How many years have passed since the siege of Leningrad? Resources for survival

On January 18, 1943, the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke the blockade of Leningrad. The largest political, economic and cultural center of the USSR, after a difficult 16-month struggle, again found land connections with the country.

Start of the offensive

On the morning of January 12, 1943, troops from two fronts simultaneously launched an offensive. Pre night Soviet aviation dealt a powerful blow to Wehrmacht positions in the breakthrough zone, as well as to airfields, control posts, communications and railway junctions in the enemy rear. Tons of metal fell on the Germans, destroying their manpower, destroying defensive structures and suppressing morale. At 9 o'clock 30 minutes later, artillery preparation began: in the offensive zone of the 2nd Shock Army it lasted 1 hour 45 minutes, and in the sector of the 67th Army - 2 hours 20 minutes. 40 minutes before the infantry and armored vehicles began to move, attack aircraft, in groups of 6-8 aircraft, struck pre-reconnaissance artillery and mortar positions, strongholds and communications centers.

At 11 o'clock 50 min. under the cover of the “wall of fire” and the fire of the 16th fortified area, the divisions of the first echelon of the 67th Army went on the attack. Each of the four divisions - the 45th Guards, 268th, 136th, 86th Rifle Divisions - was reinforced by several artillery and mortar regiments, an anti-tank artillery regiment and one or two engineering battalions. In addition, the offensive was supported by 147 light tanks and armored cars, the weight of which could be supported by the ice. The particular difficulty of the operation was that the Wehrmacht’s defensive positions were along the steep, icy left river bank, which was higher than the right. Fire weapons The Germans were located in tiers and covered all approaches to the shore with multi-layered fire. In order to break through to the other bank, it was necessary to reliably suppress German firing points, especially in the first line. At the same time, we had to be careful not to damage the ice on the left bank.

The Baltic Fleet destroyer Opytny is shelling enemy positions in the Nevsky Forest Park area. January 1943

Soviet soldiers carry boats to cross the Neva River

Scouts of the Leningrad Front during the battle near the wire fences

The assault groups were the first to make their way to the other side of the Neva. Their fighters selflessly made passages in the barriers. Behind them rifle and tank units crossed the river. After a fierce battle, the enemy’s defenses were broken north of the 2nd Gorodok (268th Infantry Division and 86th Separate tank battalion) and in the Maryino area (136th division and formations of the 61st tank brigade). By the end of the day, Soviet troops broke the resistance of the 170th German Infantry Division between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg. The 67th Army captured a bridgehead between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg, and construction began on a crossing for medium and heavy tanks and heavy artillery (completed on January 14). On the flanks the situation was more difficult: on the right wing, the 45th Guards Rifle Division in the “Neva patch” area was able to capture only the first line of German fortifications; on the left wing, the 86th Rifle Division was unable to cross the Neva at Shlisselburg (it was transferred to a bridgehead in the Maryino area to attack Shlisselburg from the south).

In the offensive zone of the 2nd shock and 8th armies, the offensive developed with great difficulty. Aviation and artillery were unable to suppress the main enemy firing points, and the swamps were impassable even in winter. The most fierce battles took place at the points of Lipka, Workers' Village No. 8 and Gontovaya Lipka; these strong points were located on the flanks of the breaking through forces and even when completely surrounded they continued the battle. On the right flank and in the center - the 128th, 372nd and 256th rifle divisions were able to break through the defenses of the 227th Infantry Division by the end of the day and advance 2-3 km. The strongholds of Lipka and Workers' Village No. 8 could not be taken that day. On the left flank, only the 327th Infantry Division, which occupied most of the fortifications in the Kruglaya Grove, was able to achieve some success. The attacks of the 376th Division and the forces of the 8th Army were unsuccessful.

The German command, already on the first day of the battle, was forced to bring operational reserves into battle: formations of the 96th Infantry Division and the 5th Mountain Division were sent to help the 170th Division, two regiments of the 61st Infantry Division (Major General Hüner’s group) were introduced into the center of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge.

On the morning of January 13, the offensive continued. The Soviet command, in order to finally turn the situation in its favor, began to introduce the second echelon of the advancing armies into battle. However, the Germans, relying on strongholds and a developed defense system, offered stubborn resistance and constantly counterattacked, trying to restore their lost position. The fighting became protracted and fierce.

In the offensive zone of the 67th Army on the left flank, the 86th Infantry Division and a battalion of armored vehicles, supported from the north by the 34th Ski Brigade and the 55th Infantry Brigade (on the ice of the lake), stormed the approaches to Shlisselburg for several days. By the evening of the 15th, the Red Army soldiers reached the outskirts of the city, the German troops in Shlisselburg found themselves in a critical situation, but continued to fight stubbornly.

Soviet soldiers in battle on the outskirts of Shlisselburg

Soldiers of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front move through the territory of the Shlisselburg Fortress

In the center, the 136th Infantry Division and the 61st Tank Brigade developed an offensive in the direction of Workers' Village No. 5. To secure the left flank of the division, the 123rd Infantry Brigade was brought into the battle; it was supposed to advance in the direction of Workers' Village No. 3. Then, to secure the right flank, the 123rd Infantry Division was brought into battle and tank brigade, they were advancing in the direction of Rabochy settlement No. 6, Sinyavino. After several days of fighting, the 123rd Infantry Brigade captured Workers' Village No. 3 and reached the outskirts of villages No. 1 and No. 2. The 136th Division made its way to Workers' Village No. 5, but could not immediately take it.

On the right wing of the 67th Army, attacks by the 45th Guards and 268th Rifle Divisions were still unsuccessful. The Air Force and artillery were unable to eliminate the firing points in the 1st, 2nd Gorodoki and 8th State District Power Plant. In addition, German troops received reinforcements - formations of the 96th Infantry and 5th Mountain Rifle Divisions. The Germans even launched fierce counterattacks, using the 502nd heavy tank battalion, which was armed with heavy tanks"Tiger I". Soviet troops, despite the introduction of second echelon troops into battle - the 13th Infantry Division, 102nd and 142nd Infantry Brigades, were unable to turn the situation in this sector in their favor.

In the zone of the 2nd Shock Army, the offensive continued to develop more slowly than that of the 67th Army. German troops, relying on strong points - Workers' settlements No. 7 and No. 8, Lipka, continued to offer stubborn resistance. On January 13, despite the introduction of part of the second echelon forces into the battle, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army did not achieve serious success in any direction. In the following days, the army command tried to expand the breakthrough in the southern sector from the Kruglaya grove to Gaitolovo, but without visible results. The 256th Infantry Division was able to achieve the greatest success in this direction; on January 14, it occupied Workers' Village No. 7, Podgornaya station and reached the approaches to Sinyavino. On the right wing, the 12th Ski Brigade was sent to help the 128th Division; it was supposed to go across the ice of Lake Ladoga to the rear of the Lipka stronghold.

On January 15, in the center of the offensive zone, the 372nd Infantry Division was finally able to take Workers' Villages No. 8 and No. 4, and on the 17th they reached village No. 1. By this day, the 18th Infantry Division and the 98th Tank Brigade of the 2nd UA had already been there for several days fought a stubborn battle on the outskirts of Workers' Village No. 5. It was attacked from the west by units of the 67th Army. The moment of unification of the two armies was close.

By January 18, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were fighting a fierce battle in the area of ​​Workers' Village No. 5, and they were separated by only a few kilometers. The German command, realizing that there was no longer any need to hold the encircled strong points, gave the order to the garrisons of Shlisselburg and Lipka to make their way to Sinyavino. To facilitate the breakthrough, the forces defending Workers' Villages No. 1 and No. 5 (Hüner's group) had to hold out as long as possible. In addition, a counterattack was organized from the area of ​​Workers' Village No. 5 against the 136th Infantry Division and the 61st Separate Tank Brigade in order to overturn it and facilitate the breakthrough of the encircled troops. However, the attack was repelled, up to 600 Germans were destroyed, and up to 500 people were taken prisoner. Soviet soldiers, pursuing the enemy, broke into the village, where at approximately 12 o'clock in the afternoon the troops of the 2nd shock and 67th armies united. The troops of the two armies also met in the area of ​​​​Workers' Village No. 1 - these were the 123rd separate rifle brigade of the Leningrad Front, led by the deputy commander for political affairs, Major Melkonyan, and the 372nd rifle division of the Volkhov Front, led by the chief of the 1st division of the division headquarters Major Melnikov. On the same day, Shlisselburg was completely cleared of Germans, and at the end of the day South coast Lake Ladoga was liberated from the enemy, and its scattered groups were destroyed or captured. Lipki was also liberated.

“I saw,” recalled G.K. Zhukov, - with what joy the soldiers of the fronts that broke the blockade rushed towards each other. Not paying attention to the enemy’s artillery shelling from the Sinyavinsky Heights, the soldiers hugged each other tightly like brothers. It was truly a hard-won joy!” Thus, on January 18, 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.

V. Serov, I. Serebryany, A. Kazantsev. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. 1943

However, it could not be said that the situation had completely stabilized. The common front of the 67th and 2nd shock armies was not yet dense enough, so part of the encircled German troops (about 8 thousand people), abandoning heavy weapons and, having dispersed, broke through Workers' Village No. 5 in a southern direction and by January 20 reached Sinyavino. The German command withdrew the retreating troops to previously prepared positions along the line of Towns No. 1 and No. 2 - Workers' Village No. 6 - Sinyavino - the western part of the Kruglaya grove. The SS Police Division, the 1st Infantry Division and units of the 5th Mountain Division were transferred there in advance. Later, the command of the 18th German Army reinforced this direction with units of the 28th Jaeger, 11th, 21st and 212th Infantry Divisions. The command of the 67th Army and the 2nd Shock Army did not exclude the possibility of the enemy launching a counter-offensive in order to restore lost positions. Therefore, the troops of the two armies stopped offensive operations and began to consolidate on the achieved lines.

On January 18, as soon as Moscow received news of the breaking of the blockade, the State Defense Committee decided to accelerate the construction of a railway line on the liberated strip of land, which was supposed to connect Leningrad with the Volkhov railway junction. The railway from Polyana station to Shlisselburg was supposed to be built in 18 days. At the same time, a temporary railway bridge was built across the Neva. The railway line was called the Victory Road. Already on the morning of February 7, Leningraders from great joy met the first railway train that arrived from Mainland and delivered 800 tons of butter. In addition, automobile traffic began to function along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga. The Road of Life continued to operate. Two weeks later in Leningrad, food supply standards established for the largest industrial centers countries: workers began to receive 700-600 grams of bread per day, employees - 500, children and dependents - 400 grams. The supply standards for other types of food have increased.

True, Victory Road operated in the most difficult conditions. German artillery shot right through the cleared narrow corridor Soviet troops, since the path passed 4-5 km from the front line. The trains had to be driven under bombing and artillery fire. It happened that fragments hit drivers, stokers, and conductors. Track repairs were often done with improvised means. With the onset of summer, the trains, contrary to all existing rules, moved up to the hub in the water. As a result of shelling and bombing, railway communications were often disrupted. The main cargo flows still went along the Road of Life through Ladoga. In addition, there was a threat that the Germans would be able to restore the situation.

Thus, the largest political, economic and cultural center of the USSR, after a difficult 16-month struggle, again found land connections with the country. The city's supply of food and essential goods was significantly improved, and industrial enterprises began to receive more raw materials and fuel. Already in February 1943, electricity production in Leningrad increased sharply, and weapons production increased noticeably. The restoration of communications made it possible to continuously strengthen the troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet with reinforcements, weapons and ammunition. This improved the strategic position of the Soviet troops operating in the northwestern direction.

Meeting of soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts at Workers' Village No. 1 during the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad

Meeting of soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts near Workers' Village No. 5 during the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad

After the troops of the 67th and 2nd Shock Army formed common front and gained a foothold on new lines, it was decided to continue the operation and reach the Mustolovo-Mikhailovsky line (along the Moika River), and then capture Kirovskaya railway. On January 20, Zhukov reported to Stalin the plan for the Mginsk operation, prepared jointly with Voroshilov, Meretskov and Govorov.

However, the German command had already managed to prepare well for a possible Soviet offensive. The pre-prepared defensive line was defended by 9 divisions, significantly reinforced by artillery and aviation. The enemy transferred the 11th and 21st infantry divisions to Sinyavino, exposing the rest of the front to the limit: from Novgorod to Pogost, near Leningrad and Oranienbaum, Lindemann was left with 14 infantry divisions. But the risk was worth it. In addition, the advancing Soviet armies were deprived of maneuver, and they had to attack enemy positions head-on. Connections Soviet armies were already very exhausted and bled dry by the previous fierce battles for the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge. It was difficult to count on success in such conditions.

On January 20, after artillery preparation, the armies went on the offensive. The 67th Army, with the forces of the 46th, 138th Infantry Divisions and the 152nd Tank Brigade, struck southeast of the 1st and 2nd Gorodki. The army was supposed to capture Mustolovo and bypass Sinyavino from the west. The 142nd Marine Brigade and the 123rd Rifle Brigade advanced on Sinyavino. The 123rd Rifle Division, 102nd Rifle, 220th Tank Brigade had the task of breaking enemy resistance in the area of ​​the 1st and 2nd Gorodki and reaching Arbuzovo. But Soviet troops met powerful resistance and were unable to complete their tasks. The successes were insignificant. Front Commander Govorov decided to continue the attacks and allocated 4 rifle divisions, 2 rifle and 1 tank brigades from the front reserve. On January 25, the troops went on the offensive again, but, despite the introduction of reinforcements into the battle, they failed to break through the German defenses. Stubborn fighting continued until the end of January, but the 67th Army was unable to break the German lines.

Events developed in a similar way in the sector of the 2nd Shock Army. The troops were forced to advance through swampy terrain, which deprived them of adequate artillery and tank support. German troops, relying on strong positions, offered fierce resistance. On January 25, the 2nd Shock Army was able to capture Workers' Village No. 6. Until the end of the month, army units fought heavy battles for the Sinyavino Heights, part of the Krugloya Grove and the Kvadratnaya Grove in the area of ​​Workers' Village No. 6. On January 31, the 80th Rifle Division was even able to occupy Sinyavino , but German troops knocked it out with a strong counterattack. In other sectors the army did not have much success.

By the end of the month, it became clear that the offensive had failed and the plan for the liberation of the Neva and the Kirov railway had not yet been implemented. The plan needed a lot of adjustment; the German positions on the line: 1st and 2nd Gorodkov - Sinyavino - Gaitolovo turned out to be too strong. To exclude possible attempts by the enemy to restore the blockade, the troops of the 67th and 2nd Shock Armies on January 30 went over to the defensive at the line north and east of the 2nd Gorodok, south of Rabochiy Poselok No. 6 and north of Sinyavino, west of Gontovaya Lipka and east of Gaitolovo. The troops of the 67th Army continued to hold a small bridgehead on the left bank of the Neva in the area of ​​Moscow Dubrovka. The Soviet command begins to prepare a new operation, which will be carried out in February 1943.

Message from the Sovinformburo about breaking the siege of Leningrad

Results of the operation

Soviet troops created a “corridor” along the shore of Lake Ladoga, 8–11 km wide, and broke through the long enemy blockade that was strangling Leningrad. An event took place that all Soviet people had been waiting for so long. A land connection appeared between the second capital of the USSR and the mainland. The military-strategic plans of the German military-political leadership regarding Leningrad were thwarted - the city was supposed to be “cleared” of its inhabitants through a long blockade and famine. The possibility of a direct connection between German and Finnish troops east of Leningrad was thwarted. The Leningrad and Volkhov fronts received direct communication, which increased their combat capabilities and significantly improved the strategic position of the Red Army in the northwestern direction. Thus, Operation Iskra became a turning point in the battle for Leningrad, from that moment the strategic initiative completely passed to the Soviet troops. The threat of storming the city on the Neva was ruled out.

It should be noted that breaking the blockade of Leningrad was a serious blow to the prestige of the Third Reich in the world. It is not for nothing that a military observer for the British agency Reuters noted that “the breakthrough of the German fortified line south of Lake Ladoga is the same blow to the prestige of A. Hitler as the crushing defeat of German troops at Stalingrad.”

American President F. Roosevelt, on behalf of his people, sent a special letter to Leningrad “... in memory of his valiant warriors and his faithful men, women and children, who, being isolated by the invader from the rest of their people and despite constant bombing and untold suffering from cold, hunger and disease, successfully defended their beloved city during the critical period from September 8, 1941 to January 18, 1943 and thereby symbolized the undaunted spirit of the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and all the peoples of the world resisting the forces of aggression.”

Soviet soldiers in this battle showed increased military skill, defeating the troops of the 18th German Army. For the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazis, 25 soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero Soviet Union, about 22 thousand soldiers and commanders were awarded orders and medals. Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin in the order of January 25, 1943 for successful fighting upon breaking the blockade of Leningrad, he declared gratitude to the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, congratulating them on their victory over the enemy. For the courage and heroism of the personnel, the 136th (commander Major General N.P. Simonyak) and 327th (commander Colonel N.A. Polyakov) rifle divisions were transformed into the 63rd and 64th Guards Rifle Divisions, respectively. The 61st Tank Brigade (commanded by Colonel V.V. Khrustitsky) was reorganized into the 30th Guards Tank Brigade, and the 122nd Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The losses speak well of the difficult conditions in which the operation took place and the strength of the German defense on this section of the front. During the period January 12-30 (Operation Iskra), Soviet troops lost 115,082 people (of which 33,940 were irretrievable losses). The losses of the Leningrad Front were 41,264 people (12,320 dead), and those of the Volkhov Front were 73,818 people (21,620 irrevocably). During the same period, 41 tanks (according to other sources, more than 200), 417 guns and mortars and 41 aircraft were lost. The Germans report the destruction of 847 tanks and 693 aircraft (for the period January 12 - April 4). Soviet sources report that during the period January 12–30, the Germans lost more than 20 thousand people killed, wounded and prisoners. Soviet troops 7 enemy divisions.

At the same time, Soviet troops were unable to complete the operation victoriously. Army Group North was still a serious adversary, and the German command promptly responded to the loss of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino salient. The Soviet strike forces were weakened by fierce battles for the heavily fortified area and were unable to break through the new German defensive line. The defeat of the Mginsk-Sinyavinsk German group had to be postponed until February 1943. Leningrad, after breaking the blockade, was under siege for another year. The city on the Neva was completely liberated from the German blockade only in January 1944 during Operation January Thunder.

Monument “Broken Ring” of the Green Belt of Glory of the Defenders of Leningrad. Authors of the memorial: the author of the idea of ​​the monument, sculptor K.M. Simun, architect V.G. Filippov, design engineer I.A. Rybin. Opened October 29, 1966

Day of Military Glory of Russia - Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad (1944) is celebrated in accordance with Federal law dated March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ “On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia.”

In 1941, Hitler launched military operations on the outskirts of Leningrad to completely destroy the city. On September 8, 1941, the ring closed around an important strategic and political center. On January 18, 1943, the blockade was broken, and the city had a corridor of land communication with the country. On January 27, 1944, Soviet troops completely lifted the 900-day fascist blockade of the city.

As a result of the victories of the Soviet Armed Forces in Stalingrad and Kursk battles, near Smolensk, on the Left Bank of Ukraine, in the Donbass and on the Dnieper at the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944, favorable conditions developed for conducting a major offensive operation near Leningrad and Novgorod.

By the beginning of 1944, the enemy had created a defense in depth with reinforced concrete and wood-earth structures covered minefields and wire fences. The Soviet command organized an offensive by forces of the 2nd shock, 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad, 59th, 8th and 54th armies of the Volkhov, 1st shock and 22nd armies of the 2nd Baltic fronts and Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Long-range aviation, partisan detachments and brigades were also involved.

The goal of the operation was to defeat the flank groups of the 18th Army, and then, through actions in the Kingisepp and Luga directions, complete the defeat of its main forces and reach the Luga River line. In the future, operating in the Narva, Pskov and Idritsa directions, defeat the 16th Army and complete the liberation Leningrad region and create conditions for the liberation of the Baltic states.

On January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive from the Primorsky bridgehead to Ropsha, and on January 15 from Leningrad to Krasnoye Selo. After stubborn fighting on January 20, Soviet troops united in the Ropsha area and eliminated the encircled Peterhof-Strelninsky enemy group. At the same time, on January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive in the Novgorod area, and on January 16 - in the Lyuban direction, and on January 20 they liberated Novgorod.

To commemorate the final lifting of the blockade, a festive fireworks display was given in Leningrad on January 27, 1944.

Nazi genocide. Leningrad blockade

On the evening of January 27, 1944, festive fireworks roared over Leningrad. The armies of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts drove German troops away from the city and liberated almost the entire Leningrad region.

The blockade, in the iron ring of which Leningrad suffocated for 900 long days and nights, was put to an end. That day became one of the happiest in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Leningraders; one of the happiest - and, at the same time, one of the most sorrowful - because everyone who lived to see this holiday lost either relatives or friends during the blockade. More than 600 thousand people died of terrible starvation in the surrounded by German troops city, several hundred thousand - in the Nazi-occupied area.

Exactly a year later, on January 27, 1945, units of the 28th Rifle Corps of the 60th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp - an ominous Nazi death factory, where about one and a half million people were killed, including one million one hundred thousand Jews Soviet soldiers managed to save a few - seven and a half thousand emaciated people who looked like living skeletons. The Nazis managed to drive away everyone else - those who could walk. Many of the liberated Auschwitz prisoners could not even smile; their strength was only enough to stand.

The coincidence of the day of lifting the siege of Leningrad with the day of the liberation of Auschwitz is more than a mere coincidence. The blockade and the Holocaust, of which Auschwitz became a symbol, are phenomena of the same order.

At first glance, such a statement may seem erroneous. The term “Holocaust,” which has taken root with some difficulty in Russia, refers to the Nazi policy aimed at exterminating the Jews. The practice of this destruction could be different. Jews were brutally killed during pogroms carried out by Baltic and Ukrainian nationalists, shot at Babyn Yar and Minsk Yama, exterminated in numerous ghettos, and exterminated on an industrial scale in numerous death camps - Treblinka, Buchenwald, Auschwitz.

The Nazis sought the “final solution to the Jewish question,” the destruction of the Jews as a nation. This crime of incredible proportions was prevented thanks to the victories of the Red Army; however, even the partial implementation of the Nazi murder plan led to truly horrific results. About six million Jews were exterminated by the Nazis and their collaborators, approximately half of whom were Soviet citizens.

The Holocaust is an undoubted crime, a symbol of the Nazi policy of genocide towards “racially inferior” peoples. The crime of the siege of Leningrad in the eyes of many, both in the West and in our country, does not look so obvious. Very often we hear that this is, of course, a huge tragedy, but war is always cruel to civilians. Moreover, there are allegations that the Soviet leadership is allegedly to blame for the horrors of the blockade, because they did not want to surrender the city and, thereby, save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

However, in fact, the destruction of the civilian population of Leningrad by blockade was originally planned by the Nazis. Already on July 8, 1941, on the seventeenth day of the war, a very characteristic entry appeared in the diary of the Chief of the German General Staff, General Franz Halder:

“...The Fuhrer’s decision to raze Moscow and Leningrad to the ground is unshakable in order to completely get rid of the population of these cities, which otherwise we will then be forced to feed during the winter. The task of destroying these cities must be carried out by aviation. Tanks should not be used for this. This will be “a national disaster that will deprive not only Bolshevism of centers, but also Muscovites (Russians) in general.”

Hitler's plans were soon embodied in official directives of the German command. On August 28, 1941, General Halder signed an order from the High Command of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces to Army Group North on the blockade of Leningrad:

“...based on the directives of the Supreme High Command, I order:

1. Block the city of Leningrad with a ring as close as possible to the city itself in order to save our forces. Do not put forward demands for surrender.

2. In order for the city, as the last center of red resistance in the Baltic, to be destroyed as quickly as possible without major casualties on our part, it is forbidden to storm the city with infantry forces. After defeating the enemy's air defenses and fighter aircraft, his defensive and vital capabilities should be broken by destroying waterworks, warehouses, power supplies and power plants. Military installations and the enemy's ability to defend must be suppressed by fires and artillery fire. Every attempt by the population to escape through the encircling troops should be prevented, if necessary, with the use of..."

As we see, according to the directives of the German command, the blockade was directed specifically against the civilian population of Leningrad. The Nazis did not need either the city or its inhabitants. The Nazis' fury towards Leningrad was terrifying.

“The poisonous nest of St. Petersburg, from which poison is pouring out into the Baltic Sea, must disappear from the face of the earth,” Hitler said in a conversation with the German ambassador in Paris on September 16, 1941. - The city is already blocked; Now all that remains is to fire at it with artillery and bomb until the water supply, energy centers and everything that is necessary for the life of the population are destroyed.”

Another week and a half later, on September 29, 1941, these plans were recorded in the directive of the Chief of Staff naval forces Germany:

“The Fuhrer decided to wipe out the city of St. Petersburg from the face of the earth. After defeat Soviet Russia the continued existence of this largest settlement is of no interest.... It is planned to surround the city with a tight ring and, by shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombing from the air, raze it to the ground. If, as a result of the situation created in the city, requests for surrender are made, they will be rejected, since the problems associated with the stay of the population in the city and its food supply cannot and should not be solved by us. In this war being waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving even part of the population.”

Heydrich gave a characteristic comment on these plans in a letter to Reichsführer SS Himmler dated October 20, 1941: “I would like to humbly draw your attention to the fact that clear orders regarding the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow cannot be implemented in reality if they are not initially executed with all cruelty."

A little later, at a meeting at the headquarters of the High Command of the Ground Forces, Quartermaster General Wagner summed up the Nazi plans for Leningrad and its inhabitants: “There is no doubt that it is Leningrad that must die of starvation.”

The plans of the Nazi leadership did not leave the right to life for the residents of Leningrad - just as they did not leave the right to life for the Jews. It is significant that the famine was organized by the Nazis in the occupied Leningrad region. It turned out to be no less terrible than the famine in the city on the Neva. Since this phenomenon has been studied much less than the Leningrad famine, we present an extensive quote from the diary of a resident of the city of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo):

“December 24. The frosts are unbearable. People are already dying of hunger in their beds by the hundreds every day. In Tsarskoe Selo, there were about 25 thousand left when the Germans arrived. About 5-6 thousand were dispersed to the rear and in the nearest villages, two to two and a half thousand were knocked out by shells, and according to the last census of the Administration, which was carried out the other day, eight-odd thousand remained . Everything else died out. It’s no longer at all surprising when you hear that one or another of our friends has died...

27th of December. Carts drive through the streets and collect the dead from their homes. They are folded into anti-air slots. They say that the entire road to Gatchina is lined with corpses on both sides. These unfortunate people collected their last junk and went to exchange it for food. On the way, one of them sat down to rest, did not get up... The old men, distraught with hunger, from the nursing home wrote an official request addressed to the commander of the military forces of our site and somehow forwarded this request to him. And it said: “We ask for permission to eat the old people who died in our house.”

The Nazis deliberately doomed hundreds of thousands of people to starvation both in besieged Leningrad and in the Leningrad region they occupied. So the blockade and the Holocaust are indeed phenomena of the same order, undoubted crimes against humanity. This, by the way, has already been legally established: in 2008, the German government and the Commission for the Presentation of Jewish Material Claims against Germany (Claims Conference) came to an agreement according to which Jews who survived the siege of Leningrad were equated to victims of the Holocaust and received the right to one-time compensation .

This decision is certainly correct, opening up the right to compensation for all blockade survivors. The siege of Leningrad is as much a crime against humanity as the Holocaust. Thanks to the actions of the Nazis, the city was actually turned into a giant ghetto dying of starvation, the difference from the ghettos in the territories occupied by the Nazis was that auxiliary police units did not break into it to carry out mass murders and the German security service did not carry out mass executions here. However, this does not change the criminal essence of the blockade of Leningrad.

The most difficult and tragic period in the life of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. During the Battle of Leningrad 1941-44, Soviet troops steadfastly and heroically held back the enemy on the distant and then on the near approaches to Leningrad. On August 20, 1941, Nazi troops occupied the city of Chudovo, cutting the Leningrad-Moscow railway. By August 21, the enemy reached the Krasnogvardeisky fortified area in the south, on the same day Finnish troops captured the city of Kexgolm (now Priozersk) on the western shore of Lake Ladoga. On August 22, fighting began in the Oranienbaum direction. The Nazi troops did not manage to immediately break into Leningrad, but the front came close to the city in its southwestern part. With the enemy breakthrough on August 30, the last train was cut at the Mga station. d., connecting Leningrad with the country. On September 8, 1941, the enemy captured the city of Shlisselburg, and land communications with Leningrad completely ceased. The blockade of the city began, communication with the country was maintained only by air and across Lake Ladoga. By the end of September, the front on the southwestern and southern approaches to Leningrad had stabilized. It took place at the borders: the Gulf of Finland, Ligovo, the southern slopes of the Pulkovo Heights, the approaches to Kolpino, the bank of the Neva from Ivanovo to Shlisselburg. In the southwest, the front was located 6 km from the Kirov Plant, in the Dachnoye area. The front line of defense of the Soviet troops passed through the territory of modern Krasnoselsky district, Kirovsky district, and Moskovsky district. In the northwest and northeast, the front line stabilized in September 1941 on the line of the old Soviet-Finnish border.

In the blockaded city (with its suburbs), although the evacuation continued, 2 million 887 thousand civilians remained, including about 400 thousand children. Food and fuel supplies were extremely limited (for 1-2 months). On September 4, the enemy, trying to carry out plans for the destruction of Leningrad, began shelling Leningrad, and from September 8 - massive air raids. At the end of August, a commission of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the State Defense Committee arrived in the city and examined urgent issues of strengthening its defense, evacuation of enterprises and population, and supplies. On August 30, the State Defense Committee transferred to the Military Council of the Leningrad Front all functions related to organizing resistance to the enemy.

At the end of September 1941, the State Defense Committee allowed the Military Council of the Leningrad Front to independently determine the volume and nature of production of the main types of defense products in Leningrad. The City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks began placing orders for factories, controlled their implementation, and since October directly supervised the work of the entire industry of Leningrad. The hard heroic work of Leningraders and the clear organization of industrial work made it possible to establish the production of defense products in the city. In the second half of 1941 (from the beginning of the war until December 14), Leningrad factories produced 318 aircraft, 713 tanks, 480 armored vehicles, 6 armored trains and 52 armored platforms, over 3 thousand artillery pieces, about 10 thousand mortars, over 3 million shells and mines , 84 ships were completed different classes and converted 186.

The “Road of Life” across Lake Ladoga was used to evacuate the population and industrial equipment, delivery in Leningrad of food, fuel, ammunition, weapons and human replacements for troops. The disruption of stable communications with the country and the cessation of the regular supply of fuel, raw materials and food had a catastrophic effect on the life of the city. In December 1941, Leningrad received almost 7 times less electricity than in July. Most factories stopped working, the movement of trolleybuses and trams, and the supply of electricity to residential buildings stopped. In January 1942, due to severe frosts, the central heating, water supply and sewer networks failed. Residents went to fetch water from the Neva, Fontanka, and other rivers and canals. Temporary stoves were installed in residential buildings. The dismantling of wooden buildings for fuel was organized.

In the fall of 1941, famine began in Leningrad, from which 53 thousand people died in December. During January - February 1942, about 200 thousand Leningraders died from hunger. Party and Soviet authorities took measures to alleviate the living conditions of Leningraders. The most weakened people were sent to hospitals, hospitals were created for patients with dystrophy, boilers were installed in homes, children were placed in orphanages and nurseries. Komsomol organizations created special Komsomol youth household detachments that provided assistance to thousands of sick, exhausted and weakened people from hunger.

In the winter of 1941–42, about 270 factories and factories were mothballed. Of the 68 leading enterprises in the defense, shipbuilding and machine-building industries in January 1942, only 18 were not operating at full capacity. Tanks and weapons were being repaired. In January - March, about 58 thousand shells and mines, over 82 thousand fuses, and over 160 thousand hand grenades were manufactured.

Leningraders selflessly overcame the consequences of the blockade winter. At the end of March - beginning of April 1942, they completed a huge job of sanitary cleaning of the city. In the spring of 1942, navigation began on Lake Ladoga. Water transportation became the main means of overcoming the consequences of the blockade winter and reviving the urban economy. In June, the Ladoga pipeline, laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga to supply fuel to Leningrad, went into operation, then 2 months later the city received energy from the Volkhov hydroelectric station via an underwater cable.

The resolution of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front (July 5, 1942) “On necessary measures for the city of Leningrad” outlined the path for the development of Leningrad’s industry and municipal economy. Workers from mothballed factories, from light and local industry, public utilities, employees from the administrative apparatus were sent to the military industry, and the population unemployed in social production was mobilized. Almost 75% of all workers were women. By the end of 1942 work industrial enterprises noticeably intensified. Since the fall, tanks, artillery pieces, mortars, machine guns, machine guns, shells, mines - about 100 types of defense products - have been produced. In December, residential buildings began to be connected to the electricity grid. The whole country provided assistance in reviving the economic life of Leningrad.

In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken by Soviet troops, and a railroad was built along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga. through Shlisselburg - “Victory Road”. Restoration of the railway connections with the country, improving the supply of Leningrad with fuel and electricity, and the population with food, made it possible to expand the work of the city industry more widely. In the spring, 15 leading factories received orders from the State Defense Committee, and 12 from the People's Commissariats. In July 1943, 212 enterprises of the Union and republican subordination were already operating in Leningrad, producing over 400 types of defense products. By the end of 1943, about 620 thousand people remained in Leningrad, 80% of whom worked. Almost all residential and public buildings received electricity and were provided with water supply and sewerage.

As a result of the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky operation of 1944 in January - February, the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted. In honor of the complete lifting of the blockade, fireworks were fired in Leningrad on January 27, 1944.

During the siege, the enemy caused enormous damage to Leningrad. In particular, 840 industrial buildings were put out of action, about 5 million m2 of living space were damaged (including 2.8 million m2 completely destroyed), 500 schools, and 170 medical institutions. As a result of the destruction and evacuation of enterprises in Leningrad, only 25% of the equipment that Leningrad industry had before the war remained. Enormous damage was caused to the most valuable historical and cultural monuments - the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Engineers' Castle, and the palace ensembles of the suburbs.

During the blockade in Leningrad, according to official data alone, 641 thousand residents died of hunger (according to historians - at least 800 thousand), about 17 thousand people died from bombing and shelling, and about 34 thousand were wounded.

POET'S VIEW

We know what's on the scales now

And what is happening now.

The hour of courage has struck on our watch,

And courage will not leave us.

It's not scary to lie dead under bullets,

It's not bitter to be homeless,

And we will save you, Russian speech,

Great Russian word.

We will carry you free and clean,

We will give it to our grandchildren and save us from captivity

BLOCKED DIARY

“The Savichevs are dead.” "Everyone died." “There’s only Tanya left.”

LENINGRAD SYMPHONY

On June 22, 1941, his life, like the lives of all people in our country, changed dramatically. The war began, previous plans were crossed out. Everyone began to work for the needs of the front. Shostakovich, along with everyone else, dug trenches and was on duty during air raids. He made arrangements for concert brigades sent to active units. Naturally, there were no pianos on the front lines, and he rearranged accompaniments for small ensembles and did other necessary work, as it seemed to him. But as always, this unique musician-publicist - as was the case since childhood, when momentary impressions of the turbulent revolutionary years were conveyed in music - a large symphonic plan began to mature, dedicated to what was happening directly. He began writing the Seventh Symphony. The first part was completed in the summer. He managed to show it to his closest friend I. Sollertinsky, who on August 22 was leaving for Novosibirsk with the Philharmonic, whose artistic director he had been for many years. In September, already in blockaded Leningrad, the composer created the second part and showed it to his colleagues. Started working on the third part.

On October 1, by special order of the authorities, he, his wife and two children were flown to Moscow. From there, half a month later, he traveled further east by train. Initially it was planned to go to the Urals, but Shostakovich decided to stop in Kuibyshev (as Samara was called in those years). The Bolshoi Theater was based here, there were many acquaintances who initially took the composer and his family into their home, but very quickly the city leadership allocated him a room, and in early December - a two-room apartment. It was equipped with a piano, loaned by the local music school. It was possible to continue working.

Unlike the first three parts, which were created literally in one breath, work on the final progressed slowly. It was sad and anxious at heart. Mother and sister remained in besieged Leningrad, which experienced the most terrible, hungry and cold days. The pain for them did not leave for a minute...

The last part didn't work out for a long time. Shostakovich understood that in the symphony dedicated to the events of the war, everyone expected a solemn victorious apotheosis with a choir, a celebration of the coming victory. But there was no reason for this yet, and he wrote as his heart dictated. It is no coincidence that the opinion later spread that the finale was inferior in importance to the first part, that the forces of evil were embodied much stronger than the humanistic principle opposing them.

On December 27, 1941, the Seventh Symphony was completed. Of course, Shostakovich wanted it to be performed by his favorite orchestra - the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mravinsky. But he was far away, in Novosibirsk, and the authorities insisted on an urgent premiere: the performance of the symphony, which the composer called Leningrad and dedicated to the feat of his native city, was given political significance. The premiere took place in Kuibyshev on March 5, 1942. The orchestra was playing Bolshoi Theater under the leadership of Samuil Samosud.

After the Kuibyshev premiere, the symphonies were held in Moscow and Novosibirsk (under the baton of Mravinsky), but the most remarkable, truly heroic one took place under the baton of Carl Eliasberg in besieged Leningrad. To perform a monumental symphony with a huge orchestra, musicians were recalled from military units. Before the start of rehearsals, some had to be admitted to the hospital - fed and treated, since all ordinary residents of the city had become dystrophic. On the day the symphony was performed - August 9, 1942 - all the artillery forces of the besieged city were sent to suppress enemy firing points: nothing should have interfered with the significant premiere.

And the white-columned hall of the Philharmonic was full. Pale, exhausted Leningraders filled it to hear music dedicated to them. The speakers carried it throughout the city.

The public around the world perceived the performance of the Seventh as an event of great importance. Soon, requests began to arrive from abroad to send the score. Competition broke out between the largest orchestras in the Western Hemisphere for the right to perform the symphony first. Shostakovich's choice fell on Toscanini. A plane carrying precious microfilms flew across a war-torn world, and on July 19, 1942, the Seventh Symphony was performed in New York. Her victorious march across the globe began.

The siege of Leningrad became the most difficult test for city residents in the entire history of the Northern capital. In the besieged city, according to various estimates, up to half of the population of Leningrad died. The survivors did not even have the strength to mourn the dead: some were extremely exhausted, others were seriously injured. Despite hunger, cold and constant bombing, people found the courage to survive and defeat the Nazis. One can judge what the residents of the besieged city had to endure in those terrible years by statistical data - the language of numbers of besieged Leningrad.

872 days and nights

The siege of Leningrad lasted exactly 872 days. The Germans encircled the city on September 8, 1941, and on January 27, 1944, residents of the Northern capital rejoiced at the complete liberation of the city from the fascist blockade. For six months after the blockade was lifted, the enemies still remained near Leningrad: their troops were in Petrozavodsk and Vyborg. Red Army soldiers drove the Nazis away from the approaches to the city during an offensive operation in the summer of 1944.

150 thousand shells

Over the long months of the blockade, the Nazis dropped 150 thousand heavy artillery shells and over 107 thousand incendiary and high-explosive bombs on Leningrad. They destroyed 3 thousand buildings and damaged more than 7 thousand. All the main monuments of the city survived: Leningraders hid them, covering them with sandbags and plywood shields. Some sculptures - for example, from Summer Garden and horses from the Anichkov Bridge - they were removed from their pedestals and buried in the ground until the end of the war.

Bombings in Leningrad took place every day. Photo: AiF/ Yana Khvatova

13 hours 14 minutes of shelling

Shelling in besieged Leningrad was daily: sometimes the Nazis attacked the city several times a day. People hid from the bombings in the basements of houses. On August 17, 1943, Leningrad was subjected to the longest shelling during the entire siege. It lasted 13 hours and 14 minutes, during which the Germans dropped 2 thousand shells on the city. Residents of besieged Leningrad admitted that the noise of enemy planes and exploding shells continued to ring in their heads for a long time.

Up to 1.5 million dead

By September 1941, the population of Leningrad and its suburbs was about 2.9 million people. The siege of Leningrad, according to various estimates, claimed the lives of from 600 thousand to 1.5 million city residents. Only 3% of people died from fascist bombing, the remaining 97% died from hunger: about 4 thousand people died every day from exhaustion. When food supplies ran out, people began to eat cake, wallpaper paste, leather belts and shoes. There were dead bodies lying on the streets of the city: this was considered a normal situation. Often, when someone died in families, people had to bury their relatives themselves.

1 million 615 thousand tons of cargo

On September 12, 1941, the Road of Life opened - the only highway connecting the besieged city with the country. The road of life, laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga, saved Leningrad: along it, about 1 million 615 thousand tons of cargo were delivered to the city - food, fuel and clothing. During the blockade, more than a million people were evacuated from Leningrad along the highway through Ladoga.

125 grams of bread

Until the end of the first month of the blockade, the residents of the besieged city received a fairly good bread ration. When it became obvious that flour supplies would not last long, the quota was sharply reduced. Thus, in November and December 1941, city employees, dependents and children received only 125 grams of bread per day. Workers were given 250 grams of bread, and paramilitary guards, fire brigades and extermination squads were given 300 grams each. Contemporaries would not have been able to eat the siege bread, because it was made from practically inedible impurities. The bread was baked from rye and oat flour with the addition of cellulose, wallpaper dust, pine needles, cake and unfiltered malt. The loaf turned out to be very bitter in taste and completely black.

1500 loudspeakers

After the start of the blockade, until the end of 1941, 1,500 loudspeakers were installed on the walls of Leningrad houses. Radio broadcasting in Leningrad was carried out around the clock, and city residents were forbidden to turn off their receivers: radio announcers talked about the situation in the city. When the broadcast stopped, the sound of a metronome was broadcast on the radio. In case of alarm, the rhythm of the metronome accelerated, and after the shelling ended, it slowed down. Leningraders called the sound of the metronome on the radio the living heartbeat of the city.

98 thousand newborns

During the blockade, 95 thousand children were born in Leningrad. Most of them, about 68 thousand newborns, were born in the autumn and winter of 1941. In 1942, 12.5 thousand children were born, and in 1943 - only 7.5 thousand. In order for the babies to survive, the Pediatric Institute of the city organized a farm of three purebred cows so that the children could receive fresh milk: in most cases, young mothers did not have milk.

The children of besieged Leningrad suffered from dystrophy. Photo: Archive photo

-32° below zero

The first winter of the blockade became the coldest in the besieged city. On some days the thermometer dropped to -32°C. The situation was aggravated by heavy snowfalls: by April 1942, when the snow should have melted, the height of the snowdrifts reached 53 centimeters. Leningraders lived without heating or electricity in their houses. To keep warm, city residents lit stoves. Due to the lack of firewood, everything inedible that was in the apartments was burned in them: furniture, old things and books.

144 thousand liters of blood

Despite hunger and the harshest living conditions, Leningraders were ready to give their last for the front in order to speed up the victory of the Soviet troops. Every day, from 300 to 700 city residents donated blood for the wounded in hospitals, donating the resulting financial compensation to the defense fund. Subsequently, the Leningrad Donor aircraft will be built with this money. In total, during the blockade, Leningraders donated 144 thousand liters of blood for front-line soldiers.

The siege of Leningrad is considered one of the most tragic pages of the Great Patriotic War. History has preserved many facts testifying to this terrible ordeal in the life of the city on the Neva. Leningrad was surrounded fascist invaders almost 900 days (from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944). Of the two and a half million residents living in the northern capital before the start of the war, during the blockade more than 600,000 people died from hunger alone, and several tens of thousands of citizens died from bombing. Despite the catastrophic food shortage, very coldy, lack of heat and electricity, Leningraders bravely withstood the fascist onslaught and did not surrender their city to the enemy.

About the besieged city through the decades

In 2014, Russia celebrated the 70th anniversary of the siege of Leningrad. Today, like several decades ago, the Russian people highly honor the feat of the inhabitants of the city on the Neva. A large number of books have been written about besieged Leningrad, and many documentaries and feature films have been shot. Schoolchildren and students are told about the heroic defense of the city. To better imagine the situation of people who found themselves in Leningrad surrounded by fascist troops, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the events associated with its siege.

Siege of Leningrad: interesting facts about the importance of the city for the invaders

To seize Soviet lands from the Nazis, it was developed. In accordance with it, the Nazis planned to conquer in a few months European part THE USSR. During the occupation, the city on the Neva was given important role, because Hitler believed that if Moscow is the heart of the country, then Leningrad is its soul. The Fuhrer was confident that as soon as the northern capital fell under the onslaught of Nazi troops, the morale of the huge state would weaken, and after that it could be easily conquered.

Despite the resistance of our troops, the Nazis managed to advance significantly into the interior of the country and surround the city on the Neva from all sides. September 8, 1941 went down in history as the first day of the siege of Leningrad. It was then that all land routes from the city were cut off, and he found himself surrounded by the enemy. Leningrad was subjected to artillery shelling every day, but did not surrender.

The northern capital was under blockade for almost 900 days. In the entire history of mankind, this was the longest and most terrible siege of the city. that before the start of the blockade, some of the residents were evacuated from Leningrad; a large number of citizens continued to remain there. These people suffered terrible torment, and not all of them managed to live to see the liberation of their hometown.

Horrors of hunger

Regular air strikes are not the worst thing that Leningraders experienced during the war. The supply of food in the besieged city was not enough, and this led to a terrible famine. Bring food from others settlements interfered with the blockade of Leningrad. Interesting Facts The townspeople wrote about this period: the local population fell right on the street, cases of cannibalism no longer surprised anyone. Every day more and more deaths from exhaustion were recorded, corpses lay on the city streets, and there was no one to clean them up.

With the beginning of the siege, Leningraders began to be given money to get bread. Since October 1941 daily norm bread for workers was 400 g per person, and for children under 12 years of age, dependents and employees - 200 g. But this did not save the townspeople from hunger. Food supplies were rapidly declining, and by November 1941, the daily portion of bread was forced to be reduced to 250 g for workers and to 125 g for other categories of citizens. Due to the lack of flour, it consisted half of inedible impurities, was black and bitter. Leningraders did not complain, because for them a piece of such bread was the only salvation from death. But the famine did not last throughout the 900 days of the siege of Leningrad. Already at the beginning of 1942, daily bread standards increased, and bread itself became of better quality. In mid-February 1942, for the first time, residents of the city on the Neva were given frozen lamb and beef in rations. Gradually, the food situation in the northern capital was stabilized.

Abnormal winter

But the blockade of Leningrad was not only remembered by the townspeople for hunger. History contains facts that the winter of 1941-1942 was unusually cold. Frosts in the city lasted from October to April and were much stronger than in previous years. In some months the thermometer dropped to -32 degrees. Heavy snowfalls also aggravated the situation: by April 1942, the height of the snowdrifts was 53 cm.

Despite the abnormal cold winter, due to a lack of fuel in the city, it was not possible to start centralized heating, there was no electricity, and the water supply was turned off. To somehow heat their homes, Leningraders used potbelly stoves: they burned everything that could burn in them - books, rags, old furniture. People exhausted by hunger could not withstand the cold and died. The total number of townspeople who died from exhaustion and frost by the end of February 1942 exceeded 200 thousand people.

Along the “road of life” and life surrounded by the enemy

Until the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted, the only route by which residents were evacuated and the city supplied was Lake Ladoga. Trucks and horse-drawn carts were transported along it in winter, and barges traveled around the clock in the summer. The narrow road, completely unprotected from air bombing, was the only connection between besieged Leningrad and the world. Local residents called Lake Ladoga “the road of life,” because if not for it, there would have been disproportionately more victims of the Nazis.

Near three years The siege of Leningrad lasted. Interesting facts from this period indicate that, despite the catastrophic situation, life continued in the city. In Leningrad, even during the famine, military equipment was produced, theaters and museums were opened. The morale of the townspeople was supported by famous writers and poets who regularly appeared on the radio. By the winter of 1942-1943, the situation in the northern capital was no longer as critical as before. Despite regular bombings, life in Leningrad stabilized. Factories, schools, cinemas, baths began to operate, the water supply was restored, and public transport began to operate around the city.

Curious facts about St. Isaac's Cathedral and cats

Until the very last day of the siege of Leningrad, it was subjected to regular artillery shelling. The shells, which razed many buildings in the city, flew around St. Isaac's Cathedral. It is unknown why the Nazis did not touch the building. There is a version that they used its high dome as a landmark for shelling the city. The basement of the cathedral served Leningraders as a repository for valuables. museum exhibits, thanks to which they were preserved intact until the very end of the war.

Not only the Nazis were a problem for the townspeople while the siege of Leningrad lasted. Interesting facts indicate that rats have bred in huge numbers in the northern capital. They destroyed the meager food supplies that remained in the city. In order to save the population of Leningrad from starvation, it was reached along the “road of life” from Yaroslavl region 4 wagons of smoky cats, considered the best rat catchers, were transported. The animals adequately coped with the mission entrusted to them and gradually destroyed the rodents, saving people from another famine.

Ridding the city from enemy forces

The liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade occurred on January 27, 1944. After a two-week offensive, Soviet troops managed to push the Nazis back from the city. But, despite the defeat, the invaders besieged for about six months northern capital. It was possible to finally push the enemy away from the city only after the Vyborg and Svir-Petrozavodsk offensive operations carried out by Soviet troops in the summer of 1944.

Memory of besieged Leningrad

January 27 in Russia marks the day when the siege of Leningrad was completely lifted. In this memorable date The country's leaders, church ministers and ordinary citizens come to St. Petersburg, where the ashes of hundreds of thousands of Leningraders who died from hunger and artillery shelling rest. The 900 days of the siege of Leningrad will remain forever black page in Russian history and will remind people of the inhuman crimes of fascism.