Although there were continuous troops and strategic materials in the rear of the Soviet Union to Moscow, under the backward conditions at that time, even if it was transported day and night, the amount of supplements in the short term was limited.//

You can imagine that with the German combat effectiveness and overwhelming advantage, if there is no weather influence, would it be impossible for Moscow to be taken? If it is taken a step back, even if Moscow cannot be taken for the time being, the Soviet army will not be able to counterattack and turn the situation around, at most, like Leningrad.

It is safe to say that if there were three more weeks of dry, mild and sunny weather, the German army must have invaded Moscow.

In fact, in early June, the weather suddenly changed, and the first snow fell in Moscow, almost a month earlier than before. Note that one month earlier had a great impact on the German army, because the German army was unprepared. In mid-to-late June, the autumn rain continued, and the rain was intertwined, making the road muddy.

The sudden deterioration of the weather almost weakened the fierce attack of the German army, and it stopped in the second and third weeks of July due to rain, snow and mud.

By the end of July, due to bad weather and the supply of German supplies in the typhoon battle, the Southern Army Group was stagnant. Of the 500,000 trucks, 30% were damaged and irreparable, and another 40% needed overhaul or comprehensive maintenance, and only 30% were still in use. The central cluster needed at least 31 trains to transport supplies every day to maintain it, but in fact only 16 trains were provided.

German tanks could not start at all in the severe cold, and they had to use a pickaxe to dig the frozen soil around the vehicles and artillery bit by bit. Many vehicles and artillery were damaged so badly that they could not be used when trying to drag them out of the frozen soil. If a cold cover was not added, the vehicle's engine would be frozen during driving.

When trucks and tanks stop in the middle of the road, fire must be set under the engine to prevent icing. The liquid in the gun stationary auxiliary machine solidifies. For the same reason, machine guns and automatic rifles cannot be used. The only ones that can be used are mortars.

The lenses of optical sights and telescopes are blurred and lose their effect. Tracked vehicles will slip on the ice without anti-slip devices. The tracks of German tanks are narrow and have poor tactical mobility when driving in soft snow. Due to poor diet and cold food, some people vomit after meals, and some people suffer from stomach problems.

The troops did not receive camouflage clothing and winter clothes. Many troops did not even have underwear and sturdy boots. The soldiers should have at least two or more people to go together, so that they could observe each other whether there were signs of frostbite. The wounded would die if they fell down. It was not because of the serious injury. It was because of blood loss, but because of shock and frostbite.

Despite this, the German army launched a tenacious attack, but due to the weather, the results were minimal.

On June 5, a reconnaissance battalion of a German infantry division broke into Shimki, a suburb of Moscow. The top of the Kremlin could already be seen in the telescope. But the next day, it was repelled by the reinforcements of the Soviet army. This was the closest place for the German team to reach Moscow, and this was the first and last time they saw the Kremlin.

When the temperature dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius during the day, most German soldiers had not yet obtained winter clothes. When the cold weather arrived, the troops were still wearing summer clothes. Only one-tenth of the winter clothes sent to the division. Hitler wanted to fight a battle and ended the war, and then only 60 divisions were left, and the rest of the troops were all withdrawn to Germany. Therefore, he believed that there was no need to distribute winter clothes 100%. He even forbidden to raise the issue of general winter clothes to prevent the troops from being uneasy. At night, the temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius. All soldiers had to return indoors for an hour after staying outdoors for one hour, so that their bodies could be warmed up and their blood would be restored to circulation.

Thousands of German officers and soldiers were frozen and disabled, and it was difficult for those who did not have severe frostbite to maintain any combat effectiveness. Due to the lack of supplies, a large number of horses were slaughtered to satisfy their hunger. The direct consequence of this practice was that due to the lack of horses, it was impossible to pull away the artillery that needed 14 horses to pull. They noticed that the Soviet army used tractors to pull the artillery. Even though most of the field artillery were lost in the early stage of the war, they still preserved a large number of medium and heavy artillery, so the equipment was obviously better than themselves.

By November 8, 1944, the 74 divisions of the German central cluster had lost their offensive capabilities due to bad weather and were forced to move forward in Kalinin, Krukovo, and south of Tula to Yeretz, with a width of more than 700 kilometers. The troops were either exhausted or unable to move at all.

It is true that the Soviet army encountered the same problems encountered by the German army during movement, but the German Central Army Group fought at the other end of the thousand-mile-long traffic line, and the Soviet army was almost less than forty miles from its main base. Any conditions that hindered the movement would inevitably benefit the defenders.

For the Soviet army, coming early or cold in winter will not have too much impact on them. Because they have sufficient clothing and food, while Soviet tanks, at minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, will still leave as soon as they drive.

Most importantly, the Soviet army received extremely valuable breathing time due to the German cessation of the offensive. By the end of July, the Supreme Soviet Command believed that the situation had stabilized and began to transfer some troops as reserves to give them rest and receive further training. The Soviet army began to make great efforts to make up for the heavy losses suffered in Viazma and Bryansk in the first two weeks of July, and prepare for the next attack against the German army.

According to the historical records of the Soviet Union, a large number of military vehicles drove from Tomsk, Omsk, Sverdlovsk and Gubishev, traveling 500 to 600 miles a day, without changing the front and crew. In June and July, the Supreme Soviet Army Command made a lot of logistical preparations for the defense of Moscow and organized a large number of cargo transportation companies, livestock transport truck companies and sled transportation companies. Because horses' mobility in the mud or soft snow was far better than wheeled motor vehicles. However, due to the sufficient estimate of the difficulties caused by insufficient transportation tools and poor weather and terrain conditions, the front troops stored seven days of rations, six bases of oil and three bases of ammunition.

And starting from June, a large number of aid from Britain and the United States also continued to transport to Moscow. The weather has tilted the victorious Libra toward the Soviet Union.

Until now, the reason why Germany achieved such brilliant results in combat against the Poles, French, British and Soviet troops was entirely because the German army concentrated on using tanks and tactical air force, gained great advantages in maneuver power and firepower, and with good communication means and bold command. Once the mobility is lost, the firepower is lost, and the German blitzkrieg tactical idea will not work.

…(To be continued, please search for Astronomy, novels are better, updated and faster!

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