Smolensk has long played a special role in the military history of Russia, being the first to take the blows of the aggressors who sought to capture Moscow. From July 10 to September 10, 1941, the Battle of Smolensk unfolded near the walls of the ancient city, in which for two months the Red Army managed to confront the previously invincible Wehrmacht on equal terms. For the first time since the beginning of World War II, German troops were forced to go on the defensive in their main direction. During bloody defensive and offensive battles, Soviet troops thwarted Hitler's Blitzkrieg and the plans of the German command for a non-stop attack on Moscow, and Army Group Center suffered heavy losses.