Battle of Moscow order of battle

The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Moscow from October 2, 1941 to January 2, 1942.

German and Soviet commanders

Fedor von Bock

Ivan Konev

Andrey Yeryomenko

Summary of Ground Forces

The six German armies made up Army Group Centre, commanded by Feldmarshal Fedor von Bock.

North of Smolensk-Moscow Highway

German: Ninth Army and Panzergruppe 3 18 infantry divisions   3 panzer divisions   2 motorized infantry divisions   1 motorized brigade   1 flammpanzer battalion

Soviet – front line: Western Front (Konev) [a] 23 rifle divisions   1 mechanized division   1 tank brigade

Soviet – deployed east: Reserve Front (Budyonny) [b]   9 rifle divisions   2 cavalry divisions

Middle Sector

German: Fourth Army and Panzergruppe 4 15 infantry divisions   6 panzer divisions   2 motorized infantry divisions

Soviet – front line: Western Front (cont.) 13 rifle divisions   2 cavalry divisions   2 mechanized divisions   4 tank brigades Reserve Front (cont.)   4 rifle divisions   1 cavalry division   1 mechanized division   4 tank brigades

Soviet – deployed east: Reserve Front (cont.) 10 rifle divisions

Bryansk and Points South

German: Second Army and Panzergruppe 2 14 infantry divisions   5 panzer divisions   4 motorized infantry divisions   1 cavalry division

Soviet – front line: Bryansk Front (Yeryomenko) 26 rifle divisions   1 tank division   3 cavalry divisions   4 tank brigades

Soviet – deployed east: none

Detail of Ground Forces

The six German armies made up Army Group Centre, commanded by Feldmarshal Fedor von Bock.

North of Smolensk-Moscow Highway

Armies deployed north to south

German: Ninth Army Colonel General Adolf Strauss VIII Corps 8th Infantry Division 28th Infantry Division 87th Infantry Division XXIII Corps 102nd Infantry Division 206th Infantry Division 251st Infantry Division 256th Infantry Division XXVII Corps 86th Infantry Division 162nd Infantry Division 255th Infantry Division Army Reserve 161st Infantry Division Third Panzer Group Colonel General Georg-Hans Reinhardt [c] XLI Panzer Corps 1st Panzer Division 101st Panzer Battalion (Flamm Panzer) 6th Infantry Division [1] 36th Motorized Infantry Division LVI Motorized Corps 6th Panzer Division [2] 7th Panzer Division 14th Motorized Infantry Division 129th Infantry Division V Corps 5th Infantry Division 35th Infantry Division [3] 106th Infantry Division VI Corps 26th Infantry Division 110th Infantry Division Army Reserve 900th Lehr (Motorized) Brigade

Soviet – front line: Western Front Lieutenant General Ivan Konev [d] 22nd Army Maj. Gen. Vasily Yushkevich 126th Rifle Division 133rd Rifle Division 174th Rifle Division 179th Rifle Division 186th Rifle Division 256th Rifle Division 16th Guards mortar battery M-13 29th Army Lt. Gen. Ivan Maslennikov 178th Rifle Division 243rd Rifle Division 246th Rifle Division 252nd Rifle Division 30th Army Maj. Gen. Vasily Khomenko 162nd Rifle Division 242nd Rifle Division 250th Rifle Division 251st Rifle Division 107th Mechanized Division 30th Guards mortar battery M-13 19th Army Lt. Gen. Mikhail Lukin 50th Rifle Division 89th Rifle Division 91st Rifle Division 166th Rifle Division 244th Rifle Division 1/10th Guards mortar regiment M-13 19th Guards mortar battery M-13 16th Army Lt. Gen. Konstantin Rokossovsky 38th Rifle Division 108th Rifle Division 112th Rifle Division 8th Guards Rifle Division 127th Tank Brigade

Soviet – deployed east: Reserve Front Marshal Semyon Budyonny [e] 31st Army Maj. Gen. Vasily Dalmatov 5th Rifle Division 110th Rifle Division 119th Rifle Division 247th Rifle Division 249th Rifle Division unnumbered Guards mortar battery 49th Army Lt. Gen. Ivan Zakharkin 194th Rifle Division 220th Rifle Division 248th Rifle Division 303rd Rifle Division 29th Cavalry Division 31st Cavalry Division

Middle Sector

Armies deployed north to south

German: Fourth Army Field Marshal Günther von Kluge [f] VII Corps 7th Infantry Division 23rd Infantry Division 197th Infantry Division 267th Infantry Division IX Corps 137th Infantry Division 183rd Infantry Division 263rd Infantry Division 292nd Infantry Division [4] XX Corps 15th Infantry Division 78th Infantry Division 268th Infantry Division Fourth Panzer Group Colonel General Erich Hoepner [g] XII Corps 34th Infantry Division 98th Infantry Division XL Motorized Corps 2nd Panzer Division [5] 10th Panzer Division [6] 258th Infantry Division XLVI Motorized Corps 5th Panzer Division [7] 11th Panzer Division [8] 252nd Infantry Division LVII Panzer Corps SS Motorized Infantry Division Das Reich 3rd Motorized Infantry Division 19th Panzer Division [9] 20th Panzer Division [10]

Soviet – front line: Western Front (cont.) 20th Army Lt. Gen. Filipp Yershakov 73rd Rifle Division 129th Rifle Division 144th Rifle Division 229th Rifle Division 24th Army (from Reserve Front) Maj. Gen. Konstantin Rakutin 19th Rifle Division 103rd Mechanized Division 106th Mechanized Division 139th Rifle Division 160th Rifle Division 170th Rifle Division 309th Rifle Division 144th Tank Brigade 146th Tank Brigade Other armoured formations: 138th Tank Battalion 139th Tank Battalion unnumbered Guards mortar battalion M-13 43rd Army (from Reserve Front) Maj. Gen. Pyotr Sobennikov 53rd Rifle Division 149th Rifle Division 211th Rifle Division 222nd Rifle Division 145th Tank Brigade 148th Tank Brigade 42nd Guards mortar battalion M-13 Dovator's Cavalry Group Maj. Gen. Lev Dovator [h] 40th Cavalry Division 53rd Cavalry Division Front Reserves Lt. Gen. Ivan Boldin 5th Guards Rifle Division 134th Rifle Division 214th Rifle Division 152nd Rifle Division 101st Mechanized Division 126th Tank Brigade 128th Tank Brigade 143rd Tank Brigade 147th Tank Brigade 45th Cavalry Division 2/10th Guards mortar regiment M-13

Soviet – deployed east: Reserve Front (cont.) 32nd Army Maj. Gen. Sergey Vishnevsky 2nd Rifle Division 8th Rifle Division 18th Rifle Division 29th Rifle Division 140th Rifle Division 33rd Army Kombrig Dmitry Onuprienko 17th Rifle Division 60th Rifle Division 113th Rifle Division 139th Rifle Division 173rd Rifle Division

South of Kirov

Armies deployed north to south

German: Second Army Colonel General Baron Maximilian von Weichs XIII Corps 17th Infantry Division 260th Infantry Division XLIII Corps 52nd Infantry Division 131st Infantry Division LIII Corps 31st Infantry Division 56th Infantry Division [11] 167th Infantry Division Army Reserve 112th Infantry Division Second Panzer Group Colonel General Heinz Guderian [i] XXIV Panzer Corps 3rd Panzer Division [12] 4th Panzer Division [13] 10th Motorized Infantry Division XLVII Panzer Corps 17th Panzer Division 18th Panzer Division 29th Motorized Infantry Division XLVIII Panzer Corps 9th Panzer Division 16th Motorized Infantry Division 25th Motorized Infantry Division XXXIV Corps 45th Infantry Division [14] 134th Infantry Division XXXV Corps 1st Cavalry Division 95th Infantry Division 262nd Infantry Division 293rd Infantry Division 296th Infantry Division

Soviet – front line: Bryansk Front Lt. Gen. Andrey Yeryomenko 50th Army Lt. Gen. Mikhail Petrov 217th Rifle Division 258th Rifle Division 260th Rifle Division 278th Rifle Division 279th Rifle Division 290th Rifle Division 299th Rifle Division 108th Tank Division 3rd Army Maj. Gen. Yakov Kreizer 137th Rifle Division 148th Rifle Division 269th Rifle Division 280th Rifle Division 282nd Rifle Division 4th Cavalry Division Other units: 855th Rifle Regiment, 278th Rifle Division 13th Army Maj. Gen. Avksenty Gorodnyansky  [ ru ] 6th Rifle Division 121st Rifle Division 132nd Rifle Division 143rd Rifle Division 155th Rifle Division 298th Rifle Division 307th Rifle Division 55th Cavalry Division 141st Tank Brigade Operational Group Ermakov Lt. Gen. Arkady Yermakov 2nd Guards Rifle Division 160th Rifle Division 283rd Rifle Division 21st Mountain Cavalry Division 121st Tank Brigade 150th Tank Brigade 1st Guards mortar regiment M-13 6th Guards mortar regiment M-8 Front Reserves 7th Guards Rifle Division 154th Rifle Division 287th Rifle Division 42nd Tank Brigade

Soviet – deployed east: none

Notes

1. Made Marshal of the Soviet Union in February 1944; following war, replaced Zhukov as commander of Soviet ground forces.
2. One of the very few Tsarist officers to retain high rank in the Red Army.
3. Served 17 years for war crimes.
4. Made Marshal of the Soviet Union in February 1944; following war, replaced Zhukov as commander of Soviet ground forces.
5. One of the very few Tsarist officers to retain high rank in the Red Army.
6. Committed suicide after being suspected in the 20 July Plot.
7. Executed after being implicated in the 20 July Plot.
8. Killed in action 19 Sep during Zhukov's counteroffensive.
9. Relieved by Hitler 25 Dec 1941; replaced by Rudolf Schmidt.

References

1. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 1), p. 40.
2. Order of battle from Mithcam (vol. 3), p. 15.
3. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 1), p. 81.
4. Mitcham (vol. 2), p. 3.
5. Order of battle from Mitcham.
6. Order of battle from Mitcham.
7. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 3), p. 12.
8. Mitcham (vol. 3), p. 30.
9. Order of battle from Mitcham.
10. Order of battle from Mitcham.
11. Order of battle from German Encyclopedia.
12. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 3), p. 8.
13. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 3), p. 10.
14. Order of battle from Mitcham (vol. 1), p. 89.

Sources

• Forczyk, Robert. Moscow 1941: Hitler's first defeat. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2006. ISBN   184603017X.
• Mitcham, Samuel W. German Order of Battle, volume 1: 1st – 290th Infantry Division in WWII. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN   0811734382.
• Mitcham, Samuel W. German Order of Battle, volume 2: 291st – 999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN   0811734374.
• Mitcham, Samuel W. German Order of Battle, volume 3: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN   978-0-8117-3438-7.
• Zetterling, Niklas & Frankson, Aners. "The Drive on Moscow, 1941." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Casemate Books, 2012.