December 1941

Eastern Front

There is bitter fighting as the 4th Army closes upon Tikhvin. Heavy fighting rages at Malaya Vyshera as the 52nd Army attacks the XXXVIII Corps in an effort to penetrate the southern flank of the salient.

The 30th, 1st Shcok and 20th Armies begin to counterattack north of Moscow along the Moscow-Volga Canal and near Krasnaya Polyana. Elements of the 30th Army penetrate the forward positions of the 3rd Panzer Group and pushes 8 miles along the road to Klin from the northeast. Further attacks by the 1st Shock and 20th Armies at Dmitrov and Solnechnogorsk hit the 3rd Panzer Group hard. Elements of the 1st Shock Army fight their way into Yakhroma. Under intense pressure, the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions of the 3rd Panzer Group begin a fighting withdrawal to Klin, threatening to expose the left wing of the 4th Panzer Group. Heavy fighting rages at Krasnaya Polyana where the 20th Army also attacks the 3rd Panzer Group.

The 10th Army marches directly into battle, striking the 2nd Panzer Army on its southern wing and pushing toward Michailov and Novomosskovsk. The 17th Panzer Division struggles to hold off Soviet attacks south of Kashira, but by the end of the day is threatened as the II Guards Cavarly Corps cuts the Mordves-Venev road. Wit the collapse of the right wing imminent, Guderian orders his army to fall back to defensive positions on the Don, Shat and Upa Rivers. South of the 2nd Panzer Army, Soviet 13th Army hist the 2nd Army near Yelets.