Soviet implementation and training of night attacks to me is the turning point of the war.
Launching night attacks against the german 112th, using countryside peasantry along with the geography of the region to not only hide retreating forces, but also to delay german advancement (hiding trains and equipment in towns and heavily wooded areas) and not overreaching territory grabs made at night (mostly because of an outdated field regulations) were what stalled the german's from getting to moscow, demoralized the force and created huge losses (500 lost to frostbite alone) amongst the german attacking forces. There is literature to suggest that the soviet night attacks were so effective at demoralizing german troops that some even became treasonous to the german ideal, believing the soviet soldier's lifestyle created the better soldier. They began to fear the night, and, mixed with the bitter cold (which from the german point of view did not seem to hinder the soviet soldier as they would often lay motionless in wait for hours on the snow and ice to complete a mission), terrifying darkness and war fatigue, became a shell of their previous fighting stature.
The night battles that turned excellent day-time german regiments into 'innadequate' forces. Testing out these raids in smolensk as well as other areas gave the Russian army time to develop their night-attack techniques for the defense of moscow. By 1944, there are estimates that 60 percent of all russian offensive were carried out at night.
Hell, if it hadn't of been for great german counter blows and inept paratrooper deployment behind the german lines by the soviets, that front may have collapsed by march 1942.
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