Battle of Bryansk (1941)

Battle of Bryansk
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Encirclement of Soviet armies near Bryansk
Date30 September–21 October 1941
Location
Result German victory
Belligerents
 Germany  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Nazi Germany Fedor von Bock
Nazi Germany Heinz Guderian
Nazi Germany Maximilian von Weichs
Soviet Union Andrey Yeryomenko
Soviet Union Semyon Timoshenko
Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov
Units involved
2nd Army
2nd Panzer Army
Soviet Union 50th Army
Soviet Union 13th Army
Soviet Union 3rd Army
Strength
unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
48,000 killed or wounded 100,000 killed or missing
600,000 captured

The Battle of Bryansk (2–21 October 1941) was a twenty-day battle during World War II conducted in the Bryansk Oblast as a part of the overall Moscow campaign. Returning from the Kiev operation, Heinz Guderian attacked in an unexpected direction capturing Bryansk and Oryol with few casualties thereby encircling two Soviet formations, the 13th Army and 3rd Army. A third Soviet formation, the 50th Army was encircled by infantry of the German 2nd Army north of Bryansk. However the encircled Red Army units continued fighting, delaying the drive on Moscow for two weeks. This delay, as well as the casualties taken by the Wehrmacht liquidating the pockets contributed to the German collapse at the gates of Moscow. See also: Vyazma and Bryansk pockets. As a result of this battle, the Germans occupied Bryansk until they were expelled by the Red Army on 17 September 1943 as a part of the Smolensk campaign.