The Russians have a saying that there is no such thing as cold weather, only the wrong kind of clothing, which is exactly what happened to the German troops in Russia. With Moscow in sight, conditions for the lightly clad German troops at the front became unbearable. Weapons malfunctioned. Vehicles wouldn’t start. Frostbite cases soared. Troops froze to death. Ignoring the plight of his frontline soldiers, Hitler insisted that Moscow could still be taken and ordered all available troops in the region to make one final thrust for victory. Then in December, Russian General Georgi Zhukov launched a massive Red Army counterattack. The blow stunned the Nazis and sent them reeling back. Hitler had pushed his troops beyond human endurance and now they paid a terrible price. For the first time in the war, the Germans experienced Blitzkrieg in reverse, as overwhelming numbers of Russian tanks, planes and artillery tore them apart. The impact was devastating. By mid-December, German forces around Moscow, battered, cold and tremendously fatigued, were in full retreat and facing the possibility of being routed by the Russians.