The Red Army's 3 most DEVASTATING defeats in World War II (PHOTOS)

1. ‘The Kiev Cauldron’

The battle for the capital of Soviet Ukraine began on July 11, 1941. On that same day, the city's defense commanders received a telegram from Stalin: “If you take even a single step toward withdrawing your troops to the left bank of the Dnieper… you will all face severe punishment as cowards and deserters.”

Kiev was defended by troops of Colonel General Mikhail Kirponos's Southwestern Front. In the first few weeks, they stubbornly held their positions and promptly repelled enemy breakthroughs. In mid-August, the Germans crossed the Dnieper River south of Kiev, securing a foothold on the river’s left bank and began to encircle the city from the south. Part of Army Group Center, which Hitler had withdrawn from the Moscow direction, began advancing toward them from the north.

Despite the growing danger of being “encircled”, Stalin hesitated for a long time to withdraw his troops from the city. Finally, on September 15, the pincers closed around the forces of the Southwestern Front. The troops attempted a breakthrough, but only scattered groups were able to reach their own lines. On September 19, the Wehrmacht captured Kiev.

As a result of the Kiev Strategic Defensive Operation, over 700,000 Red Army soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing. This opened the way for the Germans to advance into eastern Ukraine and the Crimea. At the same time, the diversion of part of Army Group Center's forces toward Kiev weakened the pressure on Moscow, giving the Soviets time to prepare the capital for defense.

2. ‘The Vyazma Cauldron’

On September 30, 1941, the German offensive against Moscow, known as ‘Operation Typhoon’, began. The Wehrmacht did not attempt to advance along the shortest route to the Soviet capital through the Red Army's strong defensive lines, but instead struck at the junctions between Soviet armies and broke through to their rear.

The order to retreat came too late and several Soviet armies in the Vyazma area found themselves encircled. In their attempts to break out of the encirclement, the divisions lost up to 90 percent of their personnel.

“We entered villages, asked for shelter and hid, then continued on… Often walked hungry and exhausted, barely able to move our legs. But we gathered our strength and kept going. We ate whatever we could find… We asked everyone just one thing: 'The road to Moscow! How to get there?’" recalled serviceman Alexander Pochuenkov.

The exact number of Soviet soldiers killed, wounded, captured and missing is unknown, but is estimated at approximately 700,000-900,000. The catastrophe left Moscow virtually defenseless and panic broke out in the city. All available forces, however meager, had to be thrown into the defensive lines, including cadets from military schools in the Moscow region.

3. ‘The Barvenkovo ​​Cauldron’

After the Wehrmacht was routed near Moscow, the Red Army advanced on all fronts. In northeastern Ukraine, it penetrated deep into the enemy's defenses and secured a foothold on the so-called Barvenkovsky ​​salient. On May 12, 1942, troops there launched an offensive toward Kharkov and advanced 50 km in just a few days.

But as early as May 17, the Germans launched an attack on the most vulnerable section of the Soviet front. The defense was located near the neck of the salient. No fortifications had been built there, so the enemy advanced easily and quickly. Meanwhile, Moscow underestimated the German counterattack and ordered their advance to Kharkov to continue.

As a result, on May 22, Army Group ‘Kleist’, advancing from the south, linked up south of the town of Balakleya with the tank divisions of Friedrich Paulus' 6th Army, which were breaking through from the north. The trap for the Soviet troops snapped shut. Over 200,000 Soviet soldiers were trapped in the ‘cauldron’ and only 22,000 managed to break out.

Soviet losses at Kharkov were fewer than those in Kiev or Vyazma, but the consequences for the USSR were just as severe. The Wehrmacht regained the strategic initiative and launched a major offensive, breaking through toward the Caucasus and the Volga.