Early War Battle of Moscow and the Yermakov Operational Group During the
Battle of Moscow, General Yermakov came to command what was known as the
Yermakov Operational Group which grouped the
3rd Army,
13th Army, and
50th Army under his operational control in the
Bryansk Front fighting against German
Army Group Center. Ermakov's command was controversial for his focus on offensive operations from mid August to late September 1941.
Marshal Yeryomenko credited his command's actions for significantly weakening the strength of the German Attack Groupings. Conversely,
General Sanalov criticized him for paying insufficient attention to the defense during this time, leading to later losses.
Arrest, Court Martial, and Reinstatement On January 29, 1942, while commander of the
50th Army, General Ermakov was arrested and court-martialed. He was later released, reinstated appointed Deputy Commander of the
20th Army later that year in June. He was to become commander of the 20th Army on March 20, 1943. ==Post-war service==