On June 22nd 1941, the forces of Nazi Germany began the largest land campaign in the history of mankind. It would turn into the world's largest conflict, both in terms of men/material displaced, and the number of casualties inflicted. This massive land war would last a little over three years, and would decide the fate of the world. During this time, there were two battles that decided the course of Barbarossa, and the fate of the war. One of these, the Battle of Moscow, began and ended before the Americans had entered the war in full.
However, to say that the war was a surprise to either side of the conflict is definitely a mis-statement. Hitler had made clear in his half-memoir, half-manifesto Mein Kampf, that the communists in Germany (and thereby the international communist community), was to blame for Germany's loss during the First World War. The Germans saw Russia as a necessary source of raw materials and expansionary space. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact had been meant by both sides as a temporary stop-gap, and both were keeping a close eye on one another. In 1940, it was only a matter of who would invade and when, and by May of 1941, Stalin went so far as to address graduates of the Soviet Military Academy, telling them that war with Germany would be their future.
More than this practical realization, the ideological differences between the two totalitarian states would always be a major point of contention. No amount of diplomatic agreements could change the fact that Hitler saw all Bolsheviks as the enemy (Mein Kampf), and that the Soviets, had tried to intervene directly in the outcome of the Friekorps movement in Germany. Both sides advocated the supremacy of the state, but one side advocated a class-based and racist ideology, while the other advocated a class-less society, although it apparently enfranchised a new class. In the end, war was inevitable.
Given Hitler's predetermination to go to war, every day that he allowed the Soviets of peace, was, in truth, more time he allowed them to prepare for their defense. Given how the campaign in the West had become bogged down and confined to an air engagement, Hitler became convinced that the invasion of the Soviet Union needed to happen. He needed Oil for his war machine, and he needed to quickly rob the British people of the idea that the Russians might come to their aid.
Despite the lack of surprise, there were still more than a few unknowns in the conflict to come. Both sides wondered what technological capacities the other could employ, and wondered how their doctrines fared against each other. Hitler has made sure that his forces were fast and maneuverable, able to create punctures in the enemy lines, and then given the assault forces to fully exploit these in targeted assaults. This doctrine of armored spear-point, was combined with a larger combined arms doctrine known as Blitzkrieg.
On the other hand, Stalin's generals had devised an operational paradigm, still classified to this day, known as deep operations and deep defense. By adding another level of operational command, Soviet forces were better able to react to the changing nature of the battlefield, and could both operate en masse, as well as direct strategic elements at enemy weak points.
Barbarossa struck hard and furious, annihilating almost the entirety of the Soviet Air Force in a matter of days. The strike was so fast that thousands of casualties were sustained in the first few hours. while German Army Groups North and Center moved to their targets, Moscow and Leningrad respectively. As a result, major salients formed around Minsk, Odessa, and Kiev. Soviet troops in these encircled and embattled cities lasted mere weeks without resupply.
It was in this initial drive, before the United States even entered the war, that one of the two most important battles of the war was fought. The Germans had come within miles of Leningrad, and were only 20 miles outside of Moscow (Clark 163). The Soviet forces had to hold off the advance, and then counter-attack. If they failed to do so, would mean the defeat and dissolution of the Soviet State.
But why exactly was Moscow so important? I will examine the meaning of Moscow as a symbol of Soviet Might, its economic importance to the north, and the importance of winning a battle at the steps of the Kremlin.
Moscow: Soviet Symbol of Might
After the initial battles in the Summer of 1941 to take the Soviet frontier, the next strategic goal for Hitler's armies was the drive on Moscow, known as Operation Typhoon. The Operation was spearheaded by German Panzer Divisions in October 1941, and was set up in three phases; an attack to the North and South of the city and a final occupation of the Soviet Capital.
Occupation of the Soviet Capital would have been incredibly detrimental to Soviet morale. Stalin had refused to leave the capital, and on more than a few occasions, German artillery was able to threaten the city. If the city had fallen, the enemy would have had to bypass a large bulk of the Soviet Army, and killed or captured it in the process.
The Soviet people would see their inability to save their capital as the inability to save any part of the nation, and likely mass desertion and surrender would have followed. Local townships would have probably split from the Soviet Union, only to be later absorbed by the Third Reich in a more peaceful (yet all the same tyranical) nature.
Most importantly, the capture of Moscow would have lead to the decapitation of both civil and military authority for the state. Even if the leaders and generals had survived and escaped, they would have an extreme problem just trying to reorganize themselves and take command of their elements. Many would likely lose their commands during this chaos and retreat.
Moscow: Economic Powerhouse
Moscow was also important from an economic perspective. It was home to a large degree of Soviet Industry, and was the head of the administrative apparatus of the vast majority of it. The loss of Moscow meant that most of the Soviet factories would no longer receive build orders, wouldn't know where to transport finished material, or more likely, would just run out of money to continue operation.
Without the material support of the Industry, regular Soviet Divisions would become almost inoperative, as ammunition, food, and fuel stocks were depleted. Soviet troops would likely surrender out of necessity, than continue fighting uselessly. Only those partisan units, used to the nature warfare on a budget, would be able to continue operation. But without the help and pressure of the regular army, the Third Reich would merely have to invest in some garrison and police units to patrol newly conquered regions.
In terms of infrastructure, Moscow was incredibly important as a rail-hub, and was the vital life-link to Leningrad, which was currently undergoing its own siege. If Moscow fell, Leningrad would follow right behind it.
Moscow: Fortress
As important as its economic or political importance, was its military position. Moscow had recieved a vast number of reinforcements from the Far East. Railways offloaded Siberian troops in the thousands, and Soviet Generals planned their counter-offensives. While Soviet Arms and Armor were generally less impressive than German counter-parts, they had a good amount of productive capability. However, this doesn't change the fact that of all the new units entering the battle, only one true 'new' division entered at the time, the 310th Motorized Division.
The rest of the defenses of Moscow were made up of seasoned veterans, that were low on equipment and general war-fighting supplies. They had been fighting disorganization and disloyalty during the retreat as much as they were fighting the Germans themselves. However, a number of new 'worker's battalions' entered the field of battle, however they were vastly under-equipped, having only 295 rifles per brigade the strength of 675 men (Clark 159).
For the initial shock of the invasion, and their superiority in training and equipment, the Germans had a fundamental weakness. The Marshals of the Eastern Front, so assured of their victory, often quarreled with themselves over things like the glory to be gained for having taken a city, or what lands they might expect to rule after the war was over.
Their initial squabbles, turned into full-form inefficiency, as their tactical and strategic decisions reflected this. You can see it, in the early part of the war, as German Panzer Divisions sped forward across the Russian Plain, leaving behind their infantry screen. The slower moving infantry prevented the Panzers from being sorrounded, and could react more easily to counter-offensives. This cavalier attitude almost caused two Panzer Divisions to be encircled by Soviet forces early in the Battle of Moscow.
While one can't deny the part that the Russians played in their own defense, they also recieved a bit of help from the weather. As the Winter of 1941 set in, German forces found themselves not properly equipped for the freezing temperatures, and many of their vehicles became far less mobile, or immobile altogether. This winter helped to stall German forces and made them more vulnerable to Soviet attack.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the Germans were forced to abandon Operation Typhoon. And while they were not defeated, they were prevented from ending the Soviets as quickly as they would have liked. The turning of the tide would not happen until the Summer of 42, during Stalingrad. However, for now, the Soviets had put up a shield, and finally held back the invincible blitzkrieg. The Myth of German Superiority was put to an end, and although the war hadn't been won yet, the Battle of Moscow proved that it was possible.
Sources
Clark, Alan. Barbarossa: The Russian-German Conflict, 1941-45. Harper-Collins. 1985.
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Reynal & Hitchcock. 1939.
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