Battle for Moscow
Image taken from wikipedia.org
In 1941, Hitler launched an offensive into Russia. Breaking the neutrality treaty with the Soviets, Hitler intended to take Russia under his control. The Russians were caught off-guard and began to retreat. They moved their troops from eastern Russia to stop the onslaught of Hitler’s tanks. The Germans were halted outside the city of Moscow. The Germans believed that the Russian Army did not have enough manpower or strength to withstand an attack. However, the Soviets had prepared a massive artillery barrage and were determined to force the Germans away from the city.
Hitler decreed that no German soldier was to retreat. Russian civilians dug trenches and put up anti-tank barriers all over the city. Artillery was camouflaged with white fabric so as to blend in with the snow. The Russians held the city after losing hundreds of thousands of troops in the cold winter of 1941. This battle forced Hitler to change his strategy on how to defeat a well-fortified enemy. This battle became Hitler’s first defeat in his invasion of Russia. But it would be many years until the Russians would see final victory over the Nazis.
