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Lenin's Mausoleum is located on Red Square beneath the high walls of the Kremlin. It was designed by Alexei Shchusev in 1924. It is a simple structure composed of cubes of red granite representing Communism and black labradorite representing mourning. The Kremlin Wall Necropolis is located behind Lenin's Mausoleum in Red Square. On November 10, 1917, 238 Red Guards that had died during the October 1917 Revolution were buried there. Subsequently a number of prominent Communist Leaders and Heros of the Soviet Union were interred here, including Joseph Stalin and Yuri Gagarin. American journalist John Reed is also buried there. The gray stone steps in front of the wall is a reviewing stand used by the Russian leadership during state ceremonies.
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Hitler's original plans for his 1941 Russian offensive called for the capture of Moscow within four months. The initial blitzkrieg attack by the German Army made significant territorial gains, but was badly delayed by the stubborn Russian defense of Smolensk from July into September. Hitler ordered his army to concentrate on Leningrad and Kiev and that gave Russian resistance around Moscow a little breathing room, but by December 1941, the Wehrmacht was within 30 kilometers of Red Square. On December 5, 1941, fresh Siberian troops were introduced onto the battlefield and they managed to push the Germans back sufficiently to prevent the occupation of the city. Total deaths in the Battle for Moscow were estimated to be one million persons and Russians are proud of the fact that it was the first time in WWII that Hitler's army was forced to retreat.
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