The First Battle of Kiev was the German name for the major battle that resulted in an encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II, the capital and most populous city of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This encirclement is the largest encirclement in the history of warfare by number of troops. The battle occurred from 7 July to 26 September 1941 as part of Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.
Explosion of a Soviet radio-mine in Kiev (September 1941)
Men from a German forward detachment attack the village of Hatne west of Kiev, August 1941
Operation Barbarossa, June 22 to August 25, 1941
German troops constructing a pontoon bridge across the Dnieper in the vicinity of Kiev, 1941
Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force. At the strategic level, it cannot receive supplies or reinforcements, and on the tactical level, the units in the force can be subject to an attack from several sides. Lastly, since the force cannot retreat, unless it is relieved or can break out, it must fight to the death or surrender.
Diagram of the encirclement of ISIS forces in the Second Battle of Tikrit (2015). The blue arrows indicate allied attacks, while the red line is the line of encirclement as of 9 March 2015.
Encirclement of Stalingrad
An encirclement during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)