 Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Pashure pokupinda kweGermany muSoviet Union, Timoshenko akatumidzwa sachigaro weStavka, Soviet Armed Forces High Command, musi wa 23 Chikumi 1941. Muna July 1941, Stalin akatsiva Timoshenko saDefense Commissar uye sachigaro weStavka asati amutumira kuCentral Front neWestern Front kuti atarisire kurwisana kwekudzokera kumashure kubva kumuganhu kuenda kuSmolensk. MunaSeptember, akaendeswa kuUkraine kunotsiva Budyonny uye kudzorera kurongeka muSouthwestern Front pamasuwo eKiev. Musi wa 23 Gumiguru, maSoviet akaita kuti Timoshenko atungamire hafu yekumaodzanyemba kweEastern Front uye Georgy Zhukov atungamire hafu yekuchamhembe. MunaNovember naDecember 1941 Timoshenko akaronga kurwisa kukuru mudunhu reRostov, pamwe nekuveza musoro webhiriji mukuzvidzivirira kweGerman kumaodzanyemba kweKharkov muna Ndira 1942. 