Key battles in WW1/WW2

Battle of Smolensk

In Operation Barbarossa, the German troops were rapidly advancing eastwards towards the Ural mountains. However the Soviets had deployed massive mobilisations so make up for the lost men taken as prisoners of war through all the Blitzkrieg Hitler done. But this battle would decide the fait of if Germany would reach Moscow before Winter. So lets see how this battle started and what is caused.

Before the battle, army group centre was rapidly advancing eastwards as the crippling Soviet troops could not establish a strong defensive line as the Germans were advancing too fast for them to let that happen. And by that time they had reached the outskirts of Smolensk and the Soviets deployed a large force to counter them before they could get any closer towards Moscow. The Soviets had deployed many men as they physically could. And around 700,000 men were ready to fight for the motherland. The Battle started with Panzer divisions rolling through to neutralise any defences they could. A good portion of the defences were neutralised by artillery and tank fire. Then German troops to the North and from the South so now the city was in danger of encirclement. But it was too late for the Garrison to retreat because the Germans had already cut off their retreat path eastwards. And 600,000 men had been trapped inside the pocket and they barely fought a few days before it was liquidated and surrendered. Which would severely weaken the Red army in numerical measures. And the Germans kept pushing eastwards and were nearing Moscow. The Battle was only beginning...

What made this battle so significant was that the Red army had halted the German advance to Moscow by deploying a mass mobilisation around the city so it could be defended properly However to the Soviet horror the Germans had already taken account of the Northern and Southern flanks of the city and with the Soviet risks of encirclement but because of German Panzer divisions, they moved faster then the Soviets could retreat and before they knew it they were blocked in and caved in on all sides. Which then the pocket was liquidated and surrendered which meant that 600,000 men were now POW. And severely weakened the Red armies strength. However the Red army achieve their goal of delaying the German advance towards Moscow before the on set of Winter in 1941. Where the winter would likely weaken and force the German high command to retreat. Joseph Stalin was impressed with the Red army but it wasnt enough to contain the German attacks until winter as Summer was at peak temperatures and total sunshine.