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However, within weeks Stalin manages to recover from the shock and called for reinforcements. Although German troops had made huge advances into the heartlands of the Soviet Union and the rest of the government had been evacuated from Moscow, Stalin remained in the Kremlin and begun to take control of the country’s ailing military infrastructure. As German troops approached Moscow's Soviet capital, Stalin directed a devastating defensive policy, destroying any supplies or infrastructure that might benefit the enemy. Fresh competent USSR military commanders loyal to Stalin were allowed to control important strategic positions and military divisions. <ref>Bellamy, p. 117</ref> This scorched earth tactic denied the Germans key supplies. This was particularly the case as the German supply lines had become extended, and the men at the front did not receive the supplies they needed. The destruction of the infrastructure and anything else that could be utilized by the Germans caused immense suffering to the Soviet civilian population. However, it dramatically slowed the German advance. Stalin's policy contributed to the German army's failure to take Moscow in the early winter of 1941.<ref>Bellamy, p.112</ref>
====How did Stalin reorganizes reorganize the Soviet Army==? ==After the invasion of the Soviet and the poor leadership shown by many Generals, he adopted a new policy that promoted men of ability to positions of authority in the armed forces, such as Zhukov. This greatly improved the Red Army's leadership and allowed it to be more effective against the German armies. Stalin also reorganized the Soviet Army's High Command. He established the Stavka. This provided the Red Army with the leadership it needed in the Germans' its life or death strugglewith Germany. Stalin supervised Stavka closely, but he also gave his Generals more authority.<ref>"Stalin's Role in WWII" - http://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/warzone/article/stalins-role-wwii/</ref>
Stalin also sought to raise the fighting morale of the troops. He well knew that many ordinary Soviet citizens were still Russian nationalists at heart and venerated the Orthodox Church. To improve the army's morale and loyalty, he promoted Russian nationalism, even though, as a Communist, he was ideologically opposed to nationalism. Furthermore, he stopped persecuting the Orthodox Church. These measures made Stalin popular with the army and raised the morale of the troops. This stiffened their resistance to the invasion of the Russian 'Motherland.'<ref> Zhukov, Georgiĭ Konstantinovich & Harrison E., Salisbury, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0356029239/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0356029239&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=422ccd38a753dde5fbe26d0486b12cb8 Marshal Zhukov's Greatest Battles]</i> (New York: Harper & Row, 1969), p. 116</ref>
