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The Battle of Moscow ((ロシア語:Битва за Москву)) is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the largest Soviet city. Moscow was one of the primary military and political objectives for Axis forces in their invasion of the Soviet Union. The German strategic offensive, named Operation Typhoon, was planned to conduct two pincer offensives, one to the north of Moscow against the Kalinin Front by the 3rd and 4th Panzer Armies, simultaneously severing the Moscow–Leningrad railway, and another to the south of Moscow Oblast against the Western Front south of Tula, by the 2nd Panzer Army, while the 4th Army advanced directly towards Moscow from the west. A separate operational German plan, codenamed ''Operation Wotan'', was included in the final phase of the German offensive. Initially, the Soviet forces conducted a strategic defence of the Moscow Oblast by constructing three defensive belts, deploying newly raised reserve armies, and bringing troops from the Siberian and Far Eastern Military Districts. Subsequently, as the German offensives were halted, a Soviet strategic counter-offensive and smaller-scale offensive operations were executed to force the German armies back to the positions around the cities of Oryol, Vyazma and Vitebsk, nearly surrounding three German armies in the process. ==Background== The original German invasion plan, which the Axis called Operation ''Barbarossa'', called for the capture of Moscow within four months. On 22 June 1941, Axis troops invaded the Soviet Union and destroyed most of the Soviet Air Force on the ground, advancing deep into Soviet territory using ''blitzkrieg'' tactics, destroying entire Soviet armies. While the German Army Group North moved towards Leningrad, Army Group South took control of Ukraine, and Army Group Center advanced towards Moscow. By July 1941, Army Group Center crossed the Dnieper River, on the path to Moscow.〔Heinz Guderian, ''Erinnerungen eines Soldaten (Memoirs of a soldier)'', Smolensk, Rusich, 1999, p. 229.〕 In August 1941, German forces captured Smolensk, an important stronghold on the road to Moscow.〔Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Moscow, 1973–1978, entry "Battle of Smolensk"〕 At this stage, although Moscow was vulnerable, an offensive against the city would have exposed both of the German flanks. In part to address these risks, in part to attempt to secure Ukraine's food and mineral resources,〔Guderian, pp. 267–272.〕 Hitler ordered the attack to turn north and south and eliminate Soviet forces at Leningrad and Kiev.〔Alan F. Wilt. Hitler's Late Summer Pause in 1941. ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 45, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp. 187–191〕 This delayed the German advance on Moscow.〔 When the advance on Moscow resumed on 2 October 1941, German forces had been weakened, while the Soviets had raised new forces for the defence of the city.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Moscow」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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