November 1941

Eastern Front

North of Moscow, the 2nd Panzer Division of the XL Panzer Corps captures Krasnaya Polyana. Heavy fighting also rages at kryukovo and Dedovsk as the XLVI and XL Panzer Corps of the 4th Panzer Group and the V Corps of the 3rd Panzer Group close around the 16th and 5th Armies. The Stavka reluctantly releases the 1st Shock and 20th Armies from the reseve to shore up the crumbling 16th and 30th Armies, the 1st Shock being ordered to counterattack at Yakhroma and the 20th Army at Krasnaya Polyana.

With the German offensive weakening noticeably, Zhukov proposes to the Stavka that the force on the Moscow axis launch their counteroffensive within the next few days. As the Germans press closer to Moscow, the force of their attacks lessen appreciably. Using his reserve, Zhukov intends to strike at the flanks of Army Group Center, bringing about its encirclement and destruction in a cauldron battle before Moscow. The northern wing, containing the 30th, 1st Shock, 20th and 14th Armies, is tasked with isolating and destroying the 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups. These armies will then push west to Smolensk, where the southern pincer will also have penetrated the German front. This southern attack consist of th 10th and 50th Armies, whose task is to destroy the 2nd Panzer Army. In the center, the 4th Army will be pinned down on the Nara and be prevented from transferring forces to the flanks by the attacks of the 5th, 33rd, 43rd and 49th Armies. The Soviets bring together 718,000 men on the Moscow axis, with 7,985 artillery pieces and 720 tanks against the cold and exhausted forces of Army Group enter. At this stage of the battle, Army Group Center has been reduced to 801,000 soldiers, 14,000 artillery pieces and 1,000 tanks, many being inoperable due to the intense cold. There are also 615 aircraft but again most of these are grounded due to the weather and lack of adequate supplied.

Von Bock in conversation with von Brauchitsch: 'My one hope [of reaching Moscow] is to continue the attack frontally...I emphasize that Army Group Center is at the end of its strength.

Hitler orders Rundstedt to halt his retreat to the Mius and hold firm on positions between the Mius and the Don. Rundstedt maintains that he will be unable to prevent a Soviet breakthrough on this line and pulls back quickly to the Mius, to break off contact with the Russians and because there are defensive positions already established on this river line. Hitler accuses Rundstedt of defeatism and relieves him of his post, appointing Reichenau in his place. This is the first of many dismissals over the coming few weeks, Hitler sacking his generals as each new defeat is reported from the front.

The number of divisions in the east falls by one at the end of the month with the departure of a single infantry division, standing at 19 panzer, 15 motorized and 103 infantry divisions. Ostheer equipment strength stands at 36,000 artillery pieces, 1,453 tanks and 3,688 aircraft. German losses on the Eastern Front during November amounted to 57,000 men (36,000 killed), bringing losses since June to 770,000. Some 400,000 men have been replaced. Of the 600,000 motor vehicles committed to the Eastern Front in June, the Ostheer has lost 150,000 destroyed and a further 250,000 are under repair.

At the end of November 1941, the Red Army has in reserve 9 armies (10th, 26th, 28th, 39th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th and 61st) with 59 rifle and 17 cavalry divisions. At the front the army has 219 divisions with 4,196,000 ment, 32,194 artillery pieces, 1,984 tanks and 3,688 aircraft.