Yelets offensive operation. Yeletsk offensive operation Klin-Solnechnogorsk operation




	Klin-Solnechnogorsk, USSR
	Victory of the USSR
Opponents
	Germany
Commanders
Unknown	Unknown
Strengths of the parties
150,000 soldiers, 450 people's militia, 500 cadets of the Moscow school, 500 tanks, 800 guns. Total: soldiers151,050 soldiers	50,000 soldiers, 100 tanks, 400 guns

25,000 soldiers, 90 tanks and 5 guns captured, 750 used	40,000 soldiers, 80 tanks, 250 guns captured, 100 used

Klin-Solnechnogorsk operation- an offensive operation carried out by Soviet troops at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War near Moscow from December 6 to December 26, 1941.

Description

On December 6, 1941, the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation began. The idea of the operation was to defeat the main forces of the fascist 3rd and 4th tank groups in the area of Klin, Istra, Solnechnogorsk with strikes from the 30th Army from the north and the 1st Shock, 20th and 16th Armies from the east. and create favorable conditions for the further development of the offensive to the west.

The counteroffensive of the right wing armies consisted of two successive stages:

the first stage (from December 6 to 16) - going on the offensive, defeating the enemy and fighting for the capture of Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Istra reservoir and the city of Istra;

the second stage (from December 17 to 25) - offensive battles west of Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Istra, continued pursuit of the enemy and reaching the line of the Lama and Ruza rivers.

The offensive operation of the right wing of the front developed mainly in three operational directions:

a) the 30th and 1st shock armies attacked Klin and then Teryaeva Sloboda;

b) the 20th Army advanced in the general direction of Solnechnogorsk, Volokolamsk;

c) The 16th Army, developing an attack on Istra and to the north, destroyed the opposing fascist forces.

The task of the 30th Army was to deliver (in cooperation with the 1st Shock Army) a deep blow to the enemy’s communications, cut off the Leningradskoye Highway and the escape routes of the Rogachev group of forces and defeat the fascists in the direction of Klin, Teryaeva Sloboda. The task of the 1st Shock Army (in cooperation with the 30th Army) was to defeat the Klin enemy group and develop an offensive in a western direction.

The 20th Army was supposed to destroy the enemy's Solnechnogorsk group and, developing an offensive to the southwest, capture Volokolamsk. The task of the 16th Army was to, in cooperation with the 20th and 5th Armies (neighbor on the left), defeat the opposing enemy forces, capture the Istra Reservoir line, the city of Istra and develop an offensive in the southwestern direction.

The troops of the 30th Army (Major General D. D. Lelyushenko), which began the offensive on December 6, broke through the front of two enemy motorized divisions defending against them. By the end of the day on December 7, they had advanced 25 km. The 1st Shock Army (Lieutenant General V.I. Kuznetsov) concentrated its main efforts on the right flank and in the center, in the Yakhroma area. The most difficult was the transition to the counteroffensive of the 20th (Major General A. A. Vlasov) and 16th armies (Lieutenant General K. K. Rokossovsky). Only on December 9 did the fascist troops opposing the 16th Army begin to withdraw in the northwestern and western directions.

On December 7, already on the second day of the operation, the villages of Krasny Kholm, Golyadi, and Bely Rast were liberated.

On the morning of December 8, Soviet troops liberated Polushkino and Tiliktino. In the afternoon of December 8, Yakhroma, Stepanov, Zhukov, Vladychino (7 km southwest of Yakhroma) were liberated. On the evening of December 8, the front was 5-10 km from the line from which the counteroffensive began (December 6).

Due to bad weather on December 10-15, 1941, we had to move slowly. On December 10, the village of Turkmen was liberated, and on the night from December 10 to December 11, Parfenki. The cold was terrible, heavy snow, wind about 12-15 m per second.

On December 11, 1941, the city of Istra and the village of Chudtsevo were liberated. By the end of December 11, Soviet troops reached the Koromyslovo-Star line. Melkovo, Varakseno, Vysokovo, Zhukovo, the southeastern part of Reshetnikov, Yamuga, Golyadi, Pershutino, the western and northern outskirts of Klin, Maidanovo, Bol. Shchapovo, Spas-Korkodino. On December 11, the 1st Shock Army reached the line of Zolino, Borozda, Vorobyovo, Tolstyakovo (10 km north of Solnechnogorsk), Zagorye (north of Lake Senezhskoye), Rekintsy, Dubinino, cutting the Leningradskoe highway at two points (Borozda and Dubinino) and establishing in the area Solnechnogorsk has close ties with units of the 20th Army.

On the morning of December 12, German troops launched a counterattack near Denisovo (north of the village of Denisovo), but thanks to the defense of 5 divisions of the Red Army, Soviet troops were not surrounded.

On December 12, Solnechnogorsk was liberated by the forces of the 35th separate rifle brigade (commander - Lieutenant Colonel Pyotr Kuzmich Budykhin), the 31st separate tank brigade (Colonel Andrey Grigorievich Kravchenko) from the 20th Army and the 55th separate rifle brigade (Colonel Georgy Aleksandrovich Latyshev) from the 1st Shock Army.

On December 13, a defense and counterattack were launched in the village of Petrovskoye, which did not bring success. On the night of December 13-14, the last militia liberated the village. Savelyevo.

On December 15, the weather was clear, and Soviet troops liberated Elgozino, Knyaginino, Vygol, and units of the 30th Army entered Klin.

On December 17, the Wehrmacht launched another counterattack near Dyatlovo and Boldyrikh, but the counterattack was repulsed.

On December 21, Soviet troops reached the line of the Lama and Ruza rivers, where they met organized enemy resistance in previously prepared positions. December 22 - Gorodishche.

Result

As a result of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation, the troops of the right wing of the Western Front defeated: the 3rd and 4th tank groups of the enemy, threw back their broken formations 70-100 km, destroyed and captured a large number of guns, tanks, other military equipment, ammunition and various property, eliminated the threat of bypassing Moscow from the north. In 20 days of fighting, in Moscow, Solnechnogorsk and Klin (after the liberation of the cities of Klin and Solnechnogorsk, the factories were repaired and after 5 days they started working) it was created and repaired.

150 tanks,
1000 guns,
300 machine guns
and 100 cannons and artillery.

REPAIRED:

100 tanks,
100 machine guns
and 50 cannons and artillery.

In the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation there was a place for many brave and memorable deeds. There were sailors on skis, riders on tanks and soldiers throwing their sheepskin coats onto the snow in the bitter cold. Tank attacks ended in hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, the command was looking for opportunities to strengthen its own positions and not give respite to the enemy.

Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation

By the time of the first autumn in World War II, the situation near Moscow was ambiguous: if there was a danger of breaking through the defense of Soviet troops and surrendering Moscow, which meant loss, then at the same time German troops were expecting a counterattack from the enemy every minute. Both armies were exhausted, and only strategically correct decisions by the command could help. Stalin played an important role, but this does not diminish the marshal’s merits. Zhukov's role in the battle for Moscow is listed as decisive - his orders came on time, which is why the Red Army troops had a chance to win.

On December 1, Stalin ordered the Western Front to bypass the armies of the Verkhmat and go to their rear. The Klin tank group had to be destroyed. This order applied to the 1st Shock, 30th, 20th, 16th and 5th Armies, which were located at that time on the river near Sverdlovo, Krasnaya Polyana and Dmitrev. So that the 1st Shock and 30th Army could encircle the German tanks of the 3rd Panzer Group, almost 75% of the air forces of the Western Front were allocated.

In addition, around the same time, the 31st and 29th Armies were fighting with the Kalinin 9th Tank Group. After a successful (and this was expected) outcome, they were supposed to head to Klin. Still, at that time, Verkhmat had superiority in the number of tanks and artillery, losing only in the number of soldiers. To eliminate the numerical superiority of German troops in weapons, Ural divisions, T-34 tanks and the 64th brigade were transferred to the Western Front. The latter consisted of sailors from the Pacific front - tall, well-trained soldiers.

Main events

Having grouped, in the evening from December 5 to 6, all units entered positions for attack. Already on December 7, as a result of a day of fighting, the 30th Army broke through the border north of Klin, and the 1st Army advanced 25 km across the river, heading parallel to the 30th. So, they were supposed to surround the 3rd tank group. Realizing this, the Nazi command pulls the 6th tank and 14th motorized divisions to a dangerous place.

On the same day, fighting began in Krasnaya Polyana, where, in the event of a close encounter between opponents, they often turned into hand-to-hand combat. Realizing the importance of supporting the 20th and 16th armies, the 64th brigade did the unusual: most of the soldiers mounted tanks and rode to attack the enemy. Further, when the snow prevented movement, they took off their sheepskin coats and ran towards the enemy. This is in 20 degree frost!

On December 9, the Germans were forced to withdraw. This does not suit Zhukov: he planned the operation as a faster one, and therefore demands that the Leningradskoye highway be blocked. This was to be done by a mobile detachment of sailors numbering 800 people. When it was necessary to send a small group around on skis, they, not knowing how to stay on them, all volunteered to complete the task! Together with the main forces, on December 10, the detachment blocked the highway, cutting off the road.

Throughout December 11, battles were fought for Solnechnogorsk, and by the end, victory passed into the hands of the Red Army. At this time, the 30th and 1st armies surrounded Klin, besieging the Germans. Zhukov invited the besieged soldiers to surrender, but they still had to open fire. To make it even more convincing, troops from the 214th brigade landed on the road to Klin - this was the first airborne assault in 1941. When, by December 15, Soviet troops completely cleared Klin of the enemy, street by street, the Germans had to advance to Volokolamsk. Their path was blocked by the previously landed troops. As a result, more than 400 soldiers were killed, not counting the disabled combat vehicles.

The 20th Army, using ski troops and a detachment of the naval brigade, approached Volokolamsk, where the only largest Verkhmat tank groups remained on the Western Front. On December 20, the enemy was completely driven out of Volokolamsk by Soviet troops.

Bottom line

As a result of the events, an operational pause was again organized on the Western Front, which was possible thanks to the elimination of the threat from the western side. From here the Germans could no longer attack. When the alliance between London and Moscow was signed on May 26, 1942, the envoy of the British side saw the consequences of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive, and this was the decisive factor in making a decision in favor of the alliance. Thus, this operation influenced the course of world politics.

11.10.2007 22:17

Klin-Solnechnogorsk defensive operation, 1941.
The operation of the troops of the right wing of the Western Front, carried out on November 15 - December 5, 1941 during the Battle of Moscow. After the failure of the October offensive on Moscow, the fascist German command prepared a new attack by Army Group Center with the aim of capturing the Soviet capital by bypassing it from the north and south. For the offensive north of Moscow (Operation Volga Reservoir), the enemy's 3rd and 4th tank groups (7 tank, 3 motorized and 4 infantry divisions) were concentrated on the Kalinin-Volokolamsk-Ruza front. The 30th (Major General D.D. Lelyushenko) and 16th (Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky) armies, which formed the right wing of the Western Front (Army General G.K. Zhukov), defended in front of them.

The fascist German troops had a numerical superiority in men by 1.6 times, guns and mortars by 2 times, and tanks by 3.4 times. The Soviet command promptly guessed the enemy's plan and carried out a number of measures to strengthen the defense, but was unable to change the balance of forces and means by the start of the operation (with the exception of aviation, which began to outnumber the enemy). The plan of the Soviet command provided for a stubborn defense to thwart the enemy's plans, to gain time to concentrate strategic reserves in order to subsequently launch a counteroffensive. On November 15, the enemy's 3rd Tank Group attacked the 30th Army; On November 16, the 4th Tank Group went on the offensive against the 16th Army. Under the pressure of superior enemy forces, the troops of the 30th Army were forced to retreat to the Volga, and south of the Volga Reservoir - to the line east of Zavidovo, Yamug, which allowed the enemy to build on their success in the Klin direction. Particularly stubborn battles took place in the Volokolamsk-Istra direction, where formations of the 16th Army fought selflessly. On November 23, Nazi troops bypassed Soviet troops northeast and southwest of Klin. To avoid encirclement, units of the 16th Army left the city. The enemy also managed to capture Solnechnogorsk, Yakhroma, Krasnaya Polyana, and several villages on the eastern bank of the Canal. Moscow.

There were about 30 km left to the Soviet capital. By this time, the 1st Shock and 20th armies were transferred from the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters to the troops of the right wing of the Western Front, and reinforced with fresh units of the 30th and 16th armies. By the end of November - beginning of December, as a result of counterattacks in the areas of Dmitrov, Yakhroma, Krasnaya Polyana and Kryukov, Soviet troops stopped the advance of the enemy, who, having suffered huge losses, was forced to go on the defensive. As a result of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk defensive operation, as well as the Tula defensive operation, the Soviet command gained time to concentrate strategic reserves in the Moscow direction and provided the necessary conditions for launching a decisive offensive.

Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation, 1941.
The operation of the troops of the right wing of the Western Front, carried out from December 6 to December 25, 1941 during the Battle of Moscow; part of the counteroffensive near Moscow. The goal of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation is the defeat of the enemy’s 3rd and 4th tank groups (7 tank, 3.5 motorized and 9 infantry divisions) in the Klin, Istra, Solnechnogorsk region, eliminating the threat of bypassing Moscow from the north, creating favorable conditions for further advance to the west. By the beginning of the operation, the troops of the right wing (30th, 1st Shock, 20th, 16th, 5th Armies) of the Western Front (General G.K. Zhukov) occupied the line west of Sverdlov, Dmitrov, Kr. Polyana, Nara River. The plan of the Soviet command provided for attacks on the enemy in converging directions from the northeast and east by the forces of the 30th, 1st Shock, 20th and 16th armies. The 5th Army, by advancing its right-flank formations along the left bank of the Moscow River, was supposed to secure the left flank of the strike group. To support the offensive from the air, up to 75% of the front's aviation, as well as reserve aviation of the Supreme High Command, were allocated.

The troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev), advancing to the rear of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk enemy group (Kalinin operation 1941-42), interacted with the troops of the Western Front. The enemy outnumbered the Soviet troops in artillery by 1.2 times, in tanks by 1.5 times, and only in human resources did the armies of the right wing of the front have a superiority of 1.6 times. On December 6, Soviet troops launched an offensive, which developed at an increasing pace. Overcoming stubborn enemy resistance and repelling his counterattacks, during the 1st half of December they advanced up to 40-60 km, liberated Istra (December 11), Solnechnogorsk (December 12), Klin (December 15), Vysokovsk (December 16) and then continued to pursue the retreating enemy. Cavalry and tank groups and detachments under the command of Generals L.M. Dovator, M.E. Katukov, F.T. Remizov and Colonel P.G. Chanchibadze destroyed the enemy rearguards, widely using flanking maneuver. On December 20, Volokolamsk was liberated. On December 21, Soviet troops reached the line of the Lama and Ruza rivers, where they met organized enemy resistance in previously prepared positions. Until December 25, Soviet troops fought in order to improve their position. As a result of the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation, the troops of the right wing of the Western Front defeated: the 3rd and 4th tank groups of the enemy, threw back their broken formations 90-110 km, destroyed and captured a large number of guns, tanks, other military equipment, ammunition and various property, eliminated the threat of bypassing Moscow from the north.

Commanders Losses

Battle for Moscow
Wotan Orel-Bryansk Vyazma Kalinin (1) Kalinin (2) Mozhaisk-Maloyaroslavets Tula (1) Klin-Solnechnogorsk (1) Klin-Solnechnogorsk (2) Naro-Fominsk Dace Tula (2) Kaluga Rzhev-Vyazma

Klin-Solnechnogorsk operation- an offensive operation carried out by Soviet troops at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War near Moscow from December 26, 1941.

Description

The counteroffensive of the right wing armies consisted of two successive stages:

the first stage (from December 6 to 16) - going on the offensive, defeating the enemy and fighting for the capture of Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Istra reservoir and the city of Istra;

the second stage (from December 17 to 25) - offensive battles west of Klin, Solnechnogorsk, Istra, continued pursuit of the enemy and reaching the line of the Lama and Ruza rivers.

The offensive operation of the right wing of the front developed mainly in three operational directions:

a) the 30th and 1st shock armies attacked Klin and then Teryaeva Sloboda;

b) the 20th Army advanced in the general direction of Solnechnogorsk, Volokolamsk;

c) The 16th Army, developing an attack on Istra and to the north, destroyed the opposing fascist forces.

On December 7, already on the second day of the operation, the villages of Krasny Kholm and Golyadi, Bely Rast were liberated.

On December 9, 1941, units of the Red Army liberated Maleevka, Baklanovo and Kolosovo.

On December 14, they reached Borikhin and liberated the village.

On December 15, the weather was clear, and Soviet troops liberated Elgozino, Knyaginino, Vygol, and units of the 30th Army entered Klin.

December 16 - Boriskovo and Denkovo are liberated.

On December 17, the Wehrmacht launched another counterattack near Dyatlovo and Boldyrikh, but the counterattack was repulsed.

On December 18, units of the people's militia liberated Shablykino and Kutino.

On December 19, units of the Red Army liberated Kozlovo, where the fighting lasted 3 days, and Dorino.

December 20 - Volokolamsk, Kitenevo and Taksino were liberated.

On December 21, Soviet troops reached the line of the Lama and Ruza rivers, where they met organized enemy resistance in previously prepared positions. December 22 - Gorodishche.

From December 23 to December 25 - Chismena, Balobanovo, Tatishchevo, Ednevo, Fadeevo, Valuiki.

December 26 - Teryaevo and Shishkino are liberated.

CREATED:
- 150 tanks,
- 1000 guns,
- 300 machine guns
- and 100 cannons and artillery.

REPAIRED:
- 100 tanks,
- 100 machine guns
- and 50 cannons and artillery.

Bibliography:

1. Shaposhnikov B. M. Battle for Moscow. Moscow operation of the Western Front November 16, 1941 - January 31, 1942 - M.: AST, 2006.

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An excerpt characterizing the Klin-Solnechnogorsk offensive operation

“Well, okay, okay,” Denisov shouted, “now there’s no point in making excuses, barcarolla is behind you, I beg you.”
The Countess looked back at her silent son.
- What happened to you? – Nikolai’s mother asked.
“Oh, nothing,” he said, as if he was already tired of this same question.
- Will daddy arrive soon?
- I think.
“Everything is the same for them. They don't know anything! Where should I go?” thought Nikolai and went back to the hall where the clavichord stood.
Sonya sat at the clavichord and played the prelude of the barcarolle that Denisov especially loved. Natasha was going to sing. Denisov looked at her with delighted eyes.
Nikolai began to walk back and forth around the room.
“And now you want to make her sing? – what can she sing? And there’s nothing fun here,” thought Nikolai.
Sonya struck the first chord of the prelude.
“My God, I am lost, I am a dishonest person. A bullet in the forehead, the only thing left to do is not sing, he thought. Leave? but where? anyway, let them sing!”
Nikolai gloomily, continuing to walk around the room, glanced at Denisov and the girls, avoiding their gaze.
“Nikolenka, what’s wrong with you?” – asked Sonya’s gaze fixed on him. She immediately saw that something had happened to him.
Nikolai turned away from her. Natasha, with her sensitivity, also instantly noticed her brother’s condition. She noticed him, but she herself was so happy at that moment, she was so far from grief, sadness, reproaches, that she (as often happens with young people) deliberately deceived herself. No, I’m having too much fun now to spoil my fun by sympathizing with someone else’s grief, she felt, and said to herself:
“No, I’m rightly mistaken, he should be as cheerful as I am.” Well, Sonya,” she said and went out to the very middle of the hall, where, in her opinion, the resonance was best. Raising her head and lowering her lifelessly hanging hands, as dancers do, Natasha, energetically shifting from heel to toe, walked through the middle of the room and stopped.
"Here I am!" as if she was speaking in response to the enthusiastic gaze of Denisov, who was watching her.
“And why is she happy! - Nikolai thought, looking at his sister. And how isn’t she bored and ashamed!” Natasha hit the first note, her throat expanded, her chest straightened, her eyes took on a serious expression. She was not thinking about anyone or anything at that moment, and sounds flowed from her folded mouth into a smile, those sounds that anyone can make at the same intervals and at the same intervals, but which a thousand times leave you cold, in the thousand and first times they make you shudder and cry.
This winter Natasha began to sing seriously for the first time, especially because Denisov admired her singing. She no longer sang like a child, there was no longer in her singing that comic, childish diligence that was in her before; but she still did not sing well, as all the expert judges who listened to her said. “Not processed, but a wonderful voice, it needs to be processed,” everyone said. But they usually said this long after her voice had fallen silent. At the same time, when this raw voice sounded with irregular aspirations and with efforts of transitions, even the expert judges did not say anything, and only enjoyed this raw voice and only wanted to hear it again. In her voice there was that virginal pristineness, that ignorance of her own strengths and that still unprocessed velvet, which were so combined with the shortcomings of the art of singing that it seemed impossible to change anything in this voice without spoiling it.
“What is this? - Nikolai thought, hearing her voice and opening his eyes wide. -What happened to her? How does she sing these days? - he thought. And suddenly the whole world focused for him, waiting for the next note, the next phrase, and everything in the world became divided into three tempos: “Oh mio crudele affetto... [Oh my cruel love...] One, two, three... one, two... three... one... Oh mio crudele affetto... One, two, three... one. Eh, our life is stupid! - Nikolai thought. All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and anger, and honor - all this is nonsense... but here it is real... Hey, Natasha, well, my dear! Well, mother!... how will she take this si? I took it! God bless!" - and he, without noticing that he was singing, in order to strengthen this si, took the second to the third of a high note. "My God! how good! Did I really take it? how happy!” he thought.
ABOUT! how this third trembled, and how something better that was in Rostov’s soul was touched. And this was something independent of everything in the world, and above everything in the world. What kind of losses are there, and the Dolokhovs, and honestly!... It’s all nonsense! You can kill, steal and still be happy...

Rostov has not experienced such pleasure from music for a long time as on this day. But as soon as Natasha finished her barcarolle, reality came back to him again. He left without saying anything and went downstairs to his room. A quarter of an hour later the old count, cheerful and satisfied, arrived from the club. Nikolai, hearing his arrival, went to him.
- Well, did you have fun? - said Ilya Andreich, smiling joyfully and proudly at his son. Nikolai wanted to say “yes,” but he couldn’t: he almost burst into tears. The Count was lighting his pipe and did not notice his son’s condition.
“Oh, inevitably!” - Nikolai thought for the first and last time. And suddenly, in the most casual tone, such that he seemed disgusted to himself, as if he was asking the carriage to go to the city, he told his father.
- Dad, I came to you for business. I forgot about it. I need money.
“That’s it,” said the father, who was in a particularly cheerful spirit. - I told you that it won’t be enough. Is it a lot?
“A lot,” Nikolai said, blushing and with a stupid, careless smile, which for a long time later he could not forgive himself. – I lost a little, that is, a lot, even a lot, 43 thousand.
- What? Who?... You're kidding! - shouted the count, suddenly turning apoplectic red in the neck and back of his head, like old people blush.
“I promised to pay tomorrow,” said Nikolai.
“Well!...” said the old count, spreading his arms and sank helplessly onto the sofa.
- What to do! Who hasn't this happened to? - said the son in a cheeky, bold tone, while in his soul he considered himself a scoundrel, a scoundrel who could not atone for his crime with his whole life. He would have liked to kiss his father's hands, on his knees to ask for his forgiveness, but he said in a careless and even rude tone that this happens to everyone.
Count Ilya Andreich lowered his eyes when he heard these words from his son and hurried, looking for something.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “it’s difficult, I’m afraid, it’s difficult to get... never happened to anyone!” yes, who hasn’t happened to... - And the count glanced briefly into his son’s face and walked out of the room... Nikolai was preparing to fight back, but he never expected this.
- Daddy! pa... hemp! - he shouted after him, sobbing; excuse me! “And, grabbing his father’s hand, he pressed his lips to it and began to cry.

While the father was explaining to his son, an equally important explanation was taking place between the mother and daughter. Natasha ran to her mother excitedly.
- Mom!... Mom!... he did it to me...
- What did you do?
- I did, I proposed. Mother! Mother! - she shouted. The Countess could not believe her ears. Denisov proposed. To whom? This tiny girl Natasha, who had recently been playing with dolls and was now taking lessons.
- Natasha, that’s complete nonsense! – she said, still hoping that it was a joke.
- Well, that's nonsense! “I’m telling you the truth,” Natasha said angrily. – I came to ask what to do, and you tell me: “nonsense”...

Strictly speaking, the second phase of the German offensive on Moscow began on November 15, when the 3rd Panzer Group went on the offensive south of Kalinin. Infantry divisions advanced north of the Moscow Sea, and south of the LVI motorized corps, consisting of the 6th and 7th tank divisions, and the 14th motorized division. The second mobile formation of the tank group, the XXXXI Motorized Corps under the command of V. Model, remained near Kalinin. The place for delivering the main attack by the attackers was chosen almost unmistakably: the main blow fell on the 107th motorized rifle division of Colonel P. G. Chanchibadze, stretched out along a 30 km front. The division was one of those that emerged from the Vyazma “cauldron” and at the beginning of the German offensive it consisted of 2 thousand people, 7 guns and 20 machine guns. The division's tank fleet consisted of 2 T-34 and KB, 11 light tanks. The most suitable definition for such a connection, taking into account the occupied front, is “curtain”. On the morning of November 15, the enemy went on the offensive along the entire front of the 30th Army. As a result of the battles on November 15 and on the night of November 16, the right-flank units of the army were isolated north of the Moscow Sea and pushed back to the Volga. The left flank of the 30th Army was thrown back, and a gap of 16-18 km opened between it and the right flank of the 16th Army. The next day, the 46th Cavalry Division from the front reserve was moved to the right flank of the 30th Army and replaced the 21st Tank Brigade on the Volga line. The tank brigade, which by that time consisted of 5 KB and T-34 and 15 light tanks, was transferred to the zone of the withdrawing 107th motorized division. On the front of the 16th Army, on November 15, the enemy launched an offensive with the forces of the left wing of the V Army Corps, whose 106th Infantry Division provided a junction with the 4th Panzer Group. The corps' formations also carried out reconnaissance in force at the front of Dovator's cavalry group.

By November 15, the armies of the Western Front occupied the following position. The 16th Army of K.K. Rokossovsky occupied a 70 km wide front in the Volokolamsk direction with the forces of three rifle and two cavalry divisions. The density was 18 km per division. The first echelon was defended by a cadet regiment, units of the 316th and 50th cavalry divisions, and one regiment each from the 18th and 78th rifle divisions. The main forces of the 18th and 78th rifle divisions were located on the second defense line 8-20 km from its front edge. The Mozhaisk direction was covered by the 5th Army of L.A. Govorov, occupying a front of 50 km with the forces of four rifle and one motorized rifle divisions with a density of 12.5 km per formation. The 33rd Army of M. G. Efremov occupied a front of 30 km with the forces of four divisions with a density of 10 km per division. Finally, the 43rd Army occupied a front of 30 km with a density of 6 km. The 49th (85 km) and 50th (70 km) armies had the widest fronts, providing them with a density of 16 and 11 km per formation, respectively.

Already in the conditions of the German offensive that had begun on the night of November 16, the 16th Army regrouped its troops and went on the offensive at 10.00. At the same time, that same morning, the enemy launched an offensive at the junction of the 316th Infantry Division and the Dovator cavalry group. The 16th Army spent the entire day of November 16 in a state of offensive operations for its right wing and defensive actions for its left wing and center. Overall, both were unsuccessful. The cavalry of the mobile group entered the battle in parts. When the offensive began at 10.00, the 17th and 24th cavalry divisions approached the starting line only at 12.30. The rear was hopelessly behind. The advancing 58th Panzer Division suffered very heavy losses, losing 139 tanks during the day. The defending 316th Division and Dovator's cavalry group were forced to retreat from their positions. After the battles for Volokolamsk, the artillery group of I.V. Panfilov’s division was significantly reduced, in addition, part of the artillery forces of the 16th Army was used in the attack on the Skirmanovsky bridgehead (in particular, one of the two anti-tank artillery regiments that became guards). On November 16, the 316th Division had twelve 45 mm cannons, twenty-six 76.2 mm cannons, seventeen 122 mm howitzers, five 122 mm hull guns and one 120 mm mortar. All that was left of the 207 guns in mid-October 1941 were memories. Accordingly, the ability to resist the German offensive was much more modest. A change for the better was the narrowing of the front to 14 km compared to 41 km near Volokolamsk in October. This happened as a result of the arrival of the 78th Infantry Division from the Far East and the release of the 18th Infantry Division from encirclement. Also, I.V. Panfilov’s division actually became a four-regiment division; it acquired the 690th Infantry Regiment of the 126th Division, which emerged from encirclement near Vyazma. The 316th Infantry Division and Dovator's cavalry group were opposed by the XLVI Motorized Corps (General of Panzer Forces von Wietinghof, 5th and 11th Panzer Divisions) and the V Army Corps (General of Infantry Ruof, 2nd Panzer, 35th and 106th Panzer Divisions) I infantry divisions). The latter was assigned 1 tank battalion from the 11th Tank Division. Under other conditions, an impact of such a mass would have been irresistible. However, by that time, supply problems had reached their peak, and only parts of the German tank formations that received fuel participated in the battle. By the morning of November 17, the 690th Infantry Regiment was semi-encircled, the 1073rd and 1075th regiments were knocked out of their positions and were retreating. At the height of the fighting, on November 17, 1941, the 316th Rifle Division received an order to be renamed the 8th Guards Rifle Division. The next day, November 18, during an artillery and mortar attack on the division’s command post in the village of Gusevo, its commander I.V. Panfilov was killed. At the request of G.K. Zhukov, the 8th Guards Division received the name of its deceased commander.

The XXXX motorized corps of Panzer General Stumme went on the offensive against the left wing of the 16th Army. Both infantry corps (IX and VII) of the 4th Panzer Group were to advance behind the advancing tank divisions and provide their flank. The two corps had five infantry divisions - the 78th, 87th, 7th, 197th and 267th.

In connection with the onset of the offensive, the 30th Army of the Kalinin Front (5th, 185th Rifle, 107th Motorized, 46th Cavalry Divisions, 8th and 21st Tank Brigades) was transferred to the Western Front. To strengthen the 30th Army, by order of the headquarters of the Western Front, on November 18, the 58th Tank Division, which had already lost most of its combat vehicles, was transferred from the 16th Army. It advanced to the Golovkovo - Spas-Zaulok area (15 km northwest of Klin). From November 18 to 20, the 58th Tank Division was already part of the 30th Army, fighting fierce battles with the enemy’s 3rd Tank Group and delaying its advance. By November 20, the 58th Panzer Division consisted of only 15 tanks, 5 guns and 350 first-line soldiers.

It is not surprising that on November 20 L.Z. Mehlis reported to I. Stalin on the condition of the tank units of the 30th Army as follows:

Meanwhile, on November 19, the commander of the 3rd Panzer Group, General of the Panzer Forces, Reinhardt, received an order to turn south in order to capture the city of Klin and thereby intercept the retreat roads for the Soviet 16th Army. On the same day, the advancing XXXX tank corps reoccupied Skirmanovo, which had been recaptured in the first half of November.

By November 21, units of the 16th Army suffered heavy losses and were heavily short-staffed: the cavalry and rifle regiments numbered 150-200 people, the 1st Guards Tank, 23rd, 27th and 28th Tank Brigades had only 15 combat-ready tanks. The condition of the advancing German tank divisions was little better. On November 21, the 11th Panzer Division had only 37 combat-ready tanks (5 Pz.II, 22 Pz.III, 10 Pz.IV). Losses since entering the battle in the Volokolamsk direction amounted to 19 tanks. Before the start of Operation Typhoon, the division consisted of 146 combat-ready tanks (11 Pz.I, 44 Pz.II, 71 Pz.III, 20 Pz.IV). As of November 21, the 10th Panzer Division had 55 combat-ready tanks. With such a decline in the number of combat-ready tanks, the capabilities of German mobile formations were significantly reduced. This led to the fact that on the right flank of the 4th Panzer Group, Geyer’s IX Corps, consisting only of infantry divisions, advanced most quickly and effectively. On November 22, the main forces of Geyer's corps reached the Zvenigorod-Istra highway. Neighbors on the right and left were 20 km behind. The left neighbor of the IX Army Corps was the XXXX Corps, consisting of the 10th Panzer Division and the SS Reich Motorized Division.

Over the five days of the offensive (November 16-20), German tank and infantry divisions advanced 15-25 km east of Volokolamsk. This rate of advance, from 3 to 5 km per day, is quite low even for infantry. The German mobile formations failed to enter operational space in the first days of their November offensive.

In fact, the main task of the armies of the Western Front was to hold out until the readiness of the three armies being formed - the 1st shock, 20th and 10th. The first was formed by the directive of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of November 20, 1941. Initially, the army received the number “19” to replace the army of M. F. Lukin, which ceased to exist in the Vyazma “cauldron”. The army should include: 55th, 47th, 50th and 29th rifle brigades stationed in the Dmitrov area, 43rd, 60th rifle brigades in Zagorsk, 71st rifle brigade in Yakhroma, 44th Rifle Brigade in Khotkovo, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th ski battalions in Zagorsk; 1st, 5th and 7th ski battalions in Dmitrov; 6th ski battalion in Yakhroma; 8th ski battalion in Khotkovo and 517th artillery regiment in Zagorsk. The concentration of formations and army units at these points was proposed to be completed by November 27. The 20th Army, as well as the 1st Shock Army, was formed on the basis of the directive of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of November 20, 1941. The army initially included: the 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th rifle regiments brigades stationed in Ranenburg, 78th rifle brigade in Proskurov, 35th rifle brigade (arrived from Tashkent) in Skopin, 23rd and 24th ski battalions in Ranenburg, 21st and 22nd ski battalions in Ryazhsk , 18th artillery regiment in Ranenburg. In addition, the army included the 331st Infantry Division, 36th, 37th, 40th, 53rd, 54th, 49th, 28th, 64th, 43rd, 24th, 31st rifle brigades.

The concentration of troops of the 20th Army was scheduled to be completed by November 27, 1941 in the Lobnya - Skhodnya - Khimki area. The last of the three armies, the 10th Army, was a little “older” than its brothers. Back on October 21, 1941, the Supreme High Command Headquarters issued a directive on the formation of the 10th Reserve Army by December 2, 1941. The army included: 326th Rifle Division - Penza; 324th - Inza; 322nd - Kuznetsk; 330th - Syzran; 323rd Rifle Division - Petrovsk. In addition, two rifle brigades were to arrive from the Ural Military District. The army headquarters was deployed in Kuznetsk.

However, the German command did not have reliable information about the concentration of the three armies. Moreover, the units advancing across the snow-covered fields did not know about him. They stubbornly moved forward, firmly believing that if they defeated the Soviet divisions and brigades opposing them, nothing would stop them anymore.

The immediate target of the advancing German troops was the city of Klin. Its defense was personally led by the deputy commander of the Western Front, F.D. Zakharov, who arrived in the city on the evening of November 19 with a small group of staff officers. Klin was to be defended by units of the 126th Infantry and 24th Cavalry Divisions, the 25th and 8th Tank Brigades and a separate cadet regiment. An attempt by the German 7th Panzer Division on November 20 to take the city on the move failed. The next day, the 14th Motorized Division joined the assault. Finally, on November 22, units of the 7th Tank and 14th Motorized Divisions of the 3rd Tank Group captured Klin and continued their offensive to the east. Under pressure from the attackers, Zakharov’s group retreated to Rogachev. Meanwhile, the southern flank of the 4th Panzer Group was gradually moving towards Istra. By November 25, the XXXX motorized corps of the 4th tank group reached the city of Istra. The battle group of the 10th Panzer Division and the motorcycle battalion of the SS division "Das Reich" began a battle for the city, which turned into hand-to-hand combat with the Siberians of the 78th Infantry Division "with fixed bayonets." Units of A.P. Beloborodov’s division at that time remained the only Soviet units on the right bank of the Istra River, saddle in the city of Istra Volokolamsk Highway.

After the troops of the 16th Army crossed the Istra Reservoir and the river. The Istra reservoir's spillways were blown up, resulting in a water flow up to 2.5 m high over a distance of 50 km south of the reservoir. The Germans' attempts to close the drains were unsuccessful, and they had to organize a crossing of the artificially constructed water barrier. The situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that on November 24, the 35th Infantry Division crossed the reservoir and formed a bridgehead. Frosts also soon froze the flooded river and reservoir. This allowed, for example, the motorcycle battalion of the 11th Tank Division to cross the Istra Reservoir across the ice.

Only after three days of fighting on November 26-28 did the Germans manage to knock down Soviet units from the Istra line.

During the battles on the approaches to the Istra Reservoir, control of the 16th Army became greatly complicated: the maneuverable nature of combat operations required flexible and precise control. The withdrawal with holding battles on a wide front in conditions of complete enemy superiority in mobile formations (most of the formations opposing the 16th Army were tank or motorized) was carried out successfully. Despite the interception of army communications with the capture of the city of Klin on November 23, the headquarters of K.K. Rokossovsky ensured an almost systematic withdrawal of its troops. The fighting of the 16th Army took place under the direct control and leadership of front commander G.K. Zhukov, who himself was in the troops and personally led them. The actions of the troops of the 16th Army during this period undoubtedly deserve the highest praise. It is natural that most of the army formations became part of the Guard (the 78th Rifle Division became the 9th Guards, Dovator's corps became the 2nd Guards). The withdrawal of the 16th Army also led to a reduction in its front. If the army began a defensive operation on a front of 70 km, then later it was reduced to 30-40 km, which made it possible to maintain the density of formations thinned out in battles.

If at the border of Istra and the Istra reservoir it was possible to at least temporarily contain the advance of the right flank of the 4th Tank Group, then from Klin the attackers spread almost unhindered both to the east, in the direction of Rogachev and the Moscow-Volga canal, and to the southeast, to Solnechnogorsk . Moreover, bypassing the Istrinsky reservoir through Solnechnogorsk, strong mobile formations - the 2nd and 11th tank divisions - were moving towards Moscow. The capture of Solnechnogorsk by the V Army Corps on November 23 was soon exploited by German propaganda. The next day, November 24, German newspapers reported that “after a stubborn struggle, tank troops captured the city of Solnechnogorsk, located 50 km northwest of Moscow” (127). The achievement was truly significant. The capture of Solnechnogorsk caused great alarm at the headquarters of the Western Front. G.K. Zhukov ordered an immediate counterattack on the flank of the enemy’s Solnechnogorsk group with the forces of Dovator’s cavalry group. However, the counterattack brought only a day of delay in the spread of the Germans to the east and southeast of Solnechnogorsk. Therefore, in parallel, to counter the crisis, a transfer of forces was undertaken from temporarily quiet areas. The 133rd Rifle Division (arriving in Dmitrov on November 25) was transferred by vehicles from the Kalinin area. From the 49th Army of the Western Front, the 7th Guards Division was transferred to the Solnechnogorsk direction. The situation was such that reserves were collected bit by bit, in separate regiments. Thus, one regiment of the 251st Infantry Division was removed from the Kalinin Front. The 11th motorcycle regiment was moved to the Yakhroma area (on the Moscow-Volga canal). The 8th Guards (316th) Rifle Division, removed from the Istra line, was also moved to the northeast, to the Kryukov area, along with its constant companion, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of M.E. Katukov. In addition, the right wing of the 16th Army was reinforced by the 24th (from the 33rd Army, 3 KB, 11 T-34, 23 light tanks on November 16), the 31st (from the 49th Army, 9 KB, 29 T-34, 29 light tanks on November 16) and 145th (from the 49th Army, 140 light tanks on November 16) tank brigades and two separate tank battalions. One of these battalions was armed with Valentine tanks that arrived from England and were knocked out by units of the German 2nd Tank Division on November 25. Foreign-made technology, the appearance of which was noted even in F. Halder’s diary, had not so much a practical as a psychological impact. The German units, which were at the limit of physical and moral stress and had not received reinforcements for a long time, met a new part of the Red Army using English equipment. They didn’t know how many more such units they would have to meet.

While the tankers of the 4th Tank Group were looking at the Valentines without enthusiasm, their colleagues from the 3rd Tank Group were rushing to the Moscow-Volga Canal. The 7th Panzer Division led the attack. On the night of November 28, the division's combat group under the command of Hasso von Maintofel (6th Motorized Rifle Regiment and part of the 25th Tank Regiment), advancing on Yakhroma and not meeting stubborn resistance from our units, captured an intact bridge and rushed into Yakhroma with a swift blow. By 7 o'clock in the morning, von Maintofel's detachment had completely crossed to the eastern bank of the canal. With the onset of dawn, the enemy continued to advance east. By 10 o'clock the surrounding villages were captured - Peremilovo, Ilyinskoye, B. Semeshki. The battle in the Yakhroma area continued with varying success all day on November 28. A flank attack by the remnants of the 21st Tank Brigade and the 58th Tank Division (30th Army) from the north to Yakhroma managed to somewhat stop the spread of units of the 7th Tank Division. The next day, the German tank crews were faced with units that, although not as exotic as the Valentines, foreshadowed the coming storm. These were the advanced units of the 1st Shock Army. During the day of November 29, an organized counterattack by the 29th and 50th rifle brigades, supported by artillery and aviation, pushed the Germans back to the western bank of the canal. On this day, Halder wrote in his diary:

“Enemy activity in front of the front of the 4th Army has increased somewhat. The reports speak of the enemy's preparations for an offensive (?). There are no changes on the northern flank of the 4th Army and on the front of the 3rd Panzer Group. The enemy is transferring forces (apparently withdrawn from the front sector in front of the 9th Army and withdrawn from the Yaroslavl area) against the 7th Panzer Division, advancing through the Moscow-Volga canal in the Yakhroma area” (128).

Next to the phrase about the coming offensive, Franz Halder put a question mark, apparently considering this option as something fantastic. Meanwhile, the countdown to the start of the Soviet counteroffensive was already ticking. The silhouette of the iceberg that the Titanic was about to collide with during the German offensive had already appeared on the horizon through the snow charges.

However, while the 1st Shock and 20th Armies were moving forward, the situation remained extremely tense. The breakthrough of the 3rd Tank Group to the Moscow-Volga Canal created a large gap between the right flank of the 16th Army and the left flank of the 30th Army of the Western Front. Along the canal itself, this gap was filled with units of the arriving 1st Shock Army, and the gap between Solnechnogorsk and Yakhroma had to be temporarily filled with reserves transferred from other armies, united in the so-called Zakharov and Remizov groups. The situation was complicated by the fact that the command of the 3rd Panzer Group managed to free the XXXXI Motorized Corps from Kalinin and move it to the forefront of the offensive. On the last day of November, the corps was in the Klin area. By that time, the 1st Tank Division of the corps had only 37 tanks. In the 6th Panzer Division there were 4 combat-ready Pz.II tanks left, and there were no combat-ready Pz.35(t) and Pz.IV tanks at all.

In the last days of November, north of Moscow on the Moscow-Volga canal, the situation became critical. The Germans advanced deeply here and separated the main forces of the 30th and 16th armies. During the long and intense defensive battle on the right wing of the Western Front, reserves were mainly drawn from the armies of the front itself and were continuously sent from different sides to the threatened areas. They, together with the troops of the two armies in the main operational direction, delayed and stopped the enemy, but were not yet able to achieve a turning point in the operation in our favor. The crisis of the battle on the right wing was brewing. The time has come to bring into action the large reserves of the Supreme High Command.

For this purpose, even in the period from November 26 to December 1, the troops of the newly formed 1st Shock Army of V.I. Kuznetsov (29th, 47th, 55th, 50th, 71st, 56th, 44th Rifle Brigade) were concentrated in the Zagorsk-Dmitrov area. The army advanced to the eastern bank of the Moscow-Volga canal to the Nikolskoye front (15 km north of Dmitrov), Bol. Ivanovskoe (22 km south of Dmitrov). General Zakharov's group (parts of the 126th and 133rd Infantry, 17th Cavalry Divisions, 21st and 24th Tank Brigades) was included in the 1st Shock Army by directive of the command of the Western Front. At the same time, units of A. A. Vlasov’s 20th Army (64th, 35th, 28th, 43rd rifle brigades and 331st and 352nd rifle divisions) were concentrated to the north-west of Moscow in the Lobnya - Skhodnya - Khimki area ). They occupied the gap in the front line between the 1st shock and 16th armies.

However, the advancing German units did not yet know what an unpleasant surprise awaited them, and moved closer and closer to Moscow. On November 30, 1941, the 2nd Tank Division, fighting its way along the highway from Solnechnogorsk, occupied Krasnaya Polyana with its battle group. German troops now stood 17 kilometers from the Moscow border and 27 kilometers from the Kremlin. Advancing at the junction of the 2nd and 11th tank divisions, the 106th Infantry Division, with the force of one of its regiments, captured the Kryukovo railway station on December 2-3. The kilometer post showed a distance of 22 km from Moscow. The 8th Guards Panfilov Division, together with the 7th Guards Division castled from the 49th Army, fought a fierce battle for Kryukovo, the station passed from hand to hand. The motorcyclists of the 62nd combat engineer battalion of army subordination came closest to Moscow - they reached the Khimki station, 16 km from Moscow. Units of the motorized SS division “Das Reich”, delayed by the spill of the Istra reservoir, came quite close to Moscow. The SS men, advancing in the Istra direction, reached the Lenino station, 17 km from Moscow. The right-flank infantry divisions of the 4th Panzer Group of Hermann Geyer's IX Army Corps came almost as close. The 87th Infantry Division, advancing in the center of the corps formation, advanced along the Moscow River valley to Dmitrovskoye in the first days of December. It was 34 km from the Kremlin, and the domes of its churches were visible from the forward positions. However, the possibilities for further advancement of the IX Corps were practically exhausted. Only one division of the corps was advancing, the other two covered the stretched flanks.

The transition of the Soviet troops to the counteroffensive took place gradually. In the first few days of December 1941, there was a picture of the sunset of the offensive of Army Group “Center” and the fuzzy, again the first rays of the rising sun, the beginning of offensive actions of the newly formed and receiving reinforcements from the newly formed formations of the armies of the right wing of the Western Front. Already on the night of December 1, the Supreme Command Headquarters, in a directive to the commander of the Kalinin Front, stated that “private attacks in different directions undertaken by the troops of the Kalinin Front on November 27-29 are ineffective.” As a consequence of this thesis, the Kalinin Front was assigned more ambitious offensive tasks. At the same time, the commander of the Western Front addressed the concentrating 1st Shock Army with an order to carry out the following tasks: 1) on the morning of December 2, launch a decisive offensive with all forces in the general direction of Dedenevo - Fedorovka - the southern outskirts of Klin and on the same day liberate General Zakharov’s group from encirclement in the Kamenka - Fedorovka area; 2) in cooperation with the 30th and 20th armies, defeat the Klin-Solnechnogorsk enemy grouping.

Simultaneously with the concentration of fresh armies, the bleeding armies were reinforced with fresh divisions undergoing training, and units were put together during the period when the Western Front repelled the attacks of German tank groups. To strengthen the 30th Army, by order of Headquarters, new formations arrived from the reserve of the High Command - the 348th, 371st and 379th rifle divisions. The divisions arrived by rail and unloaded on December 2-5. The 30th Army was supposed to go on the offensive on December 6th. The 16th Army, which suffered the most in the November battles, also received reinforcements. On December 3, the 354th Infantry Division was included in its composition.

They launched a counter-offensive near Moscow with an attack through the Moscow-Volga canal against the Maintofel battle group of part of the 1st Shock Army. This army was the leader of offensive operations in the first days of December.

The troops under the command of V.I. Kuznetsov, on the morning of December 1, part of the forces (44th and 71st rifle brigades) went on the offensive and by the end of the day advanced 5-7 km west of the Moscow-Volga canal. Fresh forces of Soviet troops soon encountered the 1st Tank Division of V. Model's corps, which had recently been transferred from near Kalinin. However, then the offensive rolled towards the Germans like a snowball, gradually turning into an avalanche. By December 2, the 56th Rifle Brigade joined the advancing troops of the 1st Shock Army. On the morning of December 2, units of the 20th Army (331st Rifle Division, 134th Tank Battalion, 7th Separate Guards Mortar Division, 28th Rifle Brigade, 135th Tank Battalion, 15th Separate Guards Mortar Division) crossed on the offensive with the task of encircling and destroying the enemy in the Krasnaya Polyana area. From the evening of December 2, the 7th Guards Rifle Division, 282nd Rifle Regiment, 145th, 24th and 31st Tank Brigades transferred to the 16th Army as reserves were transferred to the 20th Army. On the morning of December 3, the 20th Army was ordered to go on the offensive in the general direction of Khimki - Solnechnogorsk. By December 3, the 44th, 50th, 56th and 71st rifle brigades, the 701st artillery regiment, and the 3rd and 38th mortar divisions took part in the offensive of the 1st Shock Army. On the same day, the 354th Infantry Division, which had arrived as part of the 16th Army, began offensive operations. The transition of the 16th Army to the offensive in cooperation with the 20th Army was scheduled for December 7.