encircled and destroyed large parts of the Soviet 16th, 19th, and 20th Armies. During July the Western Front's area of responsibility was reduced by the formation of the new Central and Reserve Fronts. Stiffening Soviet resistance in the centre convinced Hitler to put a temporary halt to the advance towards Moscow and divert the Army Group Centre's armour towards Leningrad and Kiev. The Soviet Dukhovshchina Offensive On 17 August, the Western Front launched an offensive towards Dukhovshchina as part of a larger Soviet attempt to counter-attack. However, despite some local successes, the offensive failed to breach the German defenses and the offensive was called off 10 September. Newly promoted Colonel General Ivan Konev took over command in September when Timoshenko was transferred south to restore the situation in the then ongoing Battle of Kiev. The Vyazma pocket On 2 October, German forces resumed their advance on Moscow with the launch of Operation Typhoon. The Western Front again suffered immense losses when large parts of its forces were encircled near Vyazma. Assault on Moscow When Zhukov took over on 10 October, the Soviet Reserve Front had just been disbanded and its forces incorporated into Western Front, but given the pounding that Soviet forces had suffered, the force numbered only 90,000 men. The 16th Army under Konstantin Rokossovsky held at Volokolamsk, and General L. A. Govorov had the 5th Army, recently raised from 1st Guards Rifle Corps, and soon to include the 32nd Rifle Division at Mozhaisk. The 43rd Army was under General K. D. Golubev at Maloyaroslavets, and the 49th Army was near Kaluga under General I. G. Zakharin. The 49th Army had been formed in August 1941 and was initially assigned to the Reserve Front. On 1 September 1941, the 49th Army comprised the 194th, 220th, and 248th Rifle Divisions, and the 4th Division of the People's Militia. Meanwhile, the 33rd Army was forming at Naro-Fominsk under General Lieutenant M. G. Yefremov, and was to be assigned to Zhukov's command. The Soviets just managed to halt the German advance in the Battle of Moscow, leading to further furious fighting in the Battles of Rzhev just to the west. In May 1942 the Front's air forces became the 1st Air Army. Later operations in World War II The Front appears to have controlled the three armies - the 5th Army, 33rd Army, and 10th Guards Army - which formed the assault