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Bill Gates Yacht: Everything You Want To Know

In 2020 the yachting world was abuzz with news that Bill Gates had bought as stunning and advanced yacht known as Project Aqua. The massive, 370-foot concept yacht was revealed in 2019 at the Monaco Yacht Show and news soon followed that billionaire Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world and the founder of Microsoft, had commissioned the construction of his own hydrogen-powered Aqua. But that never actually happened and, in fact, as near as anyone can tell for real, Bill Gates doesn’t own a yacht at all. 

So where did the story come from? What’s the deal with the Aqua? And hasn’t Bill Gates been pictured on a yacht before? Let’s get some answers.

How Much Did the Aqua Yacht Cost at the Monaco Yacht Show?

According to the stories online, Bill Gates paid $600 million for the hydrogen powered yacht. But that’s not true at all. According to the yacht makers, the Dutch company Sinot, the price tag is $645 million but no one bought it after it was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and that includes Bill Gates. It’s expensive but definitely not the most expensive in the world.

How Fast is the Aqua Yacht?

Aqua is a unique yacht in the yachting world which is why it garnered so much attention in the first place. It’s the first mega yacht that runs on a fully operational liquid hydrogen and fuel cell system that features two hydrogen engines that can produce 1,341 horsepower. The top speed is 17 knots and  the Aqua has a cruising speed of 12 knots. The total range is 3,750 nautical miles. The liquid hydrogen is stored in two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks where it can be held at -253 degrees C. The only exhaust is water.

What Does the Interior of  the Aqua Yacht Look Like?

The Aqua has 7 suites meant to house up to 14 guests at any given time. Two of those suites are larger VIP cabins. The ceilings throughout are 9 feet and stretch as high as 12.5 feet elsewhere thanks to the luxury Sinot yacht architecture. The vessel has room for a crew of 31 as well. The beach deck lounge aboard the boat alone looks like a luxury hotel space.

The Aqua features a bow observation room which is surrounded by windows to give a panoramic view of the ocean which has been described as the “ultimate superyacht owners lounge.” In addition, there’s a movie theater on the upper deck. It also includes a wellness center with a hydro massage room. You can also do some yoga in a workout space. There’s a fully equipped gym, a beauty salon, and even a hairdresser.

Up on the main deck there’s a luxury swimming pool that even includes a waterfall. One of the yacht’s defining features is the spiral staircase that covers all five decks and is covered by a skylight. On the way up it also offers a view of the interior of the hydrogen fuel tanks so you can see just what 56 tons of ultra cold liquid hydrogen looks like as you move between decks. 

The tender garage has an array of toys such as jet skis while the main deck features a beach club with a dining area designed for all 14 guests and a lounge that converts into the cinema space.

What Yacht Has Bill Gates Actually Been On?

Bill Gates does seem to like yachts, just not enough to spend his money owning one, and that’s fair. Yachts cost millions to maintain every year. No one got rich spending millions to maintain a boat.

That said, Bill Gates has not only vacationed on yachts – he spent his 66th birthday on one – he also got married on a yacht.

In 2021, Gates made the news when he celebrated his 66th on board a luxury yacht called the Lana alongside Jeff Bezos. He spent $2 million to charter the yacht for a week and flew 50 guests out to celebrate with him. 

The Lana is a 351 foot yacht with room for 12 guests and a cruising speed of 12 knots with a max speed of 18 knots. The master suite is 1,184 square feet. The room features his and hers walk-in dressing rooms and a private terrace.

Elsewhere on board you’ll find a piano in the lounge area as well as a full gym for working out. There’s both a sauna and a well-appointed spa as well. On deck you can head to the beach club or take a dip in the pool. 

There are three tenders in the garage alongside a bunch of toys including various jetskis, a seabob, wakeboards, WindSurfers, fishing equipment, scuba diving equipment and more. 

Back in 2014, Gates rented an even more expensive yacht, the $5 million per week Serene, to go on a vacation with his family. The Serene, once owned by  Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shelfer before being purchased by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, clocked in at a massive 450 feet making it one of the world’s biggest and even had its own on board submarine

The Serene features 7 decks, a saltwater pool, a climbing wall, a surprisingly large library, health spa, outdoor cinema and a nightclub. This is all spread across 48,000 square feet.

It’s also been confirmed that Gates met his wife Melinda on a yacht owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, all the way back in 1994. 

Why Do People Think Bill Gates Owns the Aqua?

It’s easy to see why people may have thought Gates owned the Aqua when you consider a handful of factors. First, as mentioned, we have lots of evidence that Bill Gates really does enjoy luxury yachts. The extremely high price tag was something that only a few people in the world are going to be able to afford and Gates, who doesn’t own a yacht, seems like a likely candidate for those reasons. 

In addition, Gates has spent several years now as a climate activist and has supported a number of green technologies. A yacht that runs on hydrogen seems like something he would support as well. So, with no real evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough to easily convince people. Once it’s presented as fact on the internet, and it was in many articles and videos, few people had reason to question it. 

The Bottom Line

The mega yacht known as the Aqua has a price tag of $645 million and it runs on clan burning hydrogen fuel. The only byproduct of its operation is water, making it a very environmentally friendly yacht. It made waves, so to speak, when it debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019. Rumors soon began to spread that billionaire and known climate activist Bill Gates had ordered one for $600 million. However, despite many videos and articles that refer to him as the owner, the truth is no one bought the Aqua at the yacht show and, as of 2023, Bill Gates does not own a yacht at all. He is know to charter extremely luxurious yachts for vacations and parties, such as the Lana and the Serene, but he does not own any just now.

My grandfather first took me fishing when I was too young to actually hold up a rod on my own. As an avid camper, hiker, and nature enthusiast I'm always looking for a new adventure.

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Saudi prince MBS bought this $400 million megayacht from a Russian Oligarch and immediately kicked him out. The 439 feet long vessel has two helipads, a submarine, and a nightclub. The royal has also hung a $450M painting in it.

For the longest time, the whereabouts of this Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece were a mystery. According to Al Jazeera , Mohammed bin Salman reportedly brought the painting and hung it on a cabin wall on the superyacht Serene. Both purchases together amount to over $1 billion. The painting meant to grace the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi never showed up at the scheduled events. This left people perplexed and wondering about the whereabouts of the expensive painting. All except one!

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The striking 134-metre mega yacht SERENE was built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri and launched in 2011. She represents one of the largest vessels built in Italy to date and one of the largest vessels in the world. Her elegant exterior design work and engineering were completed by Espen Oeino, who is amongst the world’s top yacht designers. Reymond Langton Design completed her inspiring interior design. Not only she is great in proportion she is also one of the most sophisticated in style and features the latest, state-of-the-art technology. Serene has a maximum capacity to sleep up to twenty-four guests on board overnight (plus 4 bona fide supernumeraries).

NOTABLE FEATURES: ~Enormous internal sea water pool ~2 heli-pads, one of which converts to either a pool or dance floor ~Submarine ~Multiple pools and Spa pools ~Snow room ~Steam room ~Jet stream swimming pool ~Several children's playrooms ~Climbing wall and "between the decks' slide ~Underwater viewing room ~Outdoor Cinema ~Boardroom ~Piano room and bar ~Conference room ~Sauna ~Hammam ~Beauty centre ~Swim platform ~Private swim platform with lift ~Beach club ~Dance floor ~Observation lounge with domed fireplaces ~Exhaustive list of yacht toys

SERENE is a truly remarkable vessel, which was designed to take her owners anywhere in the world in sublime luxury and ultimate comfort and safety. Spanning seven private decks, she is in a class of her own on every level.

She provides a full seven decks of exterior and interior space and boasts a generous beam of 18,5 metres, meaning she is an extremely high volume vessel. Equipped with almost every system and amenity conceivable, she also features a relatively enormous internal sea water pool, two helicopter landing platforms, and storage for a large submarine which can also be modified for use as a comfortable internal tender docking station. SERENE has an abundance of pools and Spa Pool’s, a snow room, a steam room plus hot and cold spa pools and a jet stream swimming pool.

Some other memorable and extraordinary features include several dedicated Children’s playrooms – one with a climbing wall and ‘between the decks’ slide and one with x-box, PlayStation and other entertainment facilities. She also has a Nemo room for underwater viewing plus an outdoor cinema.

SERENE was built according to SOLAS rules and regulations. She is a massive and yet impeccably proportioned mega yacht which was built to a very high standard and excels in safety. She is a floating palace which provides a personal and intimate environment where her lucky guests are truly indulged in unrivaled luxury. A renowned world traveler and also one of the largest charter yachts in the world.

From her striking Espen Oeino designed exterior lines to her sumptuous Reymond Langton designed interior, SERENE is a very well-designed superyacht which achieves everything a yacht could want to. This yacht is in a class of her own, whether considering her style, size, design, amenities, performance or technology. She has few equals afloat on any level and therefore represents the ultimate yachting experience.

M/Y Serene is particularly technically advanced and complex and yet, in addition, she is also currently one of the largest private luxury yachts available for holidays. In fact, not only is she is one of the top 10 largest luxury private yachts in existence but she was the largest yacht to be launched in 2011. Serene offers exceptional value for her size, quality and for her impressive specification.

SOME MORE ABOUT M/Y SERENE

The sundeck offers Hot and Cold Spa Pool’s alongside the spacious jet stream pool, sun lounge, and sun pad areas. There is a day head on the sundeck.

The aft area of the deck below offers a helicopter pad that converts to an either a pool or a dance floor.

Below this is the owner's deck.

Deck 4 Upper deck: The forward observation lounge is a spacious inviting lounge area with panoramic views, ethanol fireplaces and easy access to the exterior. An ideal place to relax alone or with the entire party.

Aft of the observation lounge are 3 well sized double cabins ( all with king size beds), one convertible double/twin and one twin nanny/staff cabin. All with excellent en-suite facilities and wardrobe.

The conference/ boardroom on deck 4 boasts excellent audio-visual facilities and can also be divided into two separate conference/meeting rooms.

The piano bar and lounge are the perfect settings for an evening’s entertainment.

The main deck offers a range of possibilities: immediately aft is a bandstand with a non-slip dance floor. In the day this glass floor can be withdrawn letting natural light flood the fresh water / seawater pool below.

The interior boats the formal dining area with either a split or united dining for 24+ and guest lounge, further accommodation of 2 doubles, nanny suite, and children’s suite. Forward to starboard the children's games room drops through two decks and has an interior slide and climbing wall plus play area. A true paradise for the kids.

Deck 2 aft offers endless possibilities for fun. The seawater or freshwater swimming pool, sauna, hammam, and beauty centre with swim platform. A uniquely designed 'snow room' with snow maker for those who love to leap from the freezing cold into the sauna, the sea or the hammam!

The owner's sea cabin with its private swim platform (and private lift) is a further superbly appointed double cabin.

Opposite the guest galley is a degustation room where a permanent selection of edible delights is available 24/7 for guests. Last but not least the Nemo room is a Jules Verne adventure - decorated as the interior of an ancient submarine ( 20,000 leagues under the sea) this room offers glass bottom viewing and delights for all.

A Place For Everyone To Unwind:

By day, deck five is perfect for al fresco dining and relaxing, with a wet bar, barbecue, pizza oven and even a Japanese style teppanyaki grill. After lunch, guests might head to the bridge deck for a dip in one of M/Y Serene’s swimming pools, if the 15-metre saltwater pool on the beach club is too crowded. Of course, there are hot and cold Spa Pool tubs and an expansive sun lounging area. After a hard day, the top deck is the perfect place to watch the sun go down, perhaps from the comfort of yet another pool or one of its neighboring Spa Pools, before beginning an evening of entertainment. Dance the night away on the aft deck, with its two bars, dance floor, and bandstand...

Divine relaxation:

Guests looking for activity on board can choose from a myriad of swimming pool; Spa Pools, both hot and cold; the inimitable snow room, spa area, sauna and even a cinema. Designed with family holidaying in mind, Serene has a children’s playroom complete with X-Box, PlayStation, and climbing wall. For kids of all ages, there is a slide between decks 3 and 2, a much more fun alternative to lifts and stairs!

The yacht which gives everything:

Delve into the yacht’s garage and you will discover an exhaustive collection of tenders and toys, ensuring water fun for all guests of any age. Serene also boasts a helicopter hangar and two helipads (one of which converts into a swimming pool when not in use). And finally… for the businessman who needs to work, hidden away there is even a boardroom with full conference facilities.

Opulence with a modest touch:

SERENE Specifications

It feels as though there are endless secret places to explore and enjoy. Serene’s master cabin has its own private lift direct to the Nemo Room, an intimate underwater viewing room inspired by the novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. For a different attraction, the galley also has glass walls so guests can enjoy the incredible expertise of the chefs in action. And although you might not expect ‘cosy’ to be an adjective used to describe a 134m superyacht, the forward observation lounge, with its domed fireplaces, is just that. For a moment’s peace, bookworms can retreat to the onboard library while others head for pampering in the spa deck. For more formal entertaining and socialising, the dining room features its own cocktail bar, complete with grand piano.

Impressive for her sheer size and volume her space has been utilized in a such a fashion that guests never feel dwarfed nor lost. She is a very personalised yacht with a stunning attention to detail.

Yacht Charter Accommodation

SERENE can accommodate twenty four guests. She has 12 enormously luxurious staterooms including a principal's/owner's deck/suite, VIP staterooms and guest staterooms in both a double bed and twin bed arrangement. The principal's deck boasts an exterior hot tub situated on the principal's terrace. The principal's stateroom has a centered oversize California King bed, full walk in dressing area and spacious en suite bathroom. (The second master cabin also comes with full ensuite facilities and walk in dressing room.) The owners stateroom has its own lift which links to the owner’s 'sea cabin on deck 2' with private swim platform. Aft of the owners suite is the owners salon, lounge bar and library with fireplace. This area is accessible to guests or able to be kept private for the principal, depending on requirements. Serene also generously accommodates a crew of fifty two in separate crew quarters. The principal's deck boasts an exterior hot tub situated on the principal's terrace. The principal's stateroom has a centred oversize California King bed, full walk in dressing area and spacious ensuite bathroom. (The second master cabin also comes with full ensuite facilities and walk in dressing room.) The owners stateroom has its own lift which links to the owner’s 'sea cabin on deck 2' with private swim platform. Aft of the owners suite is the owners salon, lounge bar and library with fireplace. This area is accessible to guests or able to be kept private for the principal, depending on requirements. Serene also generously accommodates a crew of fifty two in separate crew quarters.

Charter Amenities and Extras

SERENE includes an exhaustive list of entertainment facilities, amenities and water toys. There is almost nothing her owners and designers haven't thought of. Tenders & Toys: In addition to the exhaustive list of yacht toys, Serene also boats Helicopter hangar and two helipads, Internal seawater swimming pool, hot and cold Spa Pool plus jet stream swimming pool on the sundeck and pool/helipad on the upper deck, Submarine (currently on order) (and Hanger) plus a cinema. Tenders: 10m Pascoe tender, 7.4m Pascoe tender, 9m Southern Ocean ( limo tender), 9m Southern Ocean open, 27' sports fishing safe boat. Toys: Full diving support, compressors, nitrox etc, 2 x laser sailing dinghies, Assortment of Sea Kayaks, Full range of inflatable toys, water skis, wakeboards, deep sea fishing equipment. Children’s playroom with climbing wall and between the decks slide. Children’s playroom with x-box, PlayStation etc Full and extensive range of guest toys can be provided by your broker. COMS: Full conference room / board room, nemo room - underwater viewing room decorated in the spirit of 20,000 leagues under the sea. Communications include: VSAT, SATCOM, GSM,... Audio Visual Equipment and Deck Facilities: guest cinema, Conference room and boardroom with full audio-visual equipment. All exterior dining areas have the facility to be heated if in cold climates.

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This document is not contractual. The yacht charters and their particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed. CharterWorld Limited does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information and/or images displayed. All information is subject to change without notice and is without warrantee. A professional CharterWorld yacht charter consultant will discuss each charter during your charter selection process. Starting prices are shown in a range of currencies for a one-week charter, unless otherwise marked. Exact pricing and other details will be confirmed on the particular charter contract. Just follow the "reserve this yacht charter" link for your chosen yacht charter or contact us and someone from the CharterWorld team will be in touch shortly.

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"People who charter a yacht tend to want as many experiences as they can in a short space of time. It’s essentially a vacation in compressed format, so the yacht needs to collaborate with you in that. You need lots of different places to eat on board, so every day offers something different. The yacht also needs to make getting ashore easy, for meals on the beach and excursions, so it feels like you never do the same thing twice." - Espen Øino

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Video of Superyacht SERENE – the Ultimate Charter Yacht

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By Editorial Team   31 October 2014

This video by Tom Hoek shows 360-degree views of one of the world’s largest superyachts, the spectacular 134m/439ft motor yacht SERENE - equipped to offer charter vacations on an epic scale.

Built in 2011 by Fincantieri, SERENE has built a reputation for being one of the most exclusive and luxurious superyachts available on the global charter fleet . Her impressive size and interior volume allows for an extensive selection of amenities as well as ensuring she is one of a few yachts able to charter with more than 24 guests.

12 stunning staterooms are provided to accommodate up to 24 guests, comprising a master suite, VIP, seven doubles and three twin cabins. With design from Espen Oeino and interior styling by Reymond Langton, the quality on board SERENE can be seen down to the finest detail. From her luxurious dedicated beauty spa to a snow room and underwater viewing room, she has been designed to offer cruising vacations that entire at-sea experience.

With design from Espen Oeino and interior styling by Reymond Langton, the quality on board SERENE can be seen down to the finest detail.

Some of her most notable design features include an indoor pool, two helipads and a cinema while her tender garage plays host to all manner of toys and tenders to include her very own submarine. For entertaining meanwhile, SERENE provides luxurious interior living spaces to include a chic piano lounge with cocktail bar while outside a wet bar, barbeque, pizza oven and Teppanyaki grill ensure fantastic stories.

Weekly charter rates for superyacht SERENE start at €1,600,000, contact your charter broker for further details about booking and availability.

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134m Fincantieri 2011

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A Closer Look at the $330 Million Superyacht Serene

The Serene is one of the largest privately owned superyachts in the world. She is in the top ten with regard to the length, but it's also among the most luxurious and extravagant vessels. The floating palace has accommodated some of the wealthiest people in the world. The estimated value of the Serene is $330 million, which also places it among the most expensive as well. She has an interesting story and has traded hands a couple of times. To fully grasp the magnificence of the luxury superyacht , we take a closer look at the elements that make it so special.

The building of the Serene

The Serene was commissioned by Yuri Shefler, who is a Russian vodka exportation magnate. The agreed-upon cost or the vessel was $330 million. He chose Italian Shipbuilders Fincantieri to complete the task, which was accomplished in August of 2011. The ship is classified as a Superyacht measuring 439 feet and 4 inches with a beam of 60 ft 8 inches and a draft of 18 ft and 1 inch. The gross tonnage is 8,231 tons and she is powered across with water by twin screw propulsion. The guest capacity is 24 with space to house a crew of up to 52. At the time of delivery, the Serene was the ninth largest superyacht in the world, but since that time, it has been replaced with larger vessels in this position and is now in the fifteenth position.

The history of the Serene

Yuri Shefler has entertained some of the wealthiest people in the world aboard the Serene. Bill Gates chartered the Serene for the cost of $5 million a week so he, Melinda and their three kids could enjoy some private family time together in August of 2014. They vacationed off of the coast of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, according to Boat International . This lavish yacht is the design of Espen Oeino, in charge of the exterior design, which offers a sleek profile. The interior is the creation of Reymond Langton Design.

Shefler was the first owner of the yacht, but he sold it to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabian royalty in 2015 for the sum of 50 million Euros. Just two years after the purchase, there was an incident of concern involving the Serene. Due to propulsion failure and human error, the Serene ran aground in an area of the Red Sea notorious for shallow rock reefs. The hull at the bow was damaged requiring significant repairs. The incident took place in August.

The Serene was made available for charter by Shefler during the times that he wasn't using it himself. This luxury yacht is absolutely packed with amenities. For starters, there is a helipad to allow guests to move to and from the yacht for land excursions as well as sightseeing from the air, or for going out for entertainment at some of the more exciting ports. For enjoying recreation in the water, there are also jet skis on board and there is also a submarine on board to get some fantastic views of the marine life and environment beneath the waves. This yacht is made for family fun for people of all ages. there is also a trans deck waterslide, a climbing wall, several swimming pools, a playroom, a snow room and a cinema for a night at the movies.

Adult amenities

The Serene is built with a total of six decks which allows for private times as well for group gatherings. There is a sun deck with a super large bathtub built in. The Serene also features an area that is designated as a private beach club, complete with a sauna and area for sunbathing. If you enjoy dancing there is also s sundeck dance floor, a wet bar, extra sun loungers, and two jacuzzis. There are also al fresco eating areas on the exterior. On the interior, the Serene features a Teppanyaki grill, a wood-fired pizza oven, a barbecue, and a wet bar. There is also an underwater observation lounge for relaxation and watching the marine life swim around the outside. For accommodations, the Serene has 12 staterooms, all designed for luxury living with a VIP Suite, a master suite, three twin cabins and seven double suites with room for up to 24. There is also a sky lounge and piano bar onboard with luxury furnishings for relaxation and cocktails. There is also a formal dining room with floor to ceiling windows placed in a manner that offers a panoramic view of the outside environment.

Final thoughts

The Serene is a privately owned yacht which has a major difference that sets it apart from most of the other superyachts in its category. This one has been offered for charter since the time of its purchase, off and one. Many of the other privately owned superyachts in its category are only available upon invitation, and the owners tend to be selective about who is invited to come aboard. This is good news for those who have the going rate of $5 million per week to pay the charter fee. The Serene is one of the most luxurious superyachts in operation with an onboard crew that ranges from 40 to 54 to meet your every need for great food and even formal dining, wet bar and cocktail lounge services, and plenty of activities to keep everyone in your party entertained and relaxed. What we found so incredible about this ship is that there is a little something for everyone, whether you're into rock climbing, watching movies, playing water sports, swimming or going on an undersea adventure in the submarine that can dive up to 300 feet.

Written by  Lily Wordsmith

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I’m on a boat: Bill Gates vacations on $330M yacht

These days, Microsoft founder Bill Gates is more concerned with helping to save the world than creating the next big gadget. But when the world’s richest man goes on vacation, he does it like no one else.

The New York Daily News captured some photos of Gates aboard “The Serene,” a $330 million dollar yacht that Gates and his family are renting for $5 million per week.

In addition to its 12 staterooms, the 450-foot, seven deck vessel also comes equipped with its own saltwater pool, climbing wall, library, health spa, outdoor theater and even a nightclub spread out over the boat’s combined 48,000 square feet.

Though for all his wealth and influence, Gates doesn’t actually own “The Serene.” He’s renting it from Stolichnaya vodka distributor Yuri Scheffler. The Russia-born Scheffler is an interesting figure himself, famous for battling with Russian President Vladimir Putin , who tried to nationalize and “redistribute” Stolichnaya’s wealth.

According to Business Insider , Serene is the third most expensive yacht in the world. You can check out a video of the yacht during a recent visit to California in 2012 that was taken by a fellow, overwhelmed boater.

Though he does not own a yacht himself, Gates seems to be a fan of them. In 1994, he was married about a yacht belonging to his fellow Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen famously bought his own mega yacht a few years ago for $200 million, the Octopus .

Still, even if Gates doesn’t own his own yacht, his choice of vacation rentals certainly trumps that of Bill and Hillary Clinton, who were in the spotlight on Friday after it was revealed they were renting an $18 million Hamptons estate for about $30,000 per week.

According to the Daily News, Gates and his family regularly make use of the Serene’s on board helicopter to travel for tennis matches at the “billionaire’s playground” of nearby Porto Cervo , while the boat is stationed off the coast of Sardinia. And like Allen’s yacht, the Serene also comes with its own submarine.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a few weeks before getting back to reinventing the toilet .

Follow Eric Pfeiffer on Twitter ( @ericpfeiffer )

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• News & Stories

Remember Superyacht Serene? Gates Family Is Vacationing Aboard

• Carolyn Adolph

European news media are reporting that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has chartered a luxury yacht owned by Stolichnaya vodka magnate Yuri Scheffler.

The yacht, named Serene, is the third-largest superyacht in the world. The cost of chartering the boat runs around $2.1 million a week, according to Yacht Charter Fleet. That's roughly $212 a minute.

Gates and his family are vacationing in Sardinia. They are reportedly using the yacht's helicopter to go ashore for tennis.

But they could well stay aboard. Serene's many pleasures include pools , spas, a snow room for children to play in – the three Gates children are teens now – a glass-floored room and a submarine.

Visitors to Seattle's Pier 90 saw plenty of Serene last fall, where she was docked for repairs. As KUOW reported , Serene stayed in Seattle for nearly two months. The yacht left before incurring the wrath of Washington tax authorities, which tax any yacht here longer than 60 days a tenth of its value. For Serene, that would have been around $30 million - or 14 weeks’ worth of charters.

Although Gates has not acquired a yacht of his own, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns several, including Octopus, believed to be the fifteenth-largest yacht on the planet. He has been known to lend it for rescues and research.

Octopus is a stranger to Washington's shores. Its last known position was in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Carolyn Adolph More stories from Carolyn Adolph »

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Bill Gates charter “Serene” Super Yacht & Steve Balmer buys NBA club Clippers

• 10 years ago
• Bill Gates , Forbes Billionaires , Steve Balmer

Microsoft co-founder Billionaire  Bill Gates chartered the “Serene” luxury yacht owned by Stolichnaya vodka magnate Yuri Scheffler.

Charter price  is around $2.1 million a week.Gates and his family where vacationing in Sardinia.

They where  reportedly using the yacht’s helicopter to go ashore for tennis.Now the yacht is in Nice Marina in South of France.

Last week fellow Microsoft billionaire Steve Balmer bought Clippers

Steve Ballmer is officially new owner of Clippers, NBA says

The $2-billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was finalized Tuesday.

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Panzers at the Gates of Moscow

Red Army forces mounted a gallant stand against the Germans during Operation Typhoon.

This article appears in: September 2009

By Jonathan Jordan

The war map gave Adolf Hitler every reason to be confident. Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union begun on June 22, 1941, had succeeded spectacularly on nearly every front. One Soviet army after another had been smashed as Germany’s Ostheer, its army in the East, plunged deep into the industrial heart of Josef Stalin’s vast Eurasian state. By September, Hitler’s legions were within sight of Leningrad, while to the south German and Romanian divisions had swept across the north shores of the Black Sea, threatening vital petrochemical and agricultural production within the vulnerable Ukraine and Crimean regions.

Between the two sectors, Army Group Center, under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, had taken 610,000 prisoners and destroyed 5,700 enemy tanks. Bock’s soldiers had conquered land as far eastward as the Russian city of Smolensk and were now less than 180 miles from the Soviet capital.

It was time, Hitler decreed, for a push against the center—toward Moscow.

“The Last, Great Decisive Battle of War”

Operation Typhoon, the campaign Hitler predicted would be “the last, great, decisive battle of the war,” was the result of a debate between Hitler and the army high command, Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), over the war’s military objectives. From the beginning of Barbarossa, Hitler had insisted that the Wehrmacht give top priority to the destruction of Soviet field armies, and only afterward to the capture of strategic assets in the north and south. Prestige targets like Moscow did not figure prominently in Hitler’s planning, and as late as August 1941, his orders to OKH stressed that “the most important missions before the onset of winter are to seize the Crimea and the industrial and coal regions of the Don, deprive the Russians of the opportunity to obtain oil from the Caucasus and, in the north, to encircle Leningrad and link up with the Finns, rather than capture Moscow.”

But August brought smashing German successes to the north and south of the Eastern Front, lending credence to intelligence reports that the Soviet regime teetered on the brink of collapse. Moreover, a tempting cluster of Soviet divisions seemed to be massing west of Moscow around the cities of Vyaz’ma and Bryansk, ripe for encirclement by Hitler’s fast- moving panzer spearheads.

Hitler thus allowed himself to be persuaded by OKH and his field generals to launch a major attack against forces defending the Soviet capital. On September 6, he issued Führer Directive 35, which called for the destruction of Soviet armies opposite Army Group Center, to be followed by the pursuit of Soviet forces along the Moscow axis.

Challenges of Logistics

To put Führer Directive 35 into operation, the staffs of Army Group Center and OKH prepared plans for Operation Taifun (Typhoon), a massive offensive along a 150-mile front employing 15 panzer divisions, eight motorized divisions, and 47 infantry divisions—a total of about 1.9 million men. For the attack, Army Group Center assembled 4,000 heavy artillery pieces, 549 combat aircraft, and as many as 1,700 tanks. For once, Hitler’s generals would enjoy numerical superiority over their Soviet opponents in addition to their well-known qualitative edge.

The plan called for a double envelopment of Soviet frontline forces at the rail hub of Vyaz’ma on the Smolensk-Moscow highway. Col. Gen. Hermann Hoth’s Third Panzer Army would surround Vyaz’ma from the north, while Col. Gen. Erich Hoepner’s Fourth Panzer Army would attack from the south. Farther south, Col. Gen. Heinz Guderian’s Second Panzer Army would encircle the defenders at the crossroads center of Bryansk. Once Vyaz’ma and Bryansk were encircled and their defenders wiped out, the Soviet capital would presumably be enveloped or overrun, as circumstances dictated. Guderian would strike out for Bryansk on September 30, and the main thrust would begin on October 2.

If the Ostheer had a weakness, it was its logistical tail. Captured rail lines were handling only around half to two-thirds of their former capacity, while competing demands by garrison commanders in Poland squeezed supplies passing through to the front. To make matters worse, Typhoon’s six armies had only four major railheads from which to draw ammunition, fuel, and food, and the armies could not operate far from these railheads, given poor road networks and Germany’s chronic shortage of motor transport. Two-thirds of Germany’s artillery was still horse-drawn as Operation Typhoon began. Of the 13,000 tons of supplies per day needed to sustain Army Group Center’s 70 divisions, its motor pool was able to supply just 6,500 tons over decrepit Russian roads.

The Soviet Army’s Woeful Position

If the situation looked daunting for the German planners, it was far worse for their Soviet counterparts. The grim task of defending Moscow fell primarily to the Western Front, or army group, commanded by Lt. Gen. Ivan Koniev. Koniev’s front consisted of six rifle (infantry) armies, a five-division cavalry group, and three reserve rifle divisions, and it was supported to the south by the three-army Bryansk Front under Lt. Gen. Andrei Yeremenko. These two fronts, plus a six-army reserve front under Marshal Semyon Budenny (which had two armies plugging gaps in the front line), had been engaged in piecemeal counterattacks at Stalin’s insistence since August and were considerably worn down, so that each Soviet army was, more or less, the equivalent of a German corps.

While the Western, Bryansk, and Reserve Fronts amassed 95 divisions with 864,000 combat troops, they labored under crippling disadvantages. All three were seriously short of heavy artillery, combat aircraft, and medium tanks. The average rifle division—composed largely of ill-trained recruits—was around 5,000 to 7,000 soldiers, less than half the authorized strength of around 14,000. To make matters worse, the deeper German columns drove into Soviet territory, the less Stalin tolerated a strategy of trading space for time, which limited his generals’ options.

Putting Pressure on the Capital

The battle for the Soviet capital opened on September 30, with a lightning attack by Guderian’s panzers, which struck northeast toward the transportation hub of Orel and due north toward Bryansk. Guderian’s veterans smashed five divisions and ripped open the southern flank of the Soviet Thirteenth Army. On October 3, his panzers rolled into Orel so rapidly they overtook trams clattering down Orel’s streets, and the Thirteenth Army fled toward Bryansk.

Typhoon’s main effort began on October 2, when the Third and Fourth Panzer Armies turned on the Soviet defenders around Vyaz’ma. Third Panzer, based in Smolensk, hit the juncture of Koniev’s Nineteenth and Thirtieth Armies, rupturing the two armies’ flanks. In two days, it captured bridges over the Dniepr River, opening the northern door to Vyaz’ma.

South of Vyaz’ma, Hoepner’s Fourth Panzer Army attacked on a narrow front and broke through Budenny’s Forty-third Army, holding its LVII Panzer Corps in reserve to exploit the breakthrough. On the way, it dismantled Budenny’s Thirty-third Army, a second-echelon formation, and by October 5 Hoepner had bored a hole in Soviet lines wide enough to throw LVII Panzer Corps into the enemy rear east of Vyaz’ma.

While Bock surged forward with his armored divisions, his three infantry armies (the Second, Fourth, and Ninth) succeeded in pinning the Soviet Sixteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-fourth, and Fiftieth Armies. Fierce pressure prevented those four defending armies from either retreating or coming to the aid of their hard-pressed comrades around Vyaz’ma and Bryansk.

One Million Men

At the time Typhoon was launched, the Kremlin was still preoccupied with its Ukrainian front; it took three irreplaceable days before Stavka, the Red Army high command, awoke to the threat posed by Army Group Center and summoned reserves from the Urals, Central Asia, and the Far East. To the north, General Koniev threw whatever reserves he could find into a futile counteroffensive to halt the Third Panzer Army, but these unlucky units were driven back with heavy losses. In the center, Marshal Budenny’s Reserve Front, which comprised largely militia or reconstructed units, collapsed entirely before the weight of the Fourth Panzer Army’s assault, and by October 4 Budenny’s front was virtually destroyed. Stalin, furious with the performance of his generals, sacked Koniev (and considered executing him), replacing him on October 5 with his top commander from Leningrad, General Georgi Zhukov.

By October 6, the Soviet picture had grown worse. Koniev’s orders to his Sixteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Armies to retreat toward Vyaz’ma could not be heeded due to the intense pressure from Bock’s Fourth and Ninth Armies. Budenny’s Thirty-second Army, which guarded the approaches to Vyaz’ma, collapsed under withering armored attacks from north and south of the city, and on the morning of October 7, panzers linked up east of Vyaz’ma, forming a pocket that trapped some 400,000 soldiers from the Sixteenth, Nineteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-fourth, and Thirty-second Armies. That evening, five German infantry corps, plus heavy artillery and Luftwaffe bombers, were called in to begin the kessel (cauldron) battle that would result in the destruction of 25 rifle divisions and five tank brigades over the next five days.

Farther south, General Guderian closed the Bryansk pocket, although his mobile forces were delayed when his fuel supply gave out on October 3. Three days later, his panzers finally reached Bryansk, and by October 9 he had loosely encircled the Soviet Third, Thirteenth, and Fiftieth Armies. But Guderian failed to seal the pocket effectively, and from October 9 to 13 large portions of the Third and Thirteenth Armies limped away, while parts of at least seven rifle divisions managed to escape the cauldron.

All told, the first phase of Typhoon was another disaster for the Red Army. Despite the imperfect closure of the Bryansk pocket, Bock estimated that his army group had captured 673,098 prisoners, killed around 300,000 defenders, and destroyed or captured 1,277 tanks and 4,378 artillery pieces. The Red Army had lost 64 rifle divisions, 11 tank brigades, and 50 artillery regiments—about one million men—during Typhoon’s first two weeks, and Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, confidently informed foreign correspondents, “The annihilation of Timoshenko’s [sic] army group has definitely brought the war to a close.”

T-34s Stall for Time

East of Bryansk, Guderian’s spearhead, the XXIV Panzer Corps, sat idle at Orel for two days of excellent weather while supply convoys went back to Novgorod-Seversky to bring up more fuel. When Guderian resumed his drive toward Tula, an ordnance center along the Orel-Moscow highway, a fierce counterattack by Soviet T-34 medium tanks slowed his progress at the Lisiza River. By October 7, the first light snows began to fall, and despite artillery and Stuka dive-bomber support Guderian’s spearhead ground to a halt before Soviet delaying actions at the roadside town of Mtensk. Soon the Russian razputitza, or “period of mud,” set in, immobilizing Guderian’s mechanized forces until winter freezes hardened the roads.

Reflecting complete confidence in its ability to take Moscow at will, OKH convinced Hitler that Stalin’s Northwestern and Southwestern Fronts could also be destroyed while an all-out lunge at Moscow was attempted. Ninth Army and Third Panzer Army, therefore, were ordered to send detachments north to Rzhev and Kalinin (respectively 200 and 120 miles northwest of Moscow), which they captured by October 14. Guderian was similarly directed to dispatch his XLVIII Panzer Corps south toward Kursk. The result was a dilution of Army Group Center’s armored strength at the time Zhukov was placing every available platoon on the likely approaches to the Soviet capital.

While the Vyaz’ma pocket was being liquidated, a halfhearted German pursuit under Hoepner’s Fourth Panzer Army commenced, using the SS Das Reich Motorized Infantry Division as its spearhead. Before long, however, Das Reich was stopped cold on the Minsk-Moscow highway by two newly formed tank brigades equipped with the excellent T-34 medium tanks. The two tank brigades fought tenaciously for four days, delaying Fourth Panzer Army’s push toward Moscow and giving Zhukov some badly needed time to move forces—including strategic reinforcements from Siberia—into position at Borodino, Yelnya, and Mozhaisk, a trio of strongpoints west of Moscow.

Guderian’s delays in pushing beyond Orel, unexpectedly fierce Soviet resistance around Borodino, and the diversion of part of Army Group Center toward Kalinin gave Zhukov time to throw together parts of 18 rifle divisions and 11 tank brigades—around 90,000 men—to hold back the gray tide. He set up a new defensive line about 75 miles west of Moscow, centered around three cities on the main approaches to the capital—Volokolamsk, Mozhaisk, and Maloyarsoslavets. But by October 15, Bock was ready to attack once again.

Maloyarsoslavets, guarded by the Forty-third Army, was the next of Zhukov’s positions hammered by the powerful LVII Panzer Corps. The city fell on October 18, but Soviet defenders were reinforced by the Thirty-third Army and managed to prevent Hoepner’s panzers from exploiting the breach. To the north, meanwhile, savage fighting at Volokolamsk further delayed the German advance until October 27, when snow, rain, and mud began to affect Bock’s mobility in a serious way.

The Miserable Russian Weather

At Mozhaisk, Zhukov faced his most serious crisis. There, the SS Das Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions met stiff resistance at the nearby town of Borodino, which was guarded by the 32nd Rifle Division, some 50 tanks, and a like number of artillery pieces. It took two days for Hoepner’s panzers to grind through the defenses there, but by October 18 Das Reich had blasted its way into Mozhaisk, 55 miles from Moscow. With the fracture of the Mozhaisk Line, Germany now occupied roughly 600,000 square miles of former Soviet territory. Zhukov was running out of room.

The significance of the German victory at Borodino was not lost on Muscovites. In 1812, Napoleon’s success there had opened the doorway to French occupation of Moscow. Residents began fleeing the capital, and the government evacuated most offices to the east, although Stalin and the Army’s high command remained within the city.

As the fate of Moscow hung in the balance, Bock’s logistical vulnerabilities began catching up with him. Miserable weather and muddy roads had hampered his ability to move supplies—especially fuel and ammunition—to frontline troops. That, plus a lack of supply trains reaching his railheads, meant that from October 24 into November Army Group Center was forced to halt and settle for a war of attrition that it could ill afford. The only German gains over the next few weeks would be along Guderian’s sector to the south.

Guderian’s objective after seizing Orel was to capture Tula, 100 miles south of Moscow. Having been stymied at Mtensk until October 11, then spending 11 days bringing up additional fuel and ammunition, on October 22 Guderian sent his XXIV Panzer Corps with three infantry divisions and flanked the Soviet defenders the following day. Six days later, Guderian’s spearheads were able to pierce defenses south of Tula and attempt a direct assault on the city.

In a heroic last-stand effort, local militia, NKVD security troops, and antiaircraft crews fought off Guderian’s lead units just long enough for the 32nd Tank Brigade and two rifle divisions to come to their rescue. Deep mud limited Guderian’s mobility until the surrounding roads froze; Tula, like Moscow, gained a respite for the moment.

Zhukov’s Fresh Reserves

Guderian prepared to renew his assault on Tula by bringing up the rest of his army in a flanking movement to the east, but by early November Second Panzer Army had bypassed so many smaller Soviet units that Guderian’s right flank was seriously exposed. He posted his LIII Corps on the right to deal with threats to his line of communications, but spoiling attacks by the Soviet Third and Fiftieth Armies set off a 10-day running battle that further delayed Guderian’s drive on Tula until November 18 and forced Second Panzer Army to consume vital ammunition and fuel stocks.

By the end of October, the vast human resources of the Soviet empire had begun collecting on the Moscow axis. That month, Zhukov received 10 rifle divisions, 19 armored units, a cavalry division, five divisions of militia, and one airborne corps. During November, he would receive another 22 rifle divisions, 17 rifle brigades, 14 cavalry divisions, four armored units, and 11 ski battalions. By November 15, Zhukov and Koniev (whom at Zhukov’s request had been given command of the armies fighting at Kalinin) had assembled 38 infantry divisions, three tank divisions, and a dozen cavalry divisions, plus another 14 tank brigades. While many of Zhukov’s units would be thrown into combat with little or no training, he now had sufficient numbers to make a decent stand around his capital.

West of Moscow, Zhukov deployed seven armies—from north to south, the Thirtieth, in the north near the Moscow Sea and Volga Reservoir; the Sixteenth, along the Lama River; the Fifth, behind Mozhaisk at the town of Tuchkovo; the Thirty-third, along the Nara River south of the Minsk-Moscow highway; and the Forty-third, farther up the Nara. Below that, the Forty-ninth Army was charged with holding back Guderian’s panzers from the road below Tula, while the Fiftieth Army held Tula proper.

Zhukov, whom Stalin had warned would face a firing squad if German jackboots touched Moscow’s streets, did not wish to repeat the mistakes made by Stavka when it had dispersed its strength in piecemeal counterattacks. A ruthless man who occasionally had incompetent generals shot as examples to others, Zhukov was not afraid to give Stalin his unvarnished military opinion. However, Stalin once again insisted upon offensive action, and Zhukov had no choice but to appease the dictator by conducting a number of spoiling attacks that dispersed his reserves but did little to create decisive results.

“One Final Heave, and We Shall Triumph”

In Berlin, Hitler faced the same crossroads decision that Napoleon faced at Smolensk 129 years before: should he press on toward Moscow, or should his men go into winter quarters and rebuild their strength? OKH intelligence reports claimed that the remaining defenders were demoralized remnants of defeated field armies, plus a scratch collection of untrained militia and NKVD troops. Hitler predicted to the Wehrmacht’s operations chief, General Alfred Jodl, “One final heave, and we shall triumph.” Thus, on November 12, OKH ordered Bock and his army commanders to resume their offensive on November 15.

The second phase of Operation Typhoon called for Bock to encircle Moscow with another double envelopment. The Third and Fourth Panzer Armies (a total of 18 divisions) would attack from the north, while Guderian’s Second Panzer (nine divisions) would capture Tula and drive toward Moscow from the south. To keep Zhukov from reacting to these flanking movements, Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge’s Fourth Army would launch pinning attacks with his 14 infantry divisions along the Nara River.

The plan seemed sound, but its execution, Bock knew, would be difficult. He had the equivalent of about 38 divisions for this last phase of Typhoon—roughly half the number that participated in his initial onslaught. To the north, the Third Panzer Army had committed its reserves around Kalinin, while local Soviet counterattacks forced Bock to deploy the Second and Ninth Armies on his exposed flanks.

Bock’s logistical constraints also had not eased. He had no significant stockpiles at jumping-off points for his men, and the OKH quartermaster department, unable to supply Army Group Center’s requirements of 30 trains per day, simply cut the army group’s quota by one-fourth; even that reduced amount did not get through to Bock’s forward railheads. It would be a close battle for both armies.

Deciding the Fate of Moscow

The final struggle for Moscow opened with a three-division attack by Ninth Army’s XXVII Corps, supported by the 1st Panzer Division, against Maj. Gen. Dmitri Lelyushenko’s Thirtieth Army at the Moscow Sea. The Thirtieth, still recovering from bitter fighting around Kalinin, fell back toward Klin, 52 miles from the capital. This retreat allowed Third Panzer Army to move over the Lama River, 60 miles from Moscow.

On November 18, the main German thrust began as Fourth Panzer Army’s V Corps and XLVI Panzer Corps, six divisions in all, ripped open a hole between the Thirtieth and Sixteenth Armies. The Sixteenth, commanded by Maj. Gen. Konstantin Rokossovsky, was forced to withdraw east toward Istra, 36 miles west of Moscow, leaving a gap between the two armies that Hoepner obligingly exploited with two corps.

By November 23, Klin was in German hands, and Thirtieth Army was in peril. But with Koniev launching division-sized counterattacks from the Kalinin region, Bock could not afford to leave his left flank open. He ordered Col. Gen. Adolf Strauss’s Ninth Army to assume the defensive and keep Koniev’s forces away from his panzers moving against Moscow.

While Thirtieth Army was falling back toward the Volga Reservoir, 35 miles north of the Kremlin, Rokossovky’s Sixteenth Army, west of Moscow, was taking a beating around Istra. There, his 78th Rifle Division, newly arrived from Siberia, was putting up a desperate defense against the SS Das Reich Division. The 78th conceded the town on November 27, but not before inflicting 926 casualties on Das Reich and taking a good deal of the fight out of that elite unit. In addition to inflicting German casualties, the battle for Istra bought Zhukov critical time to establish yet another defensive line 21 miles northwest of Moscow.

Time was, for the moment, on Zhukov’s side. The delaying actions around Klin and Istra allowed him to withdraw troops east and avoid another pocket disaster, while harsh weather and supply shortages seriously hampered Bock’s ability to move forward. But Bock had one last attack left in his army group, and no one knew whether it would end inside or outside the Kremlin walls.

On November 27, advance units of the LVI Panzer Corps managed to reach the Moscow-Volga Canal, but they were thrown back by lead elements of the First Shock Army, and forward momentum on the north side of the capital was lost. Northwest of Moscow, on November 30 the 2nd Panzer Division captured the town of Krasnaya Polyana, 17 miles away, but fierce resistance by Rokossovsky’s army, increasingly severe weather, and fuel shortages stopped Hoepner’s advance there.

Kluge’a Late Attack

To the south, around Tula, Guderian spent late November fending off counterattacks against his line of communication and gathering fuel to launch one last attack. Meanwhile, at Tula, the Red Army moved replacements into Lt. Gen. Ivan Boldin’s Fiftieth Army. Spoiling attacks by Boldin’s Siberian 413th Rifle Division damaged Guderian’s right flank badly enough to require him to throw off divisions to protect his flank, delaying his planned encirclement of the city.

It was not until November 24 that Guderian was able to send his XXIV Panzer Corps northeast of Tula in an effort to encircle the city. But his all-out effort ground down against unexpectedly strong Soviet defenses, and Guderian, to his disgust, received no help from the plodding Kluge, whose Fourth Army provided negligible support from its divisions north of Guderian’s advance. Although German tanks briefly cut the Tula-Moscow highway on December 3, the next day armor dispatched by Zhukov forced Guderian to withdraw from the city’s outskirts and stand on the defensive.

South of the Minsk-Moscow highway, Kluge’s army sat idle through the late November maelstrom, keeping watch along the Nara River and giving Zhukov the opportunity to move units from his Fifth and Thirty-third Armies north to assist the hard-pressed Rokossovsky. It was not until the early hours of December 1 that Kluge launched a four-division attack against well-prepared Soviet defenses. Kluge’s troops performed superbly, but by then Hoepner’s Fourth Panzer Army had been stopped, and there was little that the Fourth Army could do at this late date. After Zhukov moved his reserves back to the center to support the crumbing Thirty-third Army, Kluge retired across the Nara, effectively quitting the battle. As Zhukov later commented, “In the absence of attacks at the center we were able to shift all our reserves, down to divisional reserves, from the center of the front to parry the enemy’s strike forces on the flanks.”

Rolling the Germans Back

Hitler’s Wehrmacht had reached its high- water mark. From the Moscow suburb of Khimki, less than 12 miles from the Kremlin, reconnaissance troops allegedly could see the gleaming onion domes of the city in the distance. But they were dangerously low on fuel and ammunition. They had sustained around 155,000 casualties and lost over 700 tanks in the second phase of Typhoon, and although OKH did not know it, the Red Army now held a numerical advantage. On December 8, Hitler agreed to suspend offensive operations, citing uncooperative weather, but ordered Bock to hold all conquered territory.

Unbeknownst to OKH, three fresh armies— the First Shock, Tenth, and Twentieth—had arrived at Moscow, and on November 30 Stalin approved a counteroffensive proposal employing six armies. The new armies lacked significant armor, but Zhukov planned to use them to pull the steel fangs out of Bock’s panzer divisions.

Soviet counterattacks began on December 5 at the north end of the line, east of Klin, where the Third Panzer Army deployed three panzer and two motorized infantry divisions. Col. Gen. Hans Reinhardt, who had replaced Hoth as commander of Third Panzer after Typhoon’s launch, made the mistake of keeping his few operational tanks, only around 80 or so by now, close to his front lines. They were therefore unable to act as a mobile reserve to plug cracks in his front and were vulnerable to a rapid thrust.

On the morning of December 6, Thirtieth Army flung three rifle divisions and two tank brigades at Reinhardt’s overstretched 14th and 36th Motorized Infantry Divisions. The First Shock Army joined in the attack, and Twentieth and Sixteenth Armies began pressing attacks along the juncture of the Third and Fourth Panzer Armies. Reinhardt ordered Third Panzer to fall back upon Klin, while Hoepner withdrew Fourth Panzer Army to Istra.

As Hoepner and Reinhardt were pulling back, the Soviet Fifth Army joined the battle, and Third Panzer suffered heavy losses in artillery and vehicles as Reinhardt tried to cobble together a Kampfgruppe (battle group) from two panzer divisions to hold back the red tide. Miserable weather and fuel shortages impeded cooperation between the two panzer armies, and by December 11 Rokossovsky had pushed the Germans out of Istra. Bock’s left wing was in danger of collapse.

On December 12, Rokossovsky moved in for the kill, sending two tank brigades, two motorized regiments, and two cavalry units around Third Panzer Army to cut off its line of retreat. His force captured the road from Klin on December 14, isolating four panzer divisions plus the hard-pressed 14th Motorized Infantry Division. Leaving behind much of their heavy equipment, the divisions trapped at Klin forced open the road to Kalinin just long enough to escape the rapidly closing noose, and by December 15 Third and Fourth Panzer Armies again were in retreat.

To the south, around Tula, Boldin’s Fiftieth Army, plus reinforcements from the I Guards Cavalry Corps and the newly formed Tenth Army, battered Guderian’s front and flanks. At the same time, Stavka sent two reinforcing armies toward Tula, and by early December those armies had converged upon Second Panzer’s flanks. As in the north, three of Guderian’s infantry divisions were threatened with encirclement, but all managed to withdraw southwest with heavy losses. Soviet thrusts at the juncture between Fourth Army and Second Panzer Army threatened to isolate Guderian, and by December 12 he was in retreat toward Orel. Moscow had been saved.

Aftermath of Operation Typhoon

Operation Typhoon was a near run thing for the Soviet Union. From September 30 to December 15, the Red Army sustained roughly 1.5 million casualties (some 350,000 in December alone), and the Soviet government had been forced to evacuate its capital. Army Group Center, for its part, lost over 150,000 men. Particularly crippling for the Ostheer was the loss of heavy equipment—as many as 800 tanks, 983 artillery pieces, 473 heavy mortars, and 800 antitank guns were destroyed or abandoned during December alone.

Perhaps the greatest damage to the Nazi war machine was psychological. The “subhuman” Slavic troops had shattered the myth of Wehrmacht invincibility. Hitler’s confidence in his generals was irredeemably shaken, and in short order he relieved the head of OKH and took personal command of the Army. He sacked Bock, three of the six army commanders involved in Typhoon (Guderian, Hoepner, and Strauss), and four of the 22 corps commanders.

The first phase of Operation Typhoon, culminating in the liquidation of the Vyaz’ma and Bryansk pockets, was brilliantly conceived and almost flawlessly executed. Its few shortcomings can be attributed to logistical shortages and to Guderian’s failure to close the Bryansk pocket aggressively, allowing a number of Soviet troops to escape to Tula, where they would join the reconstituted Fiftieth Army in defense of that city.

The operational pause during early November, when the Red Army was reeling, was due to structural flaws in the Ostheer that prevented adequate fuel and ammunition from reaching Army Group Center’s front lines. By the time Bock was ready to resume his attack, both numbers and climate had begun to favor Zhukov.

It was the second phase of Operation Typhoon, the last push to Moscow, that was the most flawed of all. Harkening back to the German experience at the Marne in World War I, when Germany might have defeated France had it thrown in its last reserves, both OKH and Bock were prepared to commit every remaining soldier on the assumption that the Red Army simply had no reserves left. Hitler allowed himself to be persuaded by overly optimistic reports claiming that the Red Army and Stalin’s dictatorship had sustained so many casualties that they could be toppled with one last shove. When trained reinforcements arrived from Siberia and the Far East, and when Stavka proved capable of forming fresh armies, the critical assumption underlying Hitler’s lunge against the Soviet capital evaporated. The Soviet Union would not suffer the fate of Poland, France, and the Low Countries.

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