Battle of Bryansk

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Encirclement of Soviet armies near Bryansk

Date	30 September–21 October 1941
Location	Bryansk, Soviet Union
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Germany

Soviet Union

Commanders and leaders

Fedor von Bock

Heinz Guderian

Maximilian von Weichs

Andrey Yeryomenko

Semyon Timoshenko

Georgy Zhukov

Units involved

2nd Army
2nd Panzer Army

50th Army
13th Army
3th Army

Strength

unknown

Unknown

Casualties and losses

Unknown

80,000 killed or missing
50,000 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 it was liberated by the Red Army on September 17, 1943 as a part of the Smolensk campaign.

This battle served as the catalyst for the invention of the AK-47.

After the successful encirclement of the reconstituted Western Front in the Smolensk pocket, the tanks of Army Group Centre were ordered to halt so that the infantry could catch up and liquidate the pocket. Further to the north, Army Group North had stalled out in the drive towards Leningrad, and Army Group South was struggling to take Kiev. To secure the flanks of Army Group Center, Hitler ordered that the 3rd Panzer Army be diverted north and the 2nd Panzer Army be diverted south. Army Group Centre's infantry formations, the 4th Army and 9th Army were ordered to dig in and wait for their flanks to be secured.

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