Includes bibliographical references (p. [363]-374) and index.

The slow approach of thunder -- The storm breaks -- Typhoon

The battle of Moscow in 1941 - unquestionably one of the most decisive battles of the Second Word War - marked the first strategic defeat of the German armed forces in their seemingly unstoppable march across Europe. The Soviets lost many more men than the British and Americans lost in the whole of the war. Now, with authority and narrative power, Rodric Braithwaite tells the story in large part through the individual experiences of ordinary Russian men and women.

By interweaving the personal remembrances of soldiers, politicians, writers, artists, workers and schoolchildren, Braithwaite gives us an unprecedented understanding of how the war affected the daily life of Moscow, and of the extraordinary bravery, endurance, and sacrifice - both voluntary and involuntary that was required of its citizens.

-- Dust jacket.