On September 30, 1941, the Battle of Moscow began – the first decisive and one of the largest battles in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Alongside the Red Army soldiers, ordinary Muscovites and military school cadets rose to defend the city. No other capital in the world had put up such resistance against Hitler. By the end of September 1941, Nazi troops had occupied the Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, and a significant part of Ukraine, had blockaded Leningrad, and had reached the outskirts of Moscow. Given the strategic and political importance of the Soviet capital, Hitler launched a massive assault, deploying 1.8 million soldiers, 1,700 tanks, and about 1,000 aircraft. In response, the State Defense Committee imposed a state of siege in Moscow and the surrounding regions that were not occupied by the enemy. The city itself began intense preparations for street battles, and at the same time, critical state and industrial facilities were mined. The German command planned to capture Moscow within the first three to four months and completely destroy its population. The self-sacrificing resistance of the Red Army units, volunteers, and cadets prevented these plans from coming to fruition. For two weeks, Soviet troops held off about twenty German divisions in fierce battles, allowing the defense line to be reinforced and reserve forces to be brought to Moscow. In early December, when the Wehrmacht's strength was finally depleted, the Red Army was able to launch a counteroffensive, destroying the strike forces of Army Group "Center" and removing the threat that loomed over the capital. During the Red Army's advance, the Germans were pushed back from the capital by 100-350 kilometers, and the Moscow, Tula, Kalinin, and Ryazan regions were completely cleared of the enemy. The success of the Soviet troops near Moscow shattered the myth of the Third Reich’s invincibility and thwarted the plan for a "blitzkrieg" against the USSR. It was near Moscow that Hitler suffered his first major defeat in World War II.