8 September 1941 – 27 January 1944 872 days of horror… The Siege of Leningrad. One of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. 8 September 1941 – 27 January 1944 872 days of horror…

On 18 December 1940 Adolf Hitler signed the plan of German invasion known as Operation Barbarossa. He planned to attack the Soviet Union with the help of three armies: the goal of the first army was Leningrad; the second army was to attack Moscow; the last one was for Kiev. Hitler planned to occupy Moscow only after the occupation of Leningrad. He was sure he would have occupied all these cities by the end of the autumn 1941. Fortunately for all Soviet people his plans failed…

Reasons why Leningrad was so important for Hitler: Leningrad was the second city of the USSR in importance; its population was nearly 3,2 million people. There were 333 large industrial enterprises in Leningrad, they were responsible for 11% of all Soviet industrial output. Most of these factories worked in the field of defense industry. Leningrad was the main base of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. There were lots of talented and high professional engineers and technicians in Leningrad, nearly 200 educational establishments and research institutes. Leningrad had the political status of the former capital of Russia and also it was the symbolic capital of the Russian Revolution.

On 4 September 1941 the German army began regular artillery bombardment of Leningrad. They also planned to destroy the Soviet Baltic Fleet in such a way.

On 8 September 1941 German and Finnish forces encircled Leningrad and its suburbs. They planned to maintain the blockade perimeter, thus cutting off all communication with the city and preventing the defenders from receiving any supplies. The Germans planned on lack of food being their chief weapon against the citizens. German scientists had calculated that the city would reach starvation after only a few weeks. On 8 September 1941 Leningrad lost overland connection with the rest of the country. The siege began…

In October and November 1941 German forces began to destroy Leningrad with massive air attacks. Their intensity increased during 1942 with the arrival of new equipment. Some days several air raids occurred. It was stepped up further during 1943, when several times as many shells and bombs were used as in the year before. A number of factories, schools, hospitals and other civil infrastructure were destroyed by air raids and long range artillery bombardment. The Germans used firebombs to cause massive fires. Their targets were the storehouses with food. Several hospitals were damaged in the bombing. German shelling and bombing killed 5,723 and wounded 20,507 civilians in Leningrad during the siege.

The two-and-a-half year siege caused the greatest destruction and the largest loss of life in Leningrad. On Hitler's express orders, most of the palaces of the Tsars, such as the Catherine Palace, Peterhof Palace, Ropsha, Strelna, Gatchina, and other historic landmarks located outside the city's defensive perimeter were looted and then destroyed, with many art collections transported to Nazi Germany.

During the 872 days of the siege citizens of Leningrad suffered from extreme starvation, especially in the winter of 1941–42. From November 1941 to February 1942 the only food available to the citizen was 125 grams of bread per day, of which 50–60% consisted of sawdust and other inedible admixtures. For about two weeks at the beginning of January 1942, even this food was available only for workers and military personnel.

Deaths peaked in January–February 1942 at 100,000 per month, mostly from starvation. People often died on the streets, and citizens soon became accustomed to the sight of death. In conditions of extreme temperatures, down to −30 °C, and city transport being out of service, even a distance of a few kilometers to a food distributing kiosk created an insurmountable obstacle for many citizens.

On 29 March 1942 partisans from Pskov and Novgorod Regions conveyed large amount of food for the citizens of Leningrad. This event inspired them very much and also showed that the Germans could not fully control the city. The partisans managed to get into the city and the Red Army would be able to do the same….

In March 1942 a number of farms for growing vegetables were created in Leningrad. Citizens used lands (nearly 10000 hectares) in parks and near the city enterprises for such farms and protected them all days long. In spring 1942 more than 630 farms began to work. During 1942 the citizens of Leningrad managed to grow nearly 3 tons of vegetables.

In spring 1942 it got warmer, the citizens of Leningrad began to get more food that is why the number of deaths reduced. In March 1942 all capable people of Leningrad cleaned its streets from garbage. In April and May living conditions in the city improved, many enterprises were reopened.

On 12 January 1943 the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts began the offensive operation under the name “Iskra”. After fierce battles the Red Army units overcame the powerful German forces. On 18 January 1943 the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts occupied the south bank of Lake Ladoga, opening a 8-11 km wide land corridor, which reopened the communication of Leningrad with the rest part of the USSR. During the next 17 days a road and a railway were build there. By this time nearly 800 thousand of civilians stayed in Leningrad, most of them were evacuated from there to other regions of the country during 1943.

On 27 January 1944 Stalin ordered to give a 324-gun salute in Leningrad in honor of full liberation of the city from the siege which lasted 872 days.

On 1 May 1945 Leningrad was given the title “Hero City” for the heroism and courage shown by its citizens during the siege. В НАЧАЛО