The Survival of Auftragstaktik during the Soviet Counterattack in the Battle for Moscow, December 1941 to January 1942

On 16 December 1941, Adolf Hitler issued his controversial Haltbefehl (Halt Order). As Germany’s Army Group Center reeled under the Soviet counterattack during the Battle for Moscow, the Haltbefehl forbade the army to retreat. Many scholars have argued that this order ended the Prussian-German command principle (Führungsprinzips) called Auftragstaktik. This principle allowed German field commanders command discretion within the intent of their superiors. This essay argues that Auftragstaktik survived at and below the divisional level during the German army’s defensive struggles. The case studies illustrate that field commanders kept their command independence and withdrew their units despite Hitler’s order.