Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Tikhvin offensive. In the autumn of 1941, a thin road from Leningrad to Moscow braided with mud and grit as two colossal armies pressed toward a grim deadline. On one side, German steel sought a swift triumph; on the other, Soviet resolve rebuilt from ruined lines, shoulder to shoulder with civilians who refused to surrender their city. Cities along the corridor buckled under pressure, Bryansk, Vyazma, Kalinin, yet the Red Army held, taught newcomers, and refused to yield Moscow to the encroaching winter. The Tikhvin Offensive blossomed as a dire race against Rasputitsa and frost. German panzers clawed forward through swamps and forests, sometimes breaking the front and exposing vulnerable flanks. Soviet countermeasures, though hampered by stretched reserves, stitched together new fronts and defensive corridors, buying time for the capital. Civilians endured hunger, cold, and the fear of occupation as fronts shifted like winter winds: planes thundered above, trains groaned along damaged rails, and soldiers traded warmth for survival. The Tikhvin Offensive began, but the war’s winter symphony had only just begun. This episode is the Wehrmacht Struggled in October Mud Well hello there, welcome to the Eastern Front week by week podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800’s until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  The German offensive toward Tikhvin fanned out after the 21st. The 12th Panzer Division and the 20th Motorised Division were directed at Tikhvin and made slow but steady progress, with Budogosh falling on the 23rd. Mud and snow created ongoing difficulties, and tanks and trucks were repeatedly lost to the terrain. The level of attrition reached a point that prompted consideration from Hitler about suspending the attack. Leeb and Halder persuaded Hitler to allow the operation to continue. Leeb was granted authorisation to halt the attack at his discretion, provided a bridgehead across the Volkhov River remained intact. To the southeast, the 8th Panzer Division and the 18th Motorised Division were redirected toward Bologoye, with the objective of connecting with Panzer Group 3 from Kalinin. Leeb requested control over Panzer Group 3 and the northern wing of the 9th Army to create a unified command structure for this operation. The request was refused. The offensive proceeded despite the failure of the 3rd Panzer Group to break out of Kalinin. The 18th Motorised Division and the 126th Infantry Division managed to capture Bolshaya Vishera. In response, the 288th Rifle Division and the 267th Rifle Division delayed the German advance long enough to establish a defensive line along the Malaya Vishera River. Supporting offensives by the 2nd and 10th Army Corps toward Vyshniy Volochek and Valday were halted by strong Soviet tank-led counteroffensives. The 11th and 21st Infantry Divisions were dispatched north along both sides of the Volkhov to cover the German offensive’s flanks and threaten the rear of the 54th Army. North of Kirishi, the 11th Infantry Division was halted by the 285th and 311th Rifle Divisions on the 24th. Recognizing the growing German threat, STAVKA ordered a reshaping of the Soviet force: the 310th Rifle Division and the 4th Guards Division were transferred from the 54th Army to the 4th Army; the 191st Rifle Div