Tula repels the first German assault
Guderian's forces reached the approaches to Tula at the end of October and attacked on 29 October. The city was an industrial centre, road junction and the anchor of the southern approach to Moscow; Soviet regular troops, local formations and anti-aircraft artillery held the immediate defence. The failure to seize Tula denied 2nd Panzer Army the road hub it needed for a clean northern turn behind Moscow. German forces later tried to bypass the city, but Tula remained in Soviet hands and continued to obstruct the southern arm of the…
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