One of the most dramatic events of World War II is the battle for Moscow. Operation Typhoon - that’s the name of the operation to capture Moscow in Hitler’s documents. It was supposed to capture Moscow before the onset of frost. They wanted to turn Moscow into ruins; it was planned to capture the Soviet government. Operation Typhoon 1941 was to be the end of the war, but Hitler’s plans, fortunately, did not come true. The day of the capture of Moscow was appointed November 7. This date was not chosen by chance - November 7th in the USSR was a public holiday, the day of the Great October Revolution.
Operation Typhoon was structured as follows. First, powerful strikes with the use of military equipment should have been carried out, which would lead to breaches in the defense of our troops. After that, Hitler’s tanks and infantry were to go forward and surround the main forces of our troops in the region of Vyazma and Bryansk. After these forces were destroyed, German tanks and infantry were to take Moscow into the ring. The 2nd Panzer Group was to surround Moscow from the south, the 3rd and 4th groups from the north. Infantry was to enter from the west.
On September 30, the 2nd Panzer Group under the command of General Guderian went on the offensive in the field of the Bryansk Front. Operation Typhoon has begun. German troops greatly exceeded the Soviet both in the number of people and in weapons. On October 2, two other tank groups went on the offensive. Soviet troops began to retreat to Moscow. Operation Typhoon was successful for some time - on October 7, part of the Soviet troops were taken into encirclement near Vyazma. On October 13, Rzhev was captured. On October 14, tank groups occupied Kalinin. The Soviet units surrounded by Vyazma fettered a considerable number of German troops around them. Mozhaisk fell on October 18. November 18, Operation Typhoon moves to the second stage.
The defense of the capital was commanded by G.K. Zhukov. Under his leadership, three fronts were united into one front - the Western. On November 7, the day that was a holiday for Soviet people, a parade of troops took place on Red Square, from which soldiers and officers went straight to the front. Forces flocked to help from Transbaikalia, Central Asia, the Far East. Divisions of the national militia were formed, which immediately went to the front. Fighter battalions were also formed from volunteers who were engaged in catching enemy spies in the city. A huge number of Moscow women and adolescents were engaged in the construction of defensive structures. The Germans managed to advance so much that 30 kilometers remained to Moscow. Stalin, in these fateful days, decided to remain in Moscow.
On December 4-5, the advance of the Germans was stopped. Operation Typhoon failed. On December 5, the troops of General Konev went on the counterattack, and on December 6 the troops of Zhukov went on the counterattack. German troops began a retreat. Skiers and paratroopers were sent to the areas of retreat to the fascist troops. The fascist army suffered heavy losses. Only the people of the German army lost about half a million. The losses of the Soviet troops were also huge.
Operation Typhoon WWII failed, and it was of great importance. The lightning victory plan was a failure.
For the first time, the Nazi army failed to achieve the desired goal. It turned out that the German war machine is not at all invincible. Having captured vast territories, she now retreated before the onslaught of the Soviet people. As a result, the war dragged on, failed to win before the onset of frost, and now Hitler will have to fight in the winter in Russia. The Soviet people showed their courage, the readiness of each soldier to fight to the last breath for their homeland. His courage became known throughout the world.