December 1941

Eastern Front

The 18th Army abandons its hard won territory east of the Volkhov, giving up all gains made during TYPHOON.

The 1st, 6th and 7th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions of the 3rd Panzer Group fight on the outskirts of Klin, while the 2nd Panzer Division holds open the road to the west. The 30th and 1st Shock Armies are closing in from the north and east. Army Group Center subordinates command of the 3rd Panzer to the equally hard pressed 4th Panzer Group. The 16th Army struggles to make any headway in the flooded Istra area. The 18th and 354th Rifle divisions attempt a crossing of the swollen Istra River but are held up by fierce German artillery fire. Rokossovsky redeploys his army into 2 groups, Groups Remizov and Katukov, to envelop the Istra reservoir from north and south. The 5th Army is to support the attack with its own 3-division mobile group.

The situation on the right flank continues to deteriorate as the 2nd Army is separated from the 2nd Panzer Army. Yefremov is evacuated as the 2nd Army falls back. To the left of the 2nd Army, the 2nd Panzer Army is forced away from the 4th Army to the north, leaving both flanks of the 2nd Panzer exposed.

Hitler blames the entire debacle in the center upon Field Marshal von Bock, dismissing him from command of Army Group Center. Field Marshal Kluge succeeds the ill Bock.