OKH Chief Franz Halder makes plans for a modest end to 1941 for Operation Barbarossa, but Hitler overrides him and orders the capture of Moscow, before the heavy snows come. Yet, Stalin, finally taking an advisor’s advice, allows several armies from the Russian Far East to transfer west and help with the defense of his capital.
Episode 537-Gen. Manstein’s Backhand Blow
Manstein overcame Hitler’s objections and then two Soviet Fronts. By early March 1943, Kursk was exposed and open to attack.
