The Race to Moscow

The early months were a German triumph and a Soviet nightmare:

• Stalin's pre-war purges had removed about 30,000 officers, gutting the Red Army's leadership
• Soviet forces were positioned to attack, not defend, so they crumbled almost at once
• In the first five months, Germany captured an area twice the size of France and took 3 million prisoners

By October 1941, German troops could see the spires of Moscow, and the Soviet Union looked weeks from total defeat. Yet the advance was slowing — and soldiers' letters home revealed growing disillusionment as the promised quick victory turned into endless suffering.