Barbarossa Derailed: The Battle for Smolensk 10 July-10 September 1941: The German Advance, The Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July-24 August 1941

This is the first part of a two-volume study examining Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, and the factors that prevented German victory. On 10 July 1941, German Army Group Center's Second and Third Panzer Groups crossed the Dnepr and Western Dvina Rivers, advancing toward Moscow. This followed the initial invasion launched on 22 June, which had driven the Wehrmacht up to 500 kilometers into Soviet territory, killing or capturing approximately one million Red Army soldiers. German leadership expected swift total victory once Soviet forces were defeated and pushed back across these two rivers. However, the subsequent battles in the Smolensk region disrupted these plans. After crossing the rivers, the Wehrmacht encountered five fresh Soviet armies. Soviet forces encircled at Mogilev and Smolensk resisted surrender, while newly mobilized Soviet armies launched multiple counterattacks and two major counteroffensives between July and early September. Despite severe losses, these Soviet actions weakened German strength and momentum. Before the Smolensk fighting concluded, Hitler postponed his advance on Moscow and redirected forces southward toward Kiev. The study draws on Soviet and German archival materials, including combat orders from the German OKW, OKH, and Soviet Stavka and Front commands. It presents a detailed account of operations from 10 July through 10 September 1941, structured across four volumes: two narrative volumes, one of archival maps, and one of translated orders and reports.