Soviet Red Army troops during the Battle of Moscow. Photograph licensed to War History Network. Click to enlarge.

Left: KUBINKA, MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA. 17 May 2021: Damaged Nazi Panzer IV tank in the military-historical reconstruction zone "Field of Victory" at the Patriot Park. Photograph licensed to War History Network. Click to enlarge.

The drive towards the Soviet capital and Battle of Moscow was an enormous undertaking by Hitler in his central campaign against the Soviet Union. In an offensive that was meant for quick German victory before winter set in, the campaign and Soviet victory lasted from 2 October 1941 to 7 January 1942. Weather, stretched supply lines, lack of winter clothing, and attrition took an enormous toll on both sides but more so for the German invaders. Temperatures were reported by both sides to have reached as low as minus 49 degrees Fahrenheit.

Towards late October, it was announced to the citizens of Moscow that Stalin had stayed in the city, to defend with the Red Army. This was viewed as key towards Soviet victory. While the city was under siege in October, some 2 milion Soviet citizens evacuated the city. (Werth, 2017. p. 241)  

Left: German tanks and troops on the streets of Kalinin, October 1941. German troops on Sovetskaya Street in Tver. This historical block was soon destroyed, with only one structure still standing. Photo in the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.

Strength estimates ranged from  up to 1.9M German soldiers in the beginning of the campaign, with more than 581,000 killed, wounded, or missing by early January. The toll for the Soviet Red Army in early defense of the city, and the December offensive was worse: estimates of 1,029,234 killed, wounded or missing. 

Operation Typhoon was more than just a was for the foot soldier. Germany's Luftwaffe had close to 600 aircraft in the battle while the Soviet Union had 1,376 aircaft serviceable at the time of the December counteroffensive. The tank war at Moscow was critical for both Germany and the Soviet Union. Germany had close to 2,000 tanks, which many became unserviceable in the extreme cold. The Red Army defended the city with over 3,200 tanks. 

Left: Two soldiers of the Wehrmacht on guard in December 1941 to the west of Moscow. Photograph in the Public Domain. Click to enlarge.

Alexander Werth, in his brilliant work Russia at War: 1941-1945, notes the individual heroism exhibited throughout the Red Army, and in the Viazma area: "Inside a cartridge case embedded in a tree trunk a note was found after the war written by a dying soldier, Alexander Vinogradov, who, with twelve others, had been sent to stop German tanks from advancing along the Minsk highway:

'And now there are only three of us left... We shall stand firm as long as there's life left in us... Now I am alone, wounded in my arm and my head. The number of tanks has increased. There are twenty-three. I shall probably die. Somebody may find my note and remember me; I am a Russian, from Frunze. I have no parents. Good bye, dear friends. Your Alexander Vinogradov, 22.2.42.'" (Werth, 2017. p. 267)

Multimedia: Video, Web, and Discussion
Video: War Stories: Battle of Moscow  |  Website: Operation Barbarossa: The Battle of Moscow  |  Discussion: Why was Germany defeated at Moscow?

For further reading
Russia at War: 1941-1945 by the late Alexander Werth. Werth was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1901 was later naturalized in Great Britain. A war correspondent during World War II at Stalingrad and Leningrad, his own story is fascinating and worth discovery and reading.

Jonathan Dimbleby's Operation Barbarossa: The History of Cataclysm places the Battle of Moscow in overall context of Operation Barbarossa. This work is highly recommended for those interested in the Eastern Front.