Holding the Line at Smolensk: The Red Army s Bloody Attempt To Stop the Nazi Juggernaut
In Smolensk during the summer of 1941, the Soviet Red Army attempted to slow Hitler s Operation Barbarossa.
Here s What You Need to Know: The Red Army suffered over 600,000 casualties, including almost 400,000 men taken prisoner.
After crushing the first-line Soviet armies in brutal three-week cauldron battles at the border, the steamroller of German Army Group Center continued deeper into Soviet territory during the opening days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on June 22, 1941.
The twin armored spearheads of Army Group Center were Panzer Group 2 under the command of General Heinz Guderian and Panzer Group 3 under extremely capable tank general Hermann Hoth. Their coordinated offensive on July 10, 1941, unleashed the Battle of Smolensk, a bloody struggle around the ancient Russian city that was to last two long months.