Recaps

The German Air Force committed over 2,500 FW-190 fighters to a major battle against Russian Yak-1s, using its speed advantage and tactics tailored to the new Russian aircraft. The fight over the Eastern European Plain continued as both air forces committed their full strength, with Russian pilots suffering severe losses.

• The German Squadron Leader ordered his squadrons to destroy the Russian fighters, and German pilots prepared to face the newly deployed Yak-1s using intelligence and tactics supplied by Emperor Qin Tian.
• The Russian Regimental Commander ordered his pilots to attack, and dozens of German and Russian aircraft entered a brutal aerial melee.
• A German FW-190 shot down a Yak-1, then attacked its pilot's parachute, killing him.
• Yakov struggled to escape a faster FW-190, but the German fighter damaged his Yak-1 and killed him after he bailed out.
• More than 2,500 German FW-190s and a comparable Russian force fought for air superiority over the Eastern European Plain.

German FW-190 fighters overwhelmed the Russian Air Force in a devastating air battle, leaving Russian ground troops exposed to German attacks. After losing more than 1,500 aircraft in under half an hour, the surviving Russian planes fled.

• Barkhorn shot down a Yak-1 and dismissed the Russian fighter’s capabilities as his squadron leader praised the FW-190’s advantage.
• German fighters outmatched Yak-1s, I-16s, and American-supplied P-40s, inflicting far greater losses on the Russian Air Force.
• Russian infantrymen watched the air battle and argued over their air force’s poor performance until a battalion commander defended the pilots.
• German aircraft strafed a Russian pilot parachuting to the ground, then fired on soldiers after a machine gunner shot at them.
• The German Air Force shot down more than 1,500 Russian aircraft in less than half an hour, forcing the survivors to flee.

The German Air Force defeated the Russian Air Force’s interception and launched waves of attacks on Russian forward airfields. By afternoon, the airfields west of Moscow had been destroyed, and Germany held firm air superiority.

• General Hugo Sperrle reported that German fighters had broken the Russian interception, while Field Marshal Albert Kesselring learned German losses had reached about a hundred aircraft.
• General Hugo Sperrle said eight Dive Bomber Wings and eight Ground Attack Wings were heading to strike Russian airfields under fighter cover.
• Russian air defense troops prepared to defend their airfield as German fighters attacked and suppressed their anti-aircraft positions.
• German Dive Bombers and Attackers bombed a Russian field airfield, destroying its hangars, depots, control tower, and other structures.
• A second wave joined the attacks, and by afternoon the German Air Force had destroyed the airfields west of Moscow and secured air superiority.

Russian Air Force commanders Novikov and Gromov reported devastating losses against the German Air Force to Joseph. Enraged by their failure, Joseph dismissed them and ordered them exiled to labor-reform farms in Siberia.

• Novikov and Gromov learned that German FW-190 fighters had overwhelmed Russian aircraft and that German raids had devastated frontline airfields.
• Novikov and Gromov went to the Kremlin to report that the Russian Air Force could no longer contest German air superiority.
• Joseph accused Novikov and Gromov of failing him and relieved them of their posts.
• Joseph ordered the guards to arrest Novikov and Gromov and exile them to labor-reform farms in Siberia.

Joseph replaced the dismissed Air Force leaders as the German Empire prepared to exploit its air superiority with a major offensive. By April 16, German artillery and aircraft had devastated Russian defenses, though Russian troops continued to resist.

• Joseph dismissed Novikov and Gromov and approved Skoripko and Faraleyev as their replacements.
• Joseph urged the new Air Force leaders to keep fighting and promised to increase Yak-1 production.
• Kesselring reported that the German Air Force had gained air superiority, and Oscar ordered Manstein to launch the army offensive at dawn.
• On April 16, five German Army Groups began a huge artillery bombardment that wrecked Russian defensive lines.
• German aircraft attacked Russian artillery, inflicting heavy losses as Russian troops fought back under the bombardment.

Marshal Voroshilov ordered the Western Front to hold its positions as German artillery and air raids devastated Russian defenses near Moscow. German armored and mechanized divisions then began their assault on the front line.

• Lieutenant General Malankin reported that German artillery and aircraft had suppressed Russian guns and inflicted heavy losses.
• Voroshilov ordered the Western Front corps to defend their positions and tasked the 3rd and 4th Tank Army Corps with stopping the German armor.
• German attacks battered Russian defensive works across the front while Zhukov's Reserve Front Army remained in reserve behind the lines.
• Marshal Guderian ordered Army Group B to attack with its armored forces and divide and encircle the Russian defenders.
• Seven German armored divisions and twelve Mechanized Infantry Divisions launched their assault on the Russian defensive line.

German armored forces broke through the Russian front, and Marshal Guderian ordered the infantry to join the attack. Marshal Voroshilov sent the 3rd and 4th Tank Army Corps to counterattack, and the 88th Armored Division encountered the 3rd Tank Army Corps on February 17.

• German armored divisions and Mechanized Infantry Divisions launched a massive assault on Russian positions.
• Russian anti-tank weapons failed to stop the Tiger-Panther tanks, while soldiers’ close-range attacks were largely cut down by German fire.
• German tanks broke through the Russian line, and the Russian frontline troops began to rout.
• Lieutenant General Karl Hilpert reported the breakthrough, and Marshal Guderian ordered German infantry to attack alongside the armored forces.
• Marshal Voroshilov ordered the 3rd Tank Army Corps and 4th Tank Army Corps to counterattack the German 88th Armored Division.
• On the morning of February 17, the German 88th Armored Division encountered the Russian 3rd Tank Army Corps.

Lieutenant General Romanenko sent the Russian 3rd Tank Army Corps toward the battlefield under orders to destroy the German 88th Armored Division, expecting support from the 4th Tank Army Corps. On April 17, the German division’s Mighty Tiger tanks met the Russian 12th Tank Army Corps and began destroying its tanks from long range.

• Major General Rebalco told Lieutenant General Romanenko that Marshal Voroshilov had ordered the 3rd Tank Army Corps to wipe out the German 88th Armored Division, with the 4th Tank Army Corps joining the attack.
• Lieutenant General Romanenko ordered his troops to prepare to depart, and the 3rd Tank Army Corps rushed toward the battlefield.
• At 9 a.m. on April 17, the German heavy tank battalion encountered the Russian 12th Tank Army Corps and opened fire from more than one thousand meters away.
• The German Mighty Tiger tanks destroyed Russian BT-5 and T-26 tanks as the Russians tried to close the distance.
• A Russian BT-5 round dented a Mighty Tiger’s frontal armor, and the German tank commander ordered his crew to fire back and destroy it.

Lieutenant General Romanenko sent the 15th Tank Corps and the 179th Tank Brigade to reinforce the battered 12th Tank Army Corps, whose tanks were fighting a German heavy tank battalion. The T-34s initially struck the German tanks’ vulnerable sides, but German reinforcements arrived and the battle turned into a fierce clash of armor.

• Lieutenant General Romanenko ordered the 15th Tank Corps and 179th Tank Brigade into battle and urged the 4th Tank Army Corps to join them.
• The German heavy tank battalion began retreating to maintain its distance as the Russian reinforcements approached.
• The 15th Tank Corps attacked alongside the 12th Tank Army Corps while the 179th Tank Brigade flanked the Germans with its seventy T-34s.
• The T-34s penetrated the side armor of several Mighty Tiger tanks before the Germans turned their fronts toward the brigade and destroyed Russian tanks with their 88-millimeter guns.
• The German 881st Tank Regiment arrived with Panther tanks, and its forces destroyed Russian tanks, including T-34s.

The German 88th Armored Division and German aircraft crushed the Russian 3rd Tank Army Corps, inflicting heavy losses before turning to meet the arriving 4th Tank Army Corps. The 4th Tank Army Corps was routed and ultimately wiped out by the German forces.

• The German 881st Tank Regiment brought more than a hundred Panther tanks into the battle, devastating the Russian 179th Tank Brigade and forcing Russian tanks to retreat.
• German Panther and Mighty Tiger tanks, joined by dive bombers, inflicted severe losses on the Russian 3rd Tank Army Corps as Lieutenant General Romanenko called for the 4th Tank Army Corps to help.
• German aircraft attacked the Russian 4th Tank Army Corps on its way to the battlefield, reducing its tank strength from more than six hundred to fewer than four hundred.
• The 4th Tank Army Corps arrived to find the 3rd Tank Army Corps crushed, while the German 88th Armored Division prepared to face the new threat with reinforcements nearby.
• Major General Kryuchkin ordered the 4th Tank Army Corps to retreat, but German pursuit and interception by the 882nd Mechanized Infantry Division wiped it out.

Marshal Voroshilov learned that German armored forces had crippled two Russian tank army corps and breached defensive lines across several fronts. As German forces encircled Russian troops and Army Group B ran short of men to destroy them, Marshal Guderian ordered the vassal-state armies into battle.

• Lieutenant General Malankin reported that the 3rd Tank Army Corps and 4th Tank Army Corps had suffered devastating tank losses against German forces.
• Marshal Voroshilov learned that other Russian fronts had also been breached, while the Caucasian Front Army struggled to hold its position.
• German armored and mechanized divisions continued deep penetrations, splitting Western Front forces into isolated, encircled groups.
• Lieutenant General Karl Hilpert warned Marshal Guderian that Army Group B lacked enough troops to eliminate the encircled Russians.
• Marshal Guderian ordered the vassal-state armies into battle to reinforce the German offensive.

Germany and its puppet-state allies used their combined forces to destroy Russian units trapped in encirclements across the Eastern Front. After a week of fighting, Germany had gained the initiative as Russian losses mounted.

• Lieutenant General Sakel ordered the 1st Polish Army Corps to advance, and Polish, Belarusian, Hungarian, and Bohemian troops joined the German offensive.
• German and Polish forces attacked the Russian 20th Army Corps’ 61st and 69th Infantry Corps, annihilating them after three days and taking the survivors prisoner.
• German and Belarusian forces surrounded and destroyed the remaining Russian troops of the 20th Army Corps after the 7th Mechanized Corps suffered heavy losses.
• German and puppet-state forces continued eliminating Russian units across several fronts, while the Russian Caucasian Front Army struggled under bombardment.
• Lieutenant General Karl Hilpert reported that units under the 3rd Army Corps had destroyed a Russian Infantry Corps and crushed a Mechanized Infantry Corps, and Marshal Guderian acknowledged the report.

Emperor Qin Tian’s German Empire pursued a strategy of destroying Russia’s fighting forces rather than focusing on capturing territory. As German advances devastated the Russian Western Front and trapped more than a million troops, Marshal Voroshilov requested reinforcements and ordered the encircled forces to fight on.

• The chapter explained how Emperor Qin Tian’s German Empire avoided the Third Reich’s strategic and logistical mistakes and aimed to destroy the Russian army’s living strength.
• Lieutenant General Ponomarenko reported that five Russian infantry army groups had been wiped out, two tank army groups had lost combat effectiveness, and more than a million troops were encircled.
• Marshal Voroshilov asked whether the Western Front could counterattack to relieve the encircled forces, but Lieutenant General Malandin said German armored attacks made it extremely difficult.
• Lieutenant General Malandin said the Western Front needed powerful armored reinforcements to confront German Army Group B’s three thousand tanks.
• Marshal Voroshilov decided to request reinforcements from General Zhukov’s Reserve Front Army and ordered the encircled troops to break out or fight to the death.

The Russian Northwestern and Southwestern Fronts struggled to withstand powerful German offensives, and the Southwestern Front asked Moscow for reinforcements despite fearing Joseph's reaction. Rommel planned to destroy the remaining Southwestern Front forces and then attack the flank of the Russian Western Front alongside Army Group B.

• General Kurochkin, Lieutenant General Bogatkin, and Lieutenant General Vatutin debated how to respond as German Army Group A pushed back the Northwestern Front and Joseph forbade retreat.
• General Kilponos and Lieutenant General Zheltov urged the Southwestern Front to request reinforcements as German Army Group C devastated its forces.
• General Kilponos ordered Lieutenant General Purkayev to send a Telegram to Moscow requesting reinforcements, despite fears of angering Joseph.
• Marshal Rommel told General Franz von Leeb that German forces could crush the remaining Southwestern Front by massing their armored forces for a rapid assault.
• Marshal Rommel said that after defeating the Southwestern Front, Army Group C would attack the flank of the Russian Western Front in coordination with Army Group B.

As German forces advanced toward Moscow, Joseph heard that the Russian military could not match them and would need American intervention and aid. He decided to urge the United States to enter the war and increase assistance as the Arctic route reopened.

• Muscovites began fleeing east as German forces continued their advance and the Russian military failed to stop them.
• Shaposhnikov told Joseph that Russia lagged behind Germany in air power, equipment, training, and troop numbers, and that the American entry into the war might be their best hope.
• Joseph feared that Russia would be destroyed if it could not defeat Germany, but accepted that Russia could not turn the war around alone.
• Shaposhnikov reassured Joseph that Russia and the other countries resisting Germany were partners whose cooperation would continue until Germany was defeated.
• Joseph ordered Russia's representative in the United States to demand American entry into the war and more aid, including shipments through the Arctic Ocean route.

Joseph and Shaposhnikov discussed seeking American aid as Russian fronts suffered severe losses and lacked reserves. As the danger to Moscow grew, Joseph ordered the city sealed so no one could leave without his permission.

• Shaposhnikov urged Joseph to request more American aircraft and tanks to offset Russia’s damaged production capacity.
• Joseph hoped to obtain advanced American weapons, but Shaposhnikov warned that the Americans would prioritize their own needs and guard against Russia.
• Shaposhnikov reported that the Southwestern Front was close to collapse and that several front armies were asking for reinforcements.
• Joseph learned that Russia had few available troops, while newly mobilized forces still needed equipment and training.
• Shaposhnikov told Joseph that officials and their families were leaving Moscow for Siberia, and Joseph ordered Moscow blockaded so no one could leave without his permission.

Joseph ordered Moscow’s residents to remain in the city and build defenses as German forces approached, then summoned Zhukov to advise whether to reinforce the failing fronts. Zhukov urged Joseph to preserve the undertrained Reserve Front Army for Moscow’s defense, leaving the decision unresolved.

• Joseph ordered Shaposhnikov to block Moscow’s outbound roads and require his personal pass for anyone leaving.
• Joseph directed every Moscow resident to help build defensive fortifications.
• Shaposhnikov asked whether Joseph would ignore requests for reinforcements, and Joseph summoned Zhukov for his opinion.
• Zhukov warned that most of the Reserve Front Army was newly formed and untrained, and advised saving it for Moscow’s defense rather than sending it into field battles.
• Joseph frowned and considered Zhukov’s advice without announcing a decision.

Joseph appointed Zhukov Moscow Garrison Commander and ordered Moscow sealed against departures as German forces approached. Zhukov accepted the task, while an attempt by a high-ranking official’s wife to force her way out ended in her arrest.

• Joseph appointed Zhukov Moscow Garrison Commander and placed the Reserve Front Army under the Moscow Garrison District.
• Shaposhnikov advised keeping Zhukov’s appointment secret, and Joseph agreed.
• Russian troops barricaded Moscow’s major roads and barred anyone without a Kremlin pass from leaving.
• A crowd of civilians begged to leave Moscow, but an officer ordered them to return.
• A woman who claimed her husband was Deputy Head of Moscow District slapped the officer after he refused to let her pass.
• The officer ordered the woman arrested, and the civilians returned to Moscow.

As Moscow's civilians hurriedly built defenses under General Zhukov, Germany's commanders gathered in Berlin to plan a campaign against the Russian fronts. Field Marshal Manstein proposed encircling and destroying the Southwestern, Western, and Northwestern Fronts before the United States entered the war.

• Russian soldiers forced Moscow civilians to dig trenches in exchange for food as the city rapidly built defensive positions.
• Marshal Shaposhnikov handed responsibility for Moscow's defenses to General Zhukov, the new Moscow Garrison Commander.
• Marshals Blomberg, Guderian, and Rommel returned to Berlin to meet with Emperor Qin Tian and Field Marshal Manstein.
• Field Marshal Manstein explained that Germany wanted to destroy the main Russian forces before the United States entered the war.
• Field Marshal Manstein proposed that Army Group C feign an advance toward Moscow, then turn north to cut off the Russian Western and Northwestern Fronts while Germany's other army groups joined the assault.

Oscar and his marshals approved the Right Hook Plan to encircle and destroy Russia’s main forces before Germany faced the growing threat of the United States. On April 25, German Army Groups A, B, and C launched the offensive, with Army Group C driving into the weakened Russian Southwestern Front.

• Marshal Blomberg, Field Marshal Manstein, Marshal Guderian, and Marshal Rommel assessed the plan to crush Russia’s front armies and capture Moscow.
• Oscar named the operation the Right Hook Plan, and the three Army Group commanders returned to prepare it.
• On April 25, Army Groups A, B, and C began simultaneous offensives against the Russian military.
• Army Group C’s six Armored Divisions and twelve Mechanized Infantry Divisions attacked the depleted Russian Southwestern Front Army.

The German offensive shattered the Russian Southwestern Front Army, while General Kilponos waited for Moscow’s permission to retreat. By the time the order arrived, German Army Group C had nearly destroyed the front and advanced close to Moscow.

• Lieutenant General Purkayev reported that German tanks had broken through the Russian defensive line, and General Kilponos weighed whether to hold or retreat.
• Lieutenant General Purkayev suggested leaving some troops behind to delay the Germans while the rest withdrew toward Moscow, and General Kilponos requested Moscow’s approval.
• Marshal Rommel ordered German Army Group C to continue its advance and destroy the Russian Southwestern Front Army as quickly as possible.
• German armored forces and aircraft encircled and destroyed Russian units while General Kilponos waited for permission to retreat.
• After Moscow authorized the withdrawal, General Kilponos ordered a retreat, but German Army Group C had already crippled the front and nearly annihilated it within three days, reaching close to Moscow.

Marshal Rommel ordered General Leeb to advance toward Podolsk and threaten Moscow while Germany focused on destroying the Russian Western and Northwestern Front Armies. Joseph rushed to reinforce Moscow, unaware that the German approach was a feint.

• Marshal Rommel told Colonel General Franz von Leeb to lead the 7th Army Corps and Puppet Troops toward the Podolsk line, while Erich Hoepner argued that a Russian counterattack could benefit Germany.
• Joseph summoned Marshal Shaposhnikov and General Zhukov after Army Group C drove close to Moscow, and Zhukov assured him the city’s defenses could repel German tanks.
• Joseph ordered the Reserve Front Army into Moscow and called for more troops from the rear to prepare for a decisive battle.
• Army Group C’s advance toward Moscow was revealed to be a show intended to distract Russia while Germany targeted the Western and Northwestern Front Armies.
• With Puppet Troop assistance, the German 7th Army Corps captured Podolsk in one day, and the 9th, 16th, 17th, and 18th Army Corps turned north and advanced rapidly.

German commanders planned to exploit Army Group C’s advance to encircle the Russian Western and Northwestern Front Armies. After German forces trapped the Western Front Army west of Moscow, Rommel sent troops north to cut off the Northwestern Front Army’s retreat.

• Marshal Guderian ordered Army Group B to destroy as many encircled Russian troops as possible before Army Group C attacked the Western Front Army’s flank and rear.
• General Bock warned that the Northwestern Front Army might recognize Germany’s plan, but Guderian said Army Group A would keep it engaged.
• Marshal Blomberg ordered Army Group A to attack, putting the Russian Northwestern Front Army under heavy pressure as its troops were routed and encircled.
• General Kurochkin, Lieutenant General Bogatkin, and Lieutenant General Vatutin appealed to Moscow for reinforcements but received orders to hold their positions.
• After capturing Podolsk, Army Group C’s assault troops advanced north and encircled the Russian Western Front Army west of Moscow.
• Marshal Rommel left the 17th and 18th Army Corps to reinforce the encirclement, sent two Ukrainian Army Corps north, and continued the advance with the 9th and 16th Army Corps to cut off the Northwestern Front Army.

German Army Groups B and C encircled the Russian Western Front Army and threatened the Northwestern Front Army, leaving Moscow’s leaders facing the danger of losing both armies. The chapter ended with the Russian command recognizing that the Germans had outmaneuvered them and that Moscow could be left undefended.

• German Army Group B renewed its assault on the Western Front Army while German Army Group C moved to outflank its rear, trapping Marshal Voroshilov’s forces.
• Lieutenant Generals Ponomarenko and Malankin urged Voroshilov to break out, and he ordered Malankin to request Moscow’s approval and a Reserve Front Army attack.
• General Kurochkin ordered the Northwestern Front Army to retreat after learning German forces were approaching its rear, but German Army Group A’s assault threatened to break its defenses.
• Joseph, Marshal Shaposhnikov, and General Zhukov learned that the Germans had feinted at Moscow to encircle both Russian front armies and feared the losses would leave Moscow exposed.

Joseph, Marshal Shaposhnikov, and General Zhukov considered how to save the Western Front and Northwestern Front from German encirclement without leaving Moscow vulnerable. Joseph ordered both fronts to break out, though he expected few troops to make it back.

• Marshal Shaposhnikov warned Joseph that the Germans intended to destroy the Western Front and Northwestern Front after nearly wiping out the Southwestern Front.
• Marshal Shaposhnikov explained that German forces were blocking both fronts’ retreat routes while Army Group B and Army Group A attacked them.
• Joseph asked whether Moscow’s garrison could attack the Germans to cover the fronts’ escape, and General Zhukov warned that the operation would require more than a million troops and could leave Moscow exposed.
• Joseph concluded that Moscow could not spare enough troops to rescue both fronts without risking the capital.
• Joseph ordered the Western Front and Northwestern Front to break out with all their strength.