German infantry reach the Kremlin in December 1941

[David1819]

What if the German infantry managed to get past Khimki and deep into Moscow in December 1941

[BDV]

What of it?

[Erwinn]

It doesn't matter as much as anyone else thinks.

Russian government would be already gone to the east.

Only downside for the Russians it's that it's a major central hub and arms manufacturing centre, it means a major crisis for 41-42 Red Army.

[sitalkes]

Stalin was ready to get on his train going east but changed his mind at the last moment - if he had fled, would he have lost his grip on the government?

[Futurist]

What if the German infantry managed to get past Khimki and deep into Moscow in December 1941

In such a scenario, couldn't the German infantry have set themselves up for a Soviet encirclement? After all, weren't the Germans already logistically overstretched as in November-December 1941 in real life?

[ManfredV]

Yes, many sources / historians say that Wehrmacht was logistically overstreched. An occupation of Moscow would a have been an psychological success, but in fact Stalin's and soviet will was unbroken and they still had a lot of power. So it might have been similar to Napoleon's "success".
a
Attacking Soviet Union was a great error and Germany wasn't powerful enough to win against Stalin.

[stg 44]

Yes, many sources / historians say that Wehrmacht was logistically overstreched. An occupation of Moscow would a have been an psychological success, but in fact Stalin's and soviet will was unbroken and they still had a lot of power. So it might have been similar to Napoleon's "success".
a
Attacking Soviet Union was a great error and Germany wasn't powerful enough to win against Stalin.

That psychological success goes both ways, losing the Soviet capital and all the problems that would cause in terms of Soviet logistics and communications, it is a blow to Soviet morale. Historically the Soviets kept their capital, which was a boost to them and a blow to the Germans that helped result in a major roll back of German forces. In Moscow there was a major panic with the approach of the Germans and 1 million people prepared to flee, as well as the government preparing to blow up huge parts of the city's infrastructure and factories. Had the Germans made it the Soviet side would be faced with over 1 million fleeing civilians choking the roads in the middle of winter and probably dying in droves as a result, while the city would be sabotaged and the remaining civilians dying in droves as a result of no clean water and city services. Soviet troops would be horribly impacted psychologically, so there is a strong case to be made that Moscow falling or at least German troops capturing the Kremlin would result in a collapse of Soviet morale and the inability to recapture the city or counterattack over the winter before the Germans entrench, while there is a huge humanitarian disaster killing over 1 million Moscow civilians as a result.