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However, within weeks Stalin manages to recover from the shock and called for reinforcements. Although German troops had made huge advances into the heartlands of the Soviet Union and the rest of the government had been evacuated from Moscow, Stalin remained in the Kremlin and begun to take control of the country’s ailing military infrastructure. As German troops approached Moscow's Soviet capital, Stalin directed a devastating defensive policy, destroying any supplies or infrastructure that might benefit the enemy. Fresh competent USSR military commanders loyal to Stalin were allowed to control important strategic positions and military divisions. <ref>Bellamy, p. 117</ref>  This scorched earth tactic denied the Germans key supplies. This was particularly the case as the German supply lines had become extended, and the men at the front did not receive the supplies they needed. The destruction of the infrastructure and anything else that could be utilized by the Germans caused immense suffering to the Soviet civilian population. However, it dramatically slowed the German advance. Stalin's policy contributed to the German army's failure to take Moscow in the early winter of 1941.<ref>Bellamy, p.112</ref>