In the winter of 1941 -- 42 the Soviets struck back in a series of successful counteroffensives , pushing back the German threat to Moscow .
Although the Germans had captured vast areas of land and important industrial centers , the Soviet Union remained in the war .
In the winter of 1941 -- 42 the Soviet Union struck back in a series of successful counteroffensives , pushing back the German threat to Moscow .
Although the Germans had captured vast areas of land and important industrial centers , the Soviet Union remained in the war .