“They burned all the villages.” The defeat of the Germans near Moscow through the eyes of eyewitnesses

Plot World History with Andrey Sidorchik

December 5, 1941, in the history of not only the Great Patriotic War, but also the Second World War as a whole, became the most important date. On this day, the troops of the Kalinin Front, going on the offensive, broke through the enemy’s defenses and managed to advance 4-5 kilometers.

“They are hurriedly retreating, abandoning equipment, weapons and suffering huge losses…»

In the first hours, the Nazis were sure that we were talking about a local operation, which they could easily cope with. However, the next day, parts of the Western and Southwestern Fronts began their offensive actions.

A couple of days later, the Germans admitted that they were facing a crisis that they had not experienced during the entire war period. Hitler’s directive on the transition to defense on all sectors of the front did not fundamentally change the picture. The Wehrmacht rolled back from Moscow.

On December 11, 1941, the exultant voice of the announcer Yuri Levitan sounded on the radio: “The troops of our Western Front, having exhausted the enemy in the previous battles, launched a counteroffensive against his shock flank groups. As a result of the launched offensive, both of these groups are defeated and hastily withdraw, abandoning equipment, weapons and incurring huge losses…»

The defeat of the Wehrmacht near Moscow became a worldwide sensation. The German military machine, which received the reputation of invincible after the campaign in Europe, received such a savory slap in the face for the first time. There was a force capable of fighting the Third Reich on equal terms.

The plan of a lightning war, on which the calculations of Hitler’s strategists were based, was finally buried. And the most far-sighted German military figures predicted that nothing good would end the Eastern campaign now.

How did their direct witnesses and participants remember those December days of 1941?

“After the Wedge was liberated by us, British Foreign Minister Eden arrived there”

Marshal Georgy Zhukov, during the Battle of Moscow, the commander of the Western Front: “On the first day of the offensive, the troops of the Kalinin Front wedged into the front line of the enemy’s defense, but could not overturn the enemy. Only after ten days of hard fighting and changes in offensive tactics, the front’s troops began to move forward. This happened after the right wing of the Western Front defeated the German grouping in the Rogachevo area of Solnechnogorsk and bypassed the Wedge on December 13, the 1st Shock Army and part of the forces of the 30th Army of the Western Front approached the Wedge. Covering the city from all sides,Soviet troops broke into it and after fierce fighting on the night of December 15 cleared the Wedge from the enemy… After the Wedge was liberated by us, British Foreign Minister A. Eden arrived there. At the end of December, we read in the “Truth” a statement by A. Eden, made by him upon his return to London. Sharing his impressions of his trip to the USSR, he said: “I was happy to see some of the exploits of the Russian armies, feats truly magnificent.”

«If a hut or two was preserved somewhere, then it was necessarily mined»

Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky During the Battle of Moscow, the commander of the 16th Army: “During the retreat, the German troops did everything to slow down our offensive. They heavily mined roads, arranged all kinds of booby traps. The army headquarters tried to be closer to the head units, and we often had to overtake the troops, advancing where our sappers had not yet had time to remove mine obstacles. The feeling, I will say, is not pleasant… On their way, the Nazis burned all the villages. If a hut or two was preserved somewhere, then it must have been mined. I remember once wewith … several comrades settled down to warm up in the surviving house. It was necessary to make an urgent decision and prepare an order for the troops to act the next day. The house, of course, had already been cleared, which was confirmed by the defused mines lying nearby. Just as we were about to get down to business, first the correspondents came in, and then a few more people with movie cameras. The room was filled with people. In such conditions, it’s not up to work. I had to make a sad joke about the mine danger, and pretty soon the hut was empty.

Commander of the 16th Army of the Western Front, Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky under Istra (second from the right). A frame from the documentary film “The defeat of the German troops near Moscow. October 1941 —January 1942 gg.» Central Newsreel Studio. 1942. Photo: RIA Novosti/S.Shcherbakov

«Garno we ground them. They’ve beaten up Moscow, the critters!»

General Afanasy Beloborodov, in December 1941, the commander of the 9th Guards Rifle Division: “The Fascist strongholds located in the building of the Snigirev school and at the brick factory fell at dawn. They were defeated by Captain Tertyshny’s heavy howitzer division with their fire. When the gunners changed their firing positions, the commissar of the division, Politruk RomanchenkoI stopped the column near the school — let the fighters be clearly convinced of the strength of their weapons. In the building, under the collapsed beams, among broken bricks, twisted iron, twisted anti-tank guns and machine guns, hundreds of corpses of SS men from the Fuhrer regiment were lying.

A short rally was held. Gunner Sergeant Petrenko said:

— Garno we ground them. They’ve beaten up Moscow, the critters! And we, the lads, will visit Berlin in kind. Is that so?

— So! — the gunners answered together ».

“After five days of continuous fighting, no more than 10 fighters remained from the battalion”

Ivan Padalko, in December 1941, assistant platoon commander of the 1166th rifle Regiment of the 346th Rifle Division: “The first days of our stay at the front, our first baptism of fire, were remembered for life. We arrived at the front in new white sheepskin coats and fur mittens. After five days of continuous fighting, no more than 10 fighters remained from the battalion, and our beautiful uniforms almost fell into disrepair… The fighting continued, we liberated settlements,exhausting the opponent. Finally, our offensive stopped near the town of Belev, which stretches along the banks of the Oka River. It was here that for the first time I saw a salvo of our guards mortars “Katyusha”. The effect of the heavy fire “katyusha” was amazing, but I found out about it much later, when, continuing the way to the west, we passed the German positions, the fascists fled, throwing weapons in the trenches, the burnt corpses of dead soldiers and wounded”.

The Battle for Moscow. December 1941. Artillery crews are fighting in the forest near Moscow. Photo: RIA Novosti/Oleg Knorring

“Potatoes have fallen in price for collective farmers. This is how they respond to our victories. The German retreats, and they retreat”

A resident of Moscow, a journalist Nikolay Verzhbitsky, from the diaries for December 1941: “December 11. We have returned Yelets – a very important node, a strategic point. Big trophies…

December 13, 1941. — maybe from this date historians will begin the period of the defeat of fascism in the planetary war…

And in general, in these days of joyful victories and the defeat of the Germans near Moscow, there is no special rejoicing. Everyone rejoices very restrained. Muscovites are just beginning to really understand what disaster awaited them and from what misfortune they were freed… Then they will understand. Such majestic events really reach the senses and consciousness when time pushes them somewhat into the past.

The collective farmers’ potatoes have fallen in price – 6-7 rubles. This is how they respond to our victories. The German retreats, and they retreat.

“In the liberated village”. A woman embraces a Soviet soldier after the liberation of her village during the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow. Photo: RIA Novosti/Ivan Shagin

“Understand, I’m dying, I’m going to die, I feel it”

From a letter from Wehrmacht Private Folheimer to his wife, December 1941: “Hell is here. The Russians don’t want to leave Moscow. They began to advance. Every hour brings terrible news for us. I beg you, stop writing to me about the silk and rubber boots that I promised to bring you from Moscow. Understand, I’m dying, I’m going to die, I feel it.”

“The memory of Napoleon’s Great Army haunted us like a ghost”

General Gunther Blumentritt, in December 1941, the chief of staff of the 4th Army of the Wehrmacht: “We did not believe that the situation could have changed so much after our decisive victories, when the capital seemed almost to be in our hands. The Russians surprised us. The troops now recalled with indignation the pompous October statements of our Ministry of Propaganda… The memory of Napoleon’s Great Army haunted us like a ghost. The book of memoirs of Napoleon’s General Caulaincourt, always lying on Field Marshal von Kluge’s desk, became histhe Bible. Russian Russian counteroffensive began with the fact that the superior forces of the Russians struck north of Moscow. There were more and more coincidences with the events of 1812. In those bad conditions, German tank troops could not withstand the strongest Russian pressure and were forced to slowly retreat, continuing to fight hard in deep snow and hoping to restore a united front further west. During the retreat we left a lot of heavy weapons… In the battles with the enemy we suffered heavy losses».

The beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive near Moscow

Marching companies are sent to the front directly from Moscow. In the background is the house No. 17 on Tverskaya Street. © Commons.wikimedia.org/RIA Novosti archive/Oleg Ignatovich

Soviet planes fly around enemy positions near Moscow. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Masked soldiers go on the attack in a village near Moscow occupied by Nazi troops. © RIA Novosti/A frame from the documentary “The defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow”

The beginning of the Red Army’s counteroffensive. Soviet troops are passing along the street of the liberated village. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Broken German tanks near Moscow. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Captured German artillery. © RIA Novosti

Captured German equipment. © RIA Novosti/Alexander Kapustyansky

A German cemetery and a broken cannon. © RIA Novosti

The moment of the Battle for Moscow. The fighting lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942 and ended with the strategic victory of the USSR and the collapse of the Barbarossa plan. © RIA Novosti

Marching companies are sent to the front directly from Moscow. In the background is the house No. 17 on Tverskaya Street. © Commons.wikimedia.org/RIA Novosti archive/Oleg Ignatovich

Soviet planes fly around enemy positions near Moscow. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Masked soldiers go on the attack in a village near Moscow occupied by Nazi troops. © RIA Novosti/A frame from the documentary “The defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow”

The beginning of the Red Army’s counteroffensive. Soviet troops are passing along the street of the liberated village. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Broken German tanks near Moscow. © RIA Novosti/Samari Gurari

Captured German artillery. © RIA Novosti

Captured German equipment. © RIA Novosti/Alexander Kapustyansky

A German cemetery and a broken cannon. © RIA Novosti

The moment of the Battle for Moscow. The fighting lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942 and ended with the strategic victory of the USSR and the collapse of the Barbarossa plan. © RIA Novosti

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