Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode 156,

Stalin strikes back.

Last time, the Germans had been able to penetrate Stalin's and Zhukov's latest defensive line

to the northwest of the capital.

Indeed, elements of Hopner's Second Panzer Division had come within artillery range

of the Soviet capital.

In reaction, Stalin, and he was the only one with such authority, activated one of his

recently created shock armies.

General Kudnetsov's first shock army, and General Lezukov's 20th Army, and ordered them

into the gap that allowed the Germans to get as close as they had.

Meanwhile, to the south of the capital, the news was better for the defenders.

They also newly created and renamed First Guards' cavalry corps, commanded by Bevlav,

had been able to head south of Moscow and sneak up on Colonel Eberbach's Whittledown

17th Panzer Division on November 27th.

And not only halted its advance, but pushed back what was, Guderian's still only active

command.

By the end of November, despite Bevlav's success to the south, Moscow's defenses to the

north and south seemed to General Bach, commander of Army Group Center, to be on the breaking

point.

The Russians had cracked, but not broken.

What was needed was one more hammer blow for the entire defensive structure to fall in

on itself.

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