corps and the 4th Panzer Group's 41st Panzer Corps joined together to the west of Vyazma, closing the pocket around elements of the 19th, 20th, 24th, 30th, and 43rd Armies.
The encircled Russian forces continued to attempt to break out to the east and so the 4th Army's 78th and 292nd Infantry Divisions were tasked with closing off the western and southern edges of the pocket and beginning its reduction.
On the same day to the south, the 2nd Panzer Group was forming a second pocket in the area of Bryansk. the 16th and 25th Motorized, 45th, 95th and 134th Infantry Divisions were closing the ring around the 13th Army in the area of Ssvesk and Dmitriev while the 17th Panzer, 10th Motorized and 262nd and 293rd Infantry Divisions were pressing the 3rd Army in the area of Kromny.
In the area to the southeast of Roslavl, the 2nd Army was involved in heavy fighting against the 43rd and 50th Armies, which were gradually forced to withdraw eastwards. Elements of the 3rd, 13th and 50th Armies were encircled, as the 2nd Panzer Groups 18th Panzer Division joined up with elements of the 2nd Army near Zhizdra, while its 17th Panzer Division captured Bryansk. The Groups 3rd Panzer Division had also fought its way to Orel and then onwards to Bolkhov. But the weather and poor ground conditions were beginning to bog down the advance.
The 8th of October saw the first Autumn rains, which caused havoc with the transportation system. For some four days, all movement within the Army Group ground to a halt. The same day, the encircled forces in the Vyama pocket were ordered to break out. The 19th and 32nd Armies attempted to break out in the direction of Sychevka and Gzhatsk, while the remnants of the 20th Army were to attempt their break out to the southwest.

The Defence of Moscow - October 10th onwards

On the 10th of October, Stalin broadcast an announcement to the population of Moscow. 'We must construct so strong a fortification net, that no enemy can ever penetrate it. We must surround that sacred shrine of the Russian people, Moscow, with a fortified belt.' Following his announcement, some 100,000 workers and their families, worked daily on the construction of fortifications in front of the city, from Tula in the south to Kalinin in the north. In scarcely three weeks they constructed some 360km of anti tank ditches, laid 366km of anti tank obstacles and 611km of wire obstacles. All bridges were prepared for demolition and all rivers and streams were mined. In the city itself, a further 10km of barricades and 30km of anti tank ditches were constructed. From the middle of October, all important industrial operations, along with 210,000 workers, began to be transferred to the Ural Mountains.
The same day, the 3rd Panzer Group resumed its advance northeastwards. It initially faced strong resistance from the 22nd and 29th Armies, which had managed to withdraw into a portion of the Rzhev-Vyazma defensive positions.
On October the 11th, in the area of Borodino, the 32nd Rifle Division, supported by the 18th and 19th Tank Brigades and 121st, 367th and 421st Anti-tank Regiments, saw heavy fighting against the 4th Panzer Groups 41st Panzer Corps. Following a penetration at Vereya, German forces attempted to cut the Mozhaisk-Moscow highway in the Dorozhov area. With both its flanks threatened, the 32nd Rifle Division was forced to withdraw towards Mozhaisk. The same day, elements of the 3rd Panzer Group reached the Volga River between Pogoreloe and Gorodishche.
On October the 12th, the 29th Army was forced to withdraw to the northern bank of the Volga River. Its 174th Rifle Division defended Staritsa, while the 256th Rifle Division defended the southern outskirts of Kalinin. The 4th Panzer Group meanwhile was making rapid progress. The SS 'Das Reich' Division had captured Gzhatsk and then continued its advance towards Mozhaisk, despite constant counter attacks from elements of the 32nd Rifle Division. The 36th Motorized Division had also captured Pogoreloe, while the 1st Panzer Division had captured Rzhev and Staritsa and was approaching Kalinin. These advances had carved a 80km wide breach between Zubtsov and Gzhatsk.
The same day, the forces encircled in the Vyazma pocket began to attempt to break out. The 2nd and 91st Rifle Divisions of the 19th Army broke out in the direction of Gzhatsk. At Bogoroditskoe, elements of the 107th Motor Rifle, 2nd Rifle and 45th Cavalry Divisions also attempted to break out.
The following day, October the 13th, STAVKA merged the forces of the Moscow Reserve Front into the Western Front. Meanwhile the 4th Army's 13th Army Corps crossed the Oka River and attacked Kaluga, with its 17th Infantry Division capturing the city on the same day.
On the 14th of October, the 1st Panzer Division entered Kalinin, capturing the Volga bridge there. The 36th Motorized Division and combat Groups from the 6th, 26th and 161st Infantry Divisions exploited the penetration and enlarged the bridgehead.
On October the 16th, German forces resumed their offensive against the 16th Army to the east of Vyazma, with the main effort centering on the 316th Rifle Division, which covered the approaches to Volokolamsk.
In the south, as the 13th Army withdrew southeastwards in the area of Dorozhov, its 20th and 22nd Tank Brigades, in addition to the 50th Rifle Division, were bypassed from the south. The situation was only resolved following a counter attack by the 82nd Motorized Division and the 25th Tank Brigade.
On October the 17th, the newly created Kalinin Front became operational. It was comprised of the 22nd, 29th, 30th and 31st Armies. Also attached were the 183rd, 185th and 246th Rifle, 46th and 54th Cavalry and 46th Motorized Divisions and the 8th Tank Brigade. The Front was tasked with the destruction of German forces in the area of Kalinin, between the River Volga and the Moscow sea and the recapture of Kalinin itself.
On the 19th of October, a combat Group from the 10th Panzer Division captured Mozhaisk.
On the 24th of October, elements of the 9th Army, having concluded the reduction of the Vyazma pocket, began to join the 3rd Panzer Group in the Kalinin area.
The following day, elements of the 10th Panzer Division reached Ruza on the Ruza River, only 85km to the west of Moscow. Elements of the 8th Infantry Division managed to advance even further eastwards, reaching Lokotnya on the 26th of October, forcing the 133rd Rifle Division to withdraw from the area.
The same day, the 29th Army opened a counter offensive in the Kalinin area, its 246th Rifle Division advancing in a northeasterly direction. The 21st Tank Brigade, in conjunction with the 46th Cavalry Division attacked in the direction of Kurovo and Bortnikovo, in an attempt to cut off any withdrawal of German forces to the south. The 31st Army's 252nd and 133rd Rifle Divisions attacked the northern surburbs of Kalinin, while the 30th Army's 256th and 5th Rifle Divisions, supported by the 21st Tank Batallion, attacked to the southeast of Kalinin. The 8th Tank Brigade, in conjunction with the 243rd Rifle Division, was tasked with closing the penetration of the 29th Army's 183rd Rifle Division in the area of Kunganovo.
On October the 27th, German forces captured Volokolamsk. However, due to the deteriorating ground conditions and stubborn Russian resistance along the Mozhaisk defence line, the 4th and 4th Panzer Armies were forced to suspend offensive action and dig in until the weather improved and movement could be resumed.
Further south, the 2nd Panzer Army fared somewhat better with the ground conditions and on the 29th of October began its advance towards Tula. Its 3rd Panzer Division ran into defensive positions occupied by the 52nd, 55th and 283rd Rifle Divisions near Mtzensk, on the eastern bank of the Susha River. The Division eventually forced a crossing of the river and pressed on towards Tula. On the 30th October, an attack was made against the city by elements of the Division supported by the 'Grossdeutschland Regiment'. The Russian 290th Rifle Division was forced to withdraw from Yasnaya Polyana to the north-east. Following this initial success, the attack was repulsed by the end of the day. Again the weather intervened and as the ground conditions worsened, the 2nd Panzer Army had no choice but to dig in. The Russians began to reinforce the city and that evening the 32nd Tank Brigade arrived in Tula. The following day the garrison was further strengthened by the 154th and 217th Rifle Divisions.
In the area of Selizharevo, on the 6th of November, the German 102nd and 253rd Infantry Divisions attacked the 249th Rifle Division with the purpose of capturing the town.
The same day, a combat group formed from the 86th, 162nd and 85th Infantry Divisions attacked in the area of Pushkino and Lotoshino at the junction of the Western and Kalinin Fronts in the direction of Klin.
On the 7th of November German forces reached the River Volga at Gorodnya and further south they forced the Llama river and captured Doronino and Pokrovskoe.
On the 8th of November, the 413th Rifle Division, supported by the 32nd Tank Brigade, opened an attack against the 2nd Panzer Group at Uslovaia, to the south of Tula. The attack was carried out in conjunction with another by the 293rd Rifle Division which attacked further to the south.
On November the 11th, Russian forces mounted a counter attack from the area of Serpukhov along the Protva river into the flank of the German 4th Army. The attack was carried out by the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps 112th Tank, 5th Guards, 415th and 60th Rifle Divisions. After achieving small penetrations to the north and south of Voronino, the attacks were halted by the 263rd and 268th Infantry Divisions.
In an attempt to avoid the encirclement of the 16th Army from the south and the east, counter attacks were mounted by the 50th Cavalry and 18th Rifle Divisions and the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, from November the 11th to the 14th. The attacks were carried out hastily, without sufficient time to reorganize or re-equip and without proper reconnaisance or coordinated artillery or air support. The attack of the 58th Tank Division was particularly poorly executed, with over half the Division's vehicles becoming bogged in swampy terrain. The attacks of the 17th and 44th Cavalry Divisions against prepared German positions suffered heavy casualties and broke down.
By November the 15th, German forces had also bypassed Volokolamsk from the north and the south, threatening the northern flank of the 16th Army, which had been strengthened with the addition of the 126th and 18th Rifle Divisions.

The Attack Resumes - 15th November onwards

Finally, on the night of the 14th of November, the temperature dropped along the whole front and the ground began to harden sufficiently for movement to continue. The attack resumed initially in 9th Army's area, with its 23rd Army Corps advancing in the area of the Volga Reservoir. The attack was supported by the 3rd Panzer Groups 57th Panzer Corps. Its 6th Panzer Division reached and crossed the Lama River, establishing a bridgehead near Selenzino.
The 17th of November saw a resumption of offensive action along the remainder of the Army Groups front. The 3rd Panzer Groups 27th Army Corps reached the southern edge of the Volga Reservoir, forcing the opposing 16th Army to withdraw in the direction of the Istra Reservoir.
The 3rd Panzer Group resumed its attack on the 18th of November, between Volokolamsk and Naro Faminsk. The 42nd Army Corps 106th Infantry Division attacked 24 hours before the main assault in order to secure the flank of the Panzer Army. When the attack proper opened, the 1st Panzer Division made good progress in the direction of Solnetschnogorsk. In an effort to slow the German advance, which had opened a breach between the Russian 16th and 30th Armies, the Russians flooded the area to the south of the Istra Reservoir. Later that day, to counter the threat to 16th Army's open northern flank, the 126th and 17th Cavalry and 107th Rifle Divisions and the 8th and 25th Tank Brigades, were ordered to counterattack the 11th Panzer Division which was exploiting the breach near Klin. However, the counter attack was unsuccessful and after three days of heavy fighting, German forces penetrated Russian defences near Mara-Sloboda, broke into the rear and cut the Volokolamsk highway.
Elements from the 30th Army also attempted to close the gap between itself and the 16th Army. Its 316th, 18th and 78th Rifle, 50th and 53rd Cavalry Divisions, supported by the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, counter attacked along the Volokolamsk and Istra axes.
Further south, the 4th Army's 9th and 7th Army Corps attacked the 5th Army along the approaches to Zvenigorod, forcing a breakthrough in the area of Pavlovskaya Sloboda.
The 9th Army meanwhile, was ordered to go over to the defence along its entire frontage. The Russians rapidly moved onto the offensive, attacking the 253rd and further east, the 206th Infantry Divisions to the west of Kalinin.
The 2nd Panzer Army's attack developed from the Orel area with the Don River as its objective. On the 20th of November, the 48th Panzer Corps, captured the city of Tim. The 12th Army Corps moved its 45th and 34th Infantry Divisions through Senovevka towards Livny, while the 24th Motorized Corps advanced with its 267th and 293rd Infantry Divisions from the area of Darischchi towards Yefremov. 4th Panzer Division broke through the positions of the 299th and 413th Rifle Divisions to the south of Tula. The 239th Rifle Division was committed to close the gap but was quickly engaged by the 112th Infantry Division. The same day the 47th Panzer Corps 18th Panzer Division captured Yefremov. However, at this point the 2nd Panzer Groups attack began to lose momentum. Fierce Russian resistance, poor weather conditions and a supply line that was stretched to breaking point, forced individual Divisions to gradually go over to the defensive.
Further north the 3rd Panzer Group continued its advance in the direction of Klin, in order to cut off the Russian forces withdrawing before the 4th Panzer Group. The Russian 16th Army was fighting a delaying action to the east of the city and halted the advance of the 7th Panzer Division in the area of Spas Zaulok.
On the 21st of November, the 14th Motorized Division broke through Russian positions to the east of Klin on the Klin-Volga Reservoir road, which left it in a position to begin an assault on the city.
On the 23rd November, elements of the 2nd Panzer Groups 29th Motorized Infantry Division reached Yepifan.
Further north, the 3rd Panzer Groups 7th Panzer Division captured Klin, while the 4th Panzer Groups 2nd Panzer Division reached Solnechnogorsk. By the 23rd of November, the Russian 5th Army had begun to occupy new defensive positions along the eastern bank the Istra River between Istra and Zvenigorod. The 16th Army was also ordered to begin to withdraw into defensive positions between Solnechnogorsk and Istra.
The following day, the 5th Army Corps 35th Infantry Division managed to bypass the Istra Reservoir and captured the village of Novinki.
On the 25th of November, the 4th Panzer Groups 10th and 11th Panzer Divisions also managed to cross the Istra River and establish bridgeheads. The 4th Army's 9th Army Corps met stiff resistance from the Russian 5th Army along the Rusa-Svenigorod highway as it advanced in the direction of the city. Its 78th Infantry Division reached Lokotnya on the 26th of November and the 87th Infantry Division captured Lukino on the same day. To the south of the Moskva River, the 7th Army Corps was attacked repeatedly by the newly arrived Russian 20th Army and made little progress.
The same day, the 3rd Panzer Groups 14th Motorized and 7th Panzer Divisions reached and crossed the Moskow-Volga Canal at Yakhroma. However, they were unable to breakout following a counter attack by the 29th and 50th Rifle Brigades, part of the 1st Shock Army. The 7th Panzer Division, which carried out the crossing, was unable to enlarge the bridgehead and withdrawn to the west bank of the canal.
The 4th Army remained on the defensive in the area between Aleksin and Naro Faminsk in order to secure the rear of the 3rd and 4th Panzer Armies. The Russians however, used the freedom of movement gained from 4th Army's lack of activity to withdraw its frontline troops, transferring them to the area of Istra to bolster the defence there, and replaced them with Militia units and reserve forces that had arrived from Siberia.
In 2nd Panzer Groups area on the 27th of October, the 131st Infantry Division managed to capture Aleksin, which had been defended by the 238th Rifle Division. However, despite this success, the Division was forced to go over to the defensive to the northwest of Tula. The same day the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps, consisting of the 112th Tank Division and the 35th and 127th Separate Tank Battalions carried out a successful counter attack against the 17th Panzer Division near Kashira.
At the end of November in 4th Army's area, the 57th Panzer and 13th Army Corps were attacked continuously by elements of the Russian 43rd and 49th Armies. Only the 20th Army Corps embarked in any offensive action. Its 292nd Infantry Division captured Akulovo, while its 258th Infantry Division captured Yushkovo and further south Naro Faminsk on the Nara River.
On the 30th of November, elements of the 4th Panzer Group had reached an area only 17km from the outskirts of Moscow. Its 2nd Panzer Division had captured Dedovsk, while the 106th Infantry Division had occupied Kryukovo.
Further east the 4th army's 23rd Infantry Division had captured the town of Sucherevo, while further to the south the SS 'Das Reich' Division, now attached to the 4th Panzer Group, had captured Lenino.
Despite these successes the advance had begun to stall. The 4th Army's 7th Corps had been halted, unable to break through the Russian defensive line between Lake Nara and the Moskva River bend. Its 268th Infantry Division was unable to make further progress along the Vyazma-Moscow road and the 197th and 7th Infantry Divisions had gone over to the defensive in the area of Kubinka.
In the area of Olgovo, the encircled Group Zaharov, consisting of the remnants of the 133rd, 126th Rifle and 17th Cavalry Divisions managed to break out to the northeast and rejoin the 1st Shock Army in the area of Dmitrov.
The 2nd Panzer Group meanwhile, was still engaged in the battle for Tula. A final attack in the area was mounted on the 2nd of December. The 24th Panzer Corps 4th Panzer Division advanced in the direction of Rudnevo, despite strong resistance from the 31st and 299th Rifle Divisions. Meanwhile, the 3rd Panzer Division captured Torshovo but could advance no further.
On December the 3rd, the Russian 112th Tank Division mounted a counter attack which reopened the Serpukhov-Tula road, restoring communications with Tula and Moscow.
The following day, the 2nd Army's 134th Infantry Division captured Yelez and in the 4th Panzer Groups area, two of its Divisions broke through the front of the 33rd Army's 222nd Rifle Division to the north of Naro-Fominsk. An attempt to stabilize the situation was made with a counter attack by the 113th Rifle Division in the area of Klotovo and Kamenskoe.
These would be the final offensive actions as the entire Army Group went over to the defensive, little realising that the Red Army would unleash its huge counter offensive in front of Moscow on the 5th of December. The counter offensive would send the Army Group reeling and end the chances of German forces ever capturing the Russian capital.

For further information on Operation 'Typhoon' read Assault on Moscow, 1941: the offensive, the battle, the set-back
by Werner Haupt and Before Stalingrad by David Glantz. See the sources page for details.