The Battle of Leningrad, its main operations and features. Defense of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. Help: Battle of Leningrad

On September 1, 1939, at 4:45 a.m., without a declaration of war, on Hitler’s orders, German troops crossed the Polish border, and an hour later their planes bombed Warsaw. The Wehrmacht began implementing the “Plan Weiss” (“White Plan”). On September 3, after some hesitation, the governments of England and France, bound by a mutual assistance pact with Poland, declared war on Germany.

The Second World War began, which lasted six years and ended on September 2, 1945, when the act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed in Tokyo Bay aboard the American battleship Missouri. 61 states took part in this war, that is, 80 percent of the world's population.

Military operations took place over a vast area from the shores of Novaya Zemlya and Alaska in the north to the borders of Egypt, India and Australia in the south, from the Atlantic coast in the west to the Kuril and Hawaiian Islands in the east. The war claimed almost 60 million lives, about half of which were sons and daughters of the peoples of the former Soviet Union. The number of wounded and maimed at the front and in the rear exceeded 90 million people.

Having declared war on Germany, England and France, however, did not provide significant and effective assistance to Poland. Despite the steadfastness and courageous resistance of the Polish army, the collapse of Poland under the blows of the fascist aggressors occurred with lightning speed. Within 18 days, the Wehrmacht won a decisive victory, although Warsaw held out until September 28, and the last Polish fortress surrendered on October 5.

On the Western Front, England and France did not conduct any military operations against Germany for 7 months. What happened there was then called the “strange war.” “The silence on the Western Front,” wrote W. Churchill, “was broken only by an occasional cannon shot or an occasional patrol.”

On April 9, 1940, German troops, supported by the navy and air force, unexpectedly invaded Denmark and Norway. The Danish army, by order of the king and the government, laid down its arms without resistance. In Norway, the Germans met fierce resistance. The British and French landed amphibious assault to help the Norwegian army repel the Wehrmacht attack. But the superiority of forces was on the side of the Germans, who defeated the Norwegians and forced the evacuation of the Anglo-French troops.

On May 10, 1940, German hordes invaded Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg and struck through their territory on the northern flank of France - in the center of the front through the Ardennes, bypassing the Maginot Line from the southeast. The Germans broke through the Allied front on the Meuse River and reached the English Channel coast. On May 14, the Dutch army capitulated, and on May 28, the Belgian army. Almost 400 thousand British, French and Belgians were cut off from their main forces at Dunkirk and then blocked. Hitler could have delivered a decisive blow to the blockaded Allied forces, but unexpectedly stopped the advance of German tanks in late May and early June. Having abandoned all equipment, the Allies managed to transport 338 thousand people to the British Isles, including 215 thousand British and 123 thousand French and Belgians. On June 22, France capitulated.

On June 10, 1940, Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, whose troops captured British Somalia, part of Kenya and Sudan in August, and in September invaded Egypt from Libya. Having received reinforcements, the British went on the offensive and defeated the Italian army. Having launched a wide offensive in northeast Africa (Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia), British troops eventually forced the Italians to capitulate. Hitler decided to take part in the Scramble for Africa. German troops were deployed to Libya. In March 1941, Italian-German troops went on the offensive and blocked the English garrison in Tobruk.

Attempts by the Italians in October 1940 to develop an offensive from Albania (which they occupied back in 1939) to Greece ended in failure. With the defeat of France, Hitler and his generals developed a plan for an invasion of the British Isles across the English Channel (“Zeleve”), but subsequently abandoned it due to the preparations for an attack on the USSR.

In August 1940, massive aerial bombing of England by German aircraft began, which continued until May 1941 (“Battle of Britain”). The people and government of England showed resilience and courage, their resistance was not broken.

In April 1941, German and Italian troops occupied Yugoslavia and Greece, and in May they captured the island of Crete, which became a Nazi military base in the Mediterranean. This significantly escalated the naval fighting that began back in 1939 in the so-called “Battle of the Atlantic.”

Having brought almost all of Western Europe under control, Germany begins to concentrate its main efforts against the Soviet Union. On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. After Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, an anti-Hitler coalition began to take shape, and after the United States entered the war, it finally took shape with the goal of defeating Germany and its allies. The armed forces of the USSR, USA and Great Britain fought against the armies of the states of the militaristic-fascist bloc.

On December 7, 1941, that is, during the days of the transition to a counteroffensive near Moscow, Japan, without declaring war, attacked the possessions of the United States and England in the Pacific Ocean. On December 8, the United States declared war on Japan. Great Britain and its dominions did the same. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The zone of the Second World War expanded, the war took on a global character. Enormous battles unfolded, many of which can be identified as the decisive battles of the Second World War.

The Battle of Leningrad occupies a special place in world military history due to its duration, tenacity, unprecedented resistance and tragedy experienced by the defenders of the blockaded city.

The Battle of Leningrad geographically covered almost the entire northwestern part of the Soviet Union. The struggle for Leningrad, which lasted over three years, involved troops of the Northern (later Leningrad), Northwestern, Volkhov, Karelian and 2nd Baltic fronts, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, the Ladoga and Onega flotillas, as well as long-range aviation formations.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people began. In terms of waging war against the Soviet Union, the military-political leadership of Germany assigned a special place to the capture of Leningrad, given its importance as the largest political, economic and military-strategic center of the country. The capture of Leningrad and the capture of the Baltic Sea coast was considered the most important goal of the Wehrmacht offensive, which was enshrined in the attack plan of the Soviet Union - “Plan Barbarossa”. In this directive, the capture of Leningrad was considered an “urgent task.”

Army Group North, aimed at Leningrad, was given the main task: advancing from East Prussia in cooperation with Army Group Center, to destroy the Soviet troops fighting in the Baltic states. “Only after achieving this urgent task, which should end with the capture of Leningrad and Kronstadt,” the directive said, “should offensive operations be continued to capture the most important center of communications for the defense industry—Moscow...” (The Defeat of German Imperialism in the Second World War. Articles and Documents. M., 1960. P. 201.) The German command intended to take Moscow only after the fall of Leningrad, the capture of which was supposed to create the necessary preconditions for the successful offensive of the Wehrmacht troops on the Soviet capital, entail the death of the Baltic Fleet, the loss of the Murmansk railway.

Army Group North (commander Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb) included the 16th (commander Colonel General Ernst Busch) and the 18th (commander Colonel General Georg von Küchler), as well as the 4th Panzer Group ( commander Colonel General Erich Gopner) - a total of 29 divisions. From the air, Army Group North was supported by the 1st Air Fleet, which had 760 combat aircraft. In addition, part of the forces of Army Group Center (3rd Tank Army and the main forces of the 9th Army) was supposed to participate in the initial attack on the troops of the Baltic Military District. In total, this group numbered about 725 thousand people, more than 13 thousand guns and mortars in the fight month after month 1941-1944.

Following the instructions of Headquarters, on July 5, the Military Council of the Front created the Luga Operational Group under the command of Lieutenant General K. P. Pyadyshev. In addition to the rifle divisions withdrawn from the front north of Leningrad, it included three divisions of the people's militia, Leningrad rifle and machine gun and infantry schools. Almost all the artillery regiments of the Reserve of the High Command (RGK) were transferred to the southwest.

The construction of defensive structures began. Although the defensive work on the Luga line was not completed, minefields were laid in the directions of probable movement of German tanks, anti-tank ditches were dug, and rubble was placed on forest roads.

The situation in the northwestern direction continued to deteriorate. German troops took Ostrov on July 6, and Pskov on July 9. Thus, by July 10, the enemy had captured almost the entire Baltic region and invaded the distant approaches to Leningrad. The Battle of Leningrad began - the longest battle of the Great Patriotic War.

On July 10, the Main Command of the North-Western Direction was formed (Commander-in-Chief Marshal K. E. Voroshilov), to which the troops of the Northern and North-Western Fronts, the Baltic and Northern Fleets were subordinated.

On this day, July 10, German and Finnish troops went on the offensive on the southwestern and northern approaches to Leningrad. Almost simultaneously, the enemy launched strikes in the Luga, Novgorod and Staraya Russian directions, in Estonia, in the Petrozavodsk and Olonets directions.

The 41st Motorized Corps, with two tank, one motorized and one infantry divisions, advanced along the Pskov-Luga highway and two days later reached the Plyussa River, where it encountered organized resistance from the advanced units of the Luga operational group. The German command changed the direction of the main attack. The main forces of the 41st Motorized Corps were turned to the northeast, towards the Kingisepp direction. Now the enemy’s calculations were based on reaching Leningrad through the Koporye Plateau. On July 14, an advance detachment with 20 tanks crossed the Luga River 20-25 km southeast of Kingisepp and created a bridgehead on its northern bank near the village. Ivanovskoe. The next day, the enemy took a bridgehead in the Bolshoi Sobok area. Here the German troops were stopped by hastily transferred units of the 2nd People's Militia Division and the combined regiment of the Kirov Infantry School.

The German 56th motorized corps attacked in the direction of Porkhov - Novgorod. The 8th Panzer Division captured the city of Soltsy and advanced units reached the Mshaga River near Shimsk.

On July 14, the 11th Army (General V.I. Morozov) of the Northwestern Front suddenly launched a counterattack in the area of ​​the city of Soltsy. In four days of fighting, the German 8th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses. The German 56th Mechanized Corps was thrown back 40 km to the west.

Increasing resistance of Soviet troops on the Luga defensive line and a counterattack in the area of ​​the city of Soltsy led to the fact that the German command was forced to suspend the attack on Leningrad until the main forces of Army Group North arrived.

In the northern direction, Soviet troops, with the support of the Ladoga military flotilla, fought defensive battles in July-August. By the end of August, the 23rd Army retreated to the old state border. By the end of September, the troops of the 7th Army were pushed back to the Svir River. Here the front stabilized until June 1944.

From August 8, the enemy launched an offensive in the Red Guard direction, and from August 10 - in the Luga-Leningrad and Novgorod-Chudov directions. On August 12, the 16th German Army broke the defenses at Shimsk and began to develop an offensive towards Novgorod.

In this difficult situation, the defenders of Leningrad received help. The 34th and 11th armies of the Northwestern Front launched a counterattack in the Staraya Russa area. They advanced almost 60 km, creating a threat of reaching the rear of Army Group North. The German command was forced to suspend the offensive in the Luga direction and transfer the 39th Motorized Corps from the Novgorod direction to repel the attack of Soviet troops. But still, on August 19, Soviet troops abandoned the city of Novgorod, and on August 20, the Germans took Chudovo.

On August 21, defensive battles began on the near approaches to Leningrad. On August 23, the Northern Front was divided into two fronts, Karelian (commanded by Lieutenant General V.A. Frolov) and Leningrad. General M. M. Popov remained the front commander.

On August 25, units of the enemy’s 1st and 28th Army Corps and the 39th Motorized Corps broke through the defenses of the 48th Army in Chudovo and began to rapidly develop an offensive in the direction of Leningrad. On August 28, German troops captured Tosno; on the 29th, Kirishi came close to Kolpino.

New changes occurred in the leadership of Soviet troops at this time. On August 29, the High Command of the North-Western Direction was abolished, and Marshal Voroshilov took command of the Leningrad Front on September 5.

German troops were approaching Leningrad. Having captured the Mga station, the enemy cut the last railway connecting Leningrad with the country. Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) fell. At Lake Ladoga, German troops closed the blockade ring around Leningrad on September 8.

Two days after this, Army General G.K. Zhukov took command of the Leningrad Front. In the current critical situation, he is taking measures to mobilize forces to repel the formations of Army Group North, rushing towards Leningrad. Some troops from the Karelian Isthmus are being transferred to the most threatening sectors of the front. Reserve units are replenished with militia units. A significant number of sailors are being transferred from ships to land. To combat enemy tanks, some of the anti-aircraft guns of the city's air defense are brought in.

In September, fierce fighting continued in the immediate vicinity of the city. At the cost of heavy losses, the Germans took Krasnoye Selo, Pushkin, Ligovo, and New Peterhof.

The fighting took place near the villages of Volodarsky and Uritsk, on the Pulkovo Heights. The German command threw all its forces into the Offensive, but they were unable to advance a single step. German units encountered resistance everywhere, which they were never able to overcome.

On September 25, the commander of Army Group North, Field Marshal Leeb, reported to the headquarters of the Supreme High Command that he could not continue the offensive with the available forces. So for the first time in the Second World War, the largest group of German troops would be stopped. Army Group North was forced to go on the defensive. This was the first major defeat of the Wehrmacht, the failure of the “blitzkrieg” strategy.

In battles on the distant and near approaches to Leningrad, Soviet troops lost almost 345 thousand people, of which 214 thousand were irretrievable losses. At the cost of these losses, Leningrad closed the path to the Wehrmacht in the northwestern sector of the Soviet-German front.

German troops sought to strangle the defenders of Leningrad in the grip of the blockade, destroying the city with air strikes and heavy artillery fire. During the battle, about 150 thousand shells were fired at the city and over 100 thousand incendiary and about 5 thousand high-explosive bombs were dropped. In the city, 16,467 people were killed by shells and bombs and 33,782 were injured. More than a million people died from starvation. From the very beginning of the German blockade, the Soviet command made attempts to unblock the city. The troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts fought fierce battles in January-April 1942 in the Lyuban and August-October in the Sinyavinsk directions with the aim of breaking the blockade, but they did not achieve success.

By the end of 1942, the situation in Leningrad continued to be difficult. The problem of communications with the country was still very acute. On December 8, 1942, the Supreme Command Headquarters, by a special directive, determined the tasks of the troops of the Leningrad (commanded by Lieutenant General L. A. Govorov) and Volkhov (army commander K. A. Meretskov) fronts to break the blockade of Leningrad. The general plan of the operation ("Iskra") was to defeat the German troops defending the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge, which separated the troops of the two fronts, with counter strikes from two fronts - Leningrad from the west and Volkhov from the east, with the support of the Red Banner Baltic Front and the Ladoga Flotilla. the depth of which did not exceed 16 km. The grouping of the Leningrad Front was the 67th Army of Major General M.P. Dukhanov. The grouping of the Volkhov Front consisted of the 2nd Shock Army under Lieutenant General V.Z. Romanovsky. Securing the left flank of the 2nd Shock Army was entrusted to the 8th Army under the command of Major General F.N. Starikov. By the beginning of Operation Iskra, about 245 thousand soldiers and officers, 4079 guns and mortars of 76 mm caliber and larger, 530 tanks, 637 rocket launchers were concentrated in two armies - the 67th and 2nd Shock. In addition, the 8th Army numbered 52.5 thousand people. There was a favorable balance of forces compared to the German troops. Up to 900 aircraft were used for aviation support. The enemy at that time had 132 aircraft, but during the operation their number increased to 250. (Leningrad in the fight month after month 1941-1944. St. Petersburg, 1994. P. 188.)

On January 12, 1943, after powerful artillery preparation, the 67th and 2nd Shock Armies rushed towards each other and already on the first day broke through the main German defense line between Shlisselburg and Sinyavin. On January 18, the troops of the fronts united, clearing the enemy from a corridor 8-11 km wide between Lake Ladoga and the front line, through which a railway called the “Victory Road” was built. Breaking the blockade was a turning point in the battle for Leningrad.

In the summer and autumn of 1943, troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts actively thwarted the enemy’s attempts to again reach the coast of Lake Ladoga and restore the blockade. Soviet troops cleared the Kirishi bridgehead on the Volkhov River from the Germans, captured the powerful defense center of Sinyavino and improved their operational position. (The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Encyclopedia. M., 1985. P. 403.)

The final defeat of German troops near Leningrad and the complete lifting of the blockade of the city occurred in January 1944. Forces of the troops of the 2nd shock, 42nd and 67th armies of the Leningrad Front, 8th, 54th and 59th armies of the Volkhov Front, 1st shock and 22nd armies of the 2nd Baltic Front (commander general Army M. M. Popov) in cooperation with the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, the Ladoga and Onega flotillas, the Leningrad-Novgorod operation was carried out, in which long-range aviation was involved (Air Marshal A. E. Golovanov). Soviet troops on three fronts outnumbered the enemy in number of troops by 1.7 times, in the number of guns and mortars by 2 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns - artillery installations by 4.1 times, in combat aircraft - by 3.7 times.

On January 14, 1944, Soviet troops went on the offensive from the Oranienbaum bridgehead to Ropsha (2nd Shock Army of General I.I. Fedyuninsky), and on the 15th from Leningrad to Krasnoe Selo (42nd Army of General I.I. Maslenikov). On the morning of January 20, after stubborn fighting, the advancing troops of both armies united in the Ropsha area.

This completed the encirclement of the enemy's Krasnoselsko-Ropshin group, the remnants of which were destroyed the next day. On January 27, to commemorate the complete lifting of the blockade, a ceremonial fireworks display rang out on the banks of the Neva.

On the morning of December 14, the troops of the 59th Army of General I. T. Korovnikov (Volkhov Front) went on the offensive north of Novgorod, and on January 16 - in the Lyuban direction. On January 20, Novgorod was liberated. By the end of January 1944, troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts liberated the cities of Pushkin, Slutsk (Pavlovsk), Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina), Tosno, Lyuban and Chudovo. The Germans tried to narrow the river line. Luga, but on February 12, Soviet troops, in cooperation with partisans, captured Poroda Luga, and by February 15 they completely broke through the enemy’s defenses. The Volkhov Front was disbanded, the troops of the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic Fronts continued to pursue the enemy in the Pskov and Ostrovsky directions. By the end of March 1, they reached the Latvian border. (Ibid., p. 403.)

During the offensive battles, Soviet troops inflicted a heavy defeat on Army Group North, completely lifted the blockade of Leningrad, liberated almost the entire Leningrad and Novgorod regions, part of the Kalinin region and entered the territory of Estonia. The preconditions were created for the defeat of the enemy in the Baltic states and in the area north of Leningrad.

The final operation of the Battle of Leningrad was carried out in 1944 by troops of the left wing of the Leningrad and left wing of the Karelian fronts (commanded by Army General K. A. Meretskov) with the assistance of the forces of the Baltic Front, Ladoga and Onega military flotillas. Soviet troops defeated the Finnish army, Finland's exit from the war was a foregone conclusion, liberating the northern regions of the Leningrad region, ensuring the security of Leningrad and the territory of the Karelo-Finnish Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

By August 10, 1944, the battle for Leningrad, which had great political and military-strategic significance, ended. It influenced the course of military operations in other sectors of the Soviet-German front and drew large forces of German troops and the Finnish army to itself. The German command could not transfer troops from near Leningrad to other directions when decisive battles took place there.

Battle for Leningrad- this is a set of defensive and offensive operations of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War, carried out from 07/10/1941 to 08/09/1944 in the northwestern strategic direction, with the aim of defending Leningrad and defeating the German Army Group North and Finnish troops located between Onega and Lakes Ladoga and the Karelian Isthmus.

The battle for Leningrad became the longest during the Great Patriotic War.For the German leadership, the capture of Leningrad was of great military and political significance. Leningrad was one of the largest political, strategic and economic centers of the Soviet Union. The loss of the city meant the isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, depriving the Baltic Fleet of basing opportunities in the Baltic Sea.

In accordance with the plans of the German command, Army Group North, consisting of the 16th and 18th armies and the 4th Panzer Group, was tasked with defeating Soviet troops in the Baltic states and in cooperation with part of Army Group Center and the advancing troops from Finland, capture Leningrad and Kronstadt.

From the air, Army Group North was supported by the 1st Air Fleet, which had 760 combat aircraft. In total, the group directed against the troops of the Baltic Military District had 42 divisions, including 7 tank and 6 motorized. This group consisted of about 725 thousand soldiers and officers, more than 13 thousand guns and mortars, and at least 1,500 tanks.

The enemy troops were opposed by the Northwestern Front (commander - Major General P.P. Sobennikov) consisting of the 8th, 11th and 27th armies and the Northern Front (commander - Lieutenant General M.M. Popov) consisting of 7th and 23rd armies. An important line covering Leningrad from the south was the Luga River, to which the Luga operational group created by the command of the Northern Front was advanced.

To organize the interaction of troops, the State Defense Committee on July 10, 1941 formed the Main Command of the North-Western Direction, headed by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov, subordinating to him the troops of the Northern and Northwestern Fronts, the Northern and Red Banner Baltic Fleets (commander - Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs). After the start of the war, the hasty construction of several belts of defensive lines began around Leningrad, and the internal defense of Leningrad was also created.

German troops on the outskirts of Leningrad. 1941

Stages of the Battle of Leningrad:

Defense at distant and close approaches (June-October 1941)

Combat operations of Soviet troops from October 1941 to January 12, 1943

Breaking the siege of Leningrad and the fighting of Soviet troops in 1943

The offensive of Soviet troops in the northwestern direction in 1944, the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad

January 27, 1944 Fireworks were fired in Leningrad to commemorate the final liberation of the city from the siege, which lasted 872 days. The order to the victorious troops of the Leningrad Front, contrary to the established order, was signed by L. A. Govorov (the commander of the front that lifted the blockade), and not by Stalin. Not a single front commander was awarded such a privilege during the Great Patriotic War.

The date January 27 is immortalized in the Russian Federation as the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of Lifting the Siege of the City of Leningrad.

Historical significance of the Battle of Leningrad

ABOUTthe harrow of besieged Leningrad became symbol of courage and heroism of the Soviet people. The defenders and residents of the city, being under blockade, selflessly repelled the superior forces of the Nazi troops. Despite unprecedented difficulties and hardships, countless sacrifices and losses, they did not doubt victory for a minute, stood and won, showing examples of perseverance, endurance and patriotism. The history of wars does not know such a feat.
Leningrad, its residents and defenders had to endure unprecedented difficulties and suffering during the blockade winter of 1941-1942. The city was deprived of food and fuel supplies. Electricity supply to residential buildings was cut off. The water supply system failed and 78 km of the sewer network was destroyed. Trams stopped and public utilities stopped working. In the fall of 1941, food standards were reduced five times. From November 20, workers received 250 grams of bread per day, all others - 125 grams. The bread was raw and consisted of 2/5 impurities. Scurvy and dystrophy began.
Hitler's command carried out barbaric bombings and artillery shelling of Leningrad. During the blockade, about 150 thousand shells were fired at the city and over 102 thousand incendiary and about 5 thousand high-explosive bombs were dropped. During September - November 1941, an air raid warning was announced in the city 251 times. The average daily duration of artillery shelling in November 1941 reached 9 hours.
The city's residents paid a heavy price. During the harsh days of the blockade, 641,803 people died from artillery shelling and bombing, hunger and cold. Many of them are buried in mass graves at the Piskarevskoye cemetery.
Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers lost their lives in the battle for Leningrad. Irreversible losses amounted to 979,254 people, sanitary losses - 1,947,770 people.

The Battle of Leningrad was a great military-strategic significance. It influenced the course of hostilities in other directions of the Soviet-German front. Large forces of Nazi troops and the entire Finnish army were drawn into battles in the North-West. If in June 1942 there were 34 divisions in Army Group North, then in October there were already 44. Hitler’s command, due to the activity of Soviet troops, could not transfer large forces from Leningrad to other sectors of the front (near Moscow, Stalingrad, Northern Caucasus, Kursk), when large-scale hostilities took place there. With the end of the battle for Leningrad, a significant number of troops from the Leningrad and Karelian fronts were released, which the Supreme High Command Headquarters used in other strategic directions.

During the battle for Leningrad further Soviet military art has developed. For the first time in the history of modern wars, the enemy, who had been blockading the largest city for a long time, was defeated here by an attack from the outside combined with a powerful blow from the besieged city. The offensive carried out according to this plan was fully prepared and successfully completed.
The victory was achieved through the efforts of all types and branches of the military with the active assistance of the partisans. The Supreme High Command headquarters directed and coordinated the actions of the fronts, fleet, air defense army, flotillas and air force. The skillful selection of the main directions of action of the troops, the timely assignment of combat missions to them, the strengthening of fronts in accordance with these tasks, and the prompt redirection of troops during operations were of great importance for the successful outcome of the battle.

The Battle of Leningrad was a big military-political event and its significance went far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. She was highly appreciated by our allies.

“On behalf of the people of the United States of America, I present this certificate to the city of Leningrad in memory of its valiant warriors and its faithful men, women and children who, being isolated by the invader from the rest of their people and despite constant bombing and unheard of 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.”

(US President F. Roosevelt “Letter sent to Leningrad”)

Victory in the battle for Leningrad was achieved thanks to to the heroic feat of home front workers. The military highway, laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga and called the Road of Life, had no analogues in world history. In the first blockade winter of 1941 - 1942 alone, more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were delivered along it, including about 32 thousand tons of ammunition and explosives, about 35 thousand tons of fuel and lubricants. About 550 thousand people, about 3.7 thousand wagons of equipment, cultural values ​​and other property were taken out of the city. Over the entire period of operation, 1,615 thousand tons of cargo were transported along the Road of Life, about 1,376 thousand people were evacuated.
Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. In the difficult conditions of the blockade, the working people of the city provided the front with weapons, equipment, uniforms, and ammunition. During the blockade, 2 thousand tanks, 1.5 thousand aircraft, thousands of guns, many warships were repaired and built, 225 thousand machine guns, 12 thousand mortars, about 10 million shells and mines were manufactured.

To this day, the feat of Leningrad residents, army and navy soldiers who defended our northern capital, personifies the military glory of Russia. He serves as an example for current generations of fidelity to patriotic and military duty, courage and bravery in defending the freedom and independence of the Fatherland.

The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the defenders of Leningrad. Many units and formations were converted into guards, awarded orders, and received honorary titles of Leningrad. For courage, bravery and heroism, over 350 thousand soldiers of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About 1.5 million people were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”. On January 26, 1945, Leningrad was awarded the Order of Lenin, and on May 8, 1965, the hero city of Leningrad was awarded the Gold Star medal.

Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" Obelisk to the Hero City of Leningrad

The Battle of Leningrad, which lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944, the longest during the Great Patriotic War, culminated in a brilliant victory for Soviet weapons and demonstrated the high morale of the Soviet people.

The military-political leadership of Nazi Germany attached paramount importance to the capture of Leningrad. The fall of Leningrad would lead to the isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, and the Soviet state would lose one of its most important political and economic centers. The German command intended to launch the forces released after the capture of Leningrad into an attack on Moscow.

In their desire to take control of Leningrad at any cost, the Nazi leadership did not hesitate to use the most inhumane methods of struggle. Hitler repeatedly demanded to raze the city to the ground, exterminate its entire population, starve it out, and crush the resistance of the defenders with massive air and artillery strikes.

In accordance with the plans of the German command, Army Group North, consisting of the 16th and 18th armies and the 4th Panzer Group, with the support of the 1st Air Fleet, had the task of defeating Soviet troops in the Baltic states and, in cooperation with part of Army Group Center "and troops advancing from Finland to capture Leningrad and Kronstadt. At the same time, two Finnish armies, with the support of the 5th German Air Fleet, were to go on the offensive between Lakes Ladoga and Onega and on the Karelian Isthmus in order to connect with German troops on the river. Svir and in the Leningrad region.

The enemy troops were opposed by the Northern Front (commanded by Lieutenant General M.M. Popov) consisting of the 7th and 23rd armies and the Northwestern Front (commanded by Major General P.P. Sobennikov) consisting of the 8th, 11th th and 27th armies.

Due to the unsuccessful actions of the troops of the North-Western Front in the Baltic States, the Supreme High Command Headquarters, taking into account the possibility of an enemy breakthrough to Leningrad, attracted part of the forces of the Northern Front to the defense of the city. An important line covering Leningrad from the south was the river. Luga, to which the Luga operational group created by the command of the Northern Front was advanced.

Army Group North (commanded by Field Marshal W. von Leeb) at the beginning of the offensive on Leningrad had superiority over Soviet troops in infantry - 2.4, guns - 4, mortars - 5.8, tanks - 1, 2, for airplanes - 9.8 times.

To control the troops of the GKO fronts, on July 10, 1941, he formed the main command of the North-Western direction (Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov), subordinating to it the troops of the Northern and North-Western fronts, the Northern and Baltic fleets.

In the battle for Leningrad, the efforts of the front troops and the working people of the city and region united. On the approaches to the city, troops together with residents built defensive lines. A defense system consisting of several belts was created around Leningrad. Fortified areas were built on the closest approaches to the city, and the internal defense of Leningrad was created. The offensive of German troops directly towards Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. At the end of July, at the cost of heavy losses, they reached the line of the Narva, Luga and Mshaga rivers, where they were forced to go on the defensive and regroup. In the Olonetsky, Petrozavodsk and Svirsky directions, Soviet troops, with the support of the Ladoga military flotilla, fought stubborn battles in July-August and by the end of September stopped the enemy at the turn of the river. Svir. Fighting broke out on the near approaches to Leningrad. After stubborn fighting on August 21, the enemy reached the Krasnogvardeisky fortified area, trying to bypass it from the southeast and break into Leningrad, but these attempts were repulsed. On August 22, intense fighting began in the Oranienbaum direction. The enemy was stopped here northeast of Koporye. In the Luga direction, Soviet troops repelled all attacks by Hitler.

rovtsev. In the Novgorod-Chud direction, after heavy fighting, our units retreated beyond the river. Volkhov. The Soviet troops were assisted by the Ilmen flotilla, transferred to the river. Volkhov. An important role during this period was played by the offensive operation of the troops of the Northwestern Front in the area of ​​Staraya Russa, which distracted significant enemy forces and allowed them to gain time to improve the defense of Leningrad. On the Karelian Isthmus, by September 1, Soviet troops fought back to the line 30 - 40 km east of Kexgolm and Vyborg. There was a real threat of encirclement of Leningrad. On August 23, the Supreme Command headquarters divided the Northern Front into the Karelian and Leningrad fronts. The main command of the North-Western direction was disbanded on August 29, and the Karelian, Leningrad and North-Western fronts were subordinated directly to the Supreme Command Headquarters.

At the end of August, the enemy resumed the offensive along the Moscow-Leningrad highway, on August 30 he reached the Neva and cut the railways connecting Leningrad with the country. Having captured Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) on September 8, German troops cut off Leningrad from land. The blockade of the city began, communication with which was now maintained only by Lake Ladoga and by air. The next day, the enemy launched a new offensive on Leningrad, but as a result of stubborn resistance from the troops of the Leningrad Front (commander from September 12 to October 9, 1941, Army General G.K. Zhukov), the enemy’s offensive, which suffered heavy losses, gradually weakened, and by the end September, the front on the nearest approaches to the city stabilized. The enemy’s plan to capture Leningrad immediately failed, and this entailed the disruption of the enemy’s intentions to turn the main forces of Army Group North to attack Moscow. An important role in the defense of Leningrad from the sea was played by the heroic defense of the Moonsund Islands, the Hanko Peninsula and the Tallinn naval base, the Oranienbaum bridgehead and Kronstadt. On August 28 - 30, the ships of the Baltic Fleet (commanded by Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs), repelling continuous German air raids, made an exceptionally difficult transition from Tallinn to Kronstadt. The soldiers and commanders who arrived in Kronstadt, as well as the sailors of the Baltic Fleet, joined the defense of Leningrad.

Hitler's command, having failed to realize their plans to capture Leningrad from the south, attacked Tikhvin in mid-October with the goal of reaching the river. Svir, unite with Finnish troops and carry out a complete blockade of Leningrad. The enemy captured Tikhvin on November 8, cutting off the last railway along which cargo was delivered to Lake Ladoga and transported by water to the besieged city. In mid-November, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive and on December 9 captured Tikhvin, driving the enemy beyond the river. Volkhov.

The struggle for Leningrad continued to be fierce. Trying to break the city’s defenders, the Nazis carried out barbaric bombings and shelling. During the battle for Leningrad, about 150 thousand shells were fired at the city and over 102 thousand incendiary and about 5 thousand high-explosive bombs were dropped. But the heroic defenders of the city did not flinch. The defense of Leningrad acquired a national character, expressed in the close unity of troops and the population under the leadership of the city defense committee, which headed the political, military and economic life of the city during the blockade. On the initiative of party organizations, in July-September 1941, 10 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the city. Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. During the blockade it was repaired And 2 thousand tanks, 1.5 thousand aircraft, thousands of guns, many warships were built, 225 thousand machine guns, 12 thousand mortars, about 10 million shells and mines were manufactured. The city defense committee, party and Soviet bodies did everything possible to save the population from hunger. Assistance to Leningrad was carried out along the transport route across Lake Ladoga, called the Road of Life. Transportation during navigation periods was carried out by the Ladoga Flotilla and the North-Western River Shipping Company. On November 22, the military highway, laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga, began operating, along which more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were delivered in the winter of 1941/42 alone. About 550 thousand people, about 3.7 thousand wagons of equipment, cultural values ​​and other property were taken out of the city. Over the entire period of operation, over 1.6 million tons of cargo were transported along the Road of Life, and about 1.4 million people were evacuated. To supply petroleum products to the city, a pipeline was laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga on May 5 - June 16, 1942, and an energy cable was laid in the fall of 1942.

Leningrad was covered from the sea by the Baltic Fleet. It actively participated in the defensive and offensive operations of the troops of the Leningrad Front using its aviation, naval and coastal artillery, and marines, and also provided military transportation in the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. In the enemy-occupied territory of the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions, partisans launched an active struggle.

In January - April 1942, the strike groups of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, advancing towards each other, fought stubborn battles in the Lyuban, and in August - October in the Sinyavinsk directions in order to break the blockade of the city. However, due to a lack of forces and means, the operations were not successful.

In the winter of 1943, during the Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Iskra was carried out near Leningrad in order to break the blockade of the city on the Neva. On January 12, 1943, formations of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front (commander, Lieutenant General of Artillery, from January 15, Colonel General L.A. Govorov), the 2nd Shock and part of the forces of the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front (Commander of the Army General K .A. Meretskov) with the support of the 13th and 14th Air Armies, long-range aviation, artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet in

carried out counter attacks on a narrow ledge between Shlisselburg and Sinyavin. On January 18, they united in the areas of workers' settlements No. 5 and No. 1. A corridor 8-11 km wide was formed south of Lake Ladoga, through which Leningrad received rail and road connections with the country. Breaking the blockade became a turning point in the battle for Leningrad. In the summer and autumn battles of 1943, troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts actively thwarted the enemy’s attempts to restore the complete blockade of Leningrad. And although the city was still under siege, the position of its defenders improved significantly.

As a result of the victories of the USSR Armed Forces in the battles of 1943, by the beginning of 1944, favorable conditions had developed for conducting an offensive near Leningrad and Novgorod. The Leningrad (commander Army General Govorov), Volkhov (commander Army General Meretskov) and 2nd Baltic (commander Army General Popov) fronts were tasked with close cooperation with the Baltic Fleet (commander Admiral Tributs), Ladoga and Onega military flotillas, aviation long-range, partisan formations to defeat the Nazis who were besieging the city, to finally eliminate the blockade of Leningrad, to clear the Leningrad region of the enemy and to create conditions for a subsequent offensive in order to liberate the Baltic states.

On January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive from the Oranienbaum bridgehead to Ropsha, and on January 15 - from Leningrad to Krasnoye Selo. On January 20, the advancing troops united in the Ropsha area and eliminated the encircled enemy group. At the same time, on January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive in the Novgorod area, on January 16 - in the Lyuban direction, and on January 20 they liberated Novgorod. By the end of January, the cities of Pushkin, Krasnogvardeysk, Tosno, Lyuban, and Chudovo were liberated. The date January 27 is immortalized in the Russian Federation as the day of military glory of Russia - Day of lifting the blockade of Leningrad (1944 year)1. By February 15, as a result of fierce fighting, the enemy defenses in the Luga area were overcome. After this, the Volkhov Front was disbanded, and the troops of the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic Fronts, continuing to pursue the enemy, reached the border of the Latvian SSR by the end of March 1. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, Army Group North was severely defeated, almost the entire Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region were liberated, Soviet troops entered the Estonian SSR, and favorable conditions were created for the defeat of the enemy in the Baltic states.

In the summer of 1944, troops of the Leningrad and Karelian (commanded by Army General Meretskov) fronts, with the participation of the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega military flotillas, defeated

enemy grouping on the northern wing of the Soviet-German front, which predetermined Finland’s exit from the war, the security of Leningrad was completely ensured and most of the Karelo-Finnish SSR was liberated.

By August 10, the battle for Leningrad, which had great political and military-strategic significance, ended. The 900-day heroic defense of Leningrad pinned down large forces of German troops and the entire Finnish army, and contributed to the victories of our troops in other sectors of the Soviet-German front. The defense of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people. Leningraders showed examples of perseverance, endurance and patriotism. The city's residents paid a heavy price. During the siege in Leningrad, about 1 million people died.

The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the defenders of Leningrad. Over 350 thousand soldiers of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About 1.5 million people were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”. On January 26, 1945, Leningrad was awarded the Order of Lenin, and on May 8, 1965, the hero city of Leningrad was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Battle of Leningrad

LeningrAdskaya bAndtva 1941-44, military operations of the Soviet Armed Forces from July 10, 1941 to August 10, 1944 in the defense of Leningrad against Nazi and Finnish troops and their defeat during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union of 1941-45. Some Soviet military historians exclude from L. b. Vyborg and Svir-Petrozavodsk operations, limiting this chronological framework to February 28, 1944.

When launching an attack on the USSR, the fascist German leadership attached exceptional importance to the capture of Leningrad. It planned a strike by Army Group North (commanded by Field Marshal W. von Leeb) consisting of the 4th Panzer Group, the 18th and 16th armies from East Prussia in the northeast direction and two Finnish armies (Karelian and South -Eastern) from the south-eastern part of Finland in the southern and south-eastern directions to destroy the Soviet troops located in the Baltic states, capture Leningrad, acquire the most convenient sea and land communications for supplying their troops and an advantageous starting area for striking in the rear of the Red Army troops covering Moscow.

Wilhelm von Leeb

The offensive of fascist German troops directly towards Leningrad began on July 10, 1941 from the line of the river. Great. By this time, on the far southwestern and northwestern approaches to Leningrad, the fascist German and Finnish command had 38 divisions (32 infantry, 3 tank, 3 motorized), 1 cavalry and 2 infantry brigades, supported by powerful aviation.

A. Hitler, Marshal of Finland K.G. Mannerheim and Finnish President R.H. Ryti

The fascist German troops were opposed by the Northern Front (commanded by Lieutenant General M. M. Popov, member of the Military Council, Corps Commissar N. N. Klementyev) consisting of the 7th and 23rd armies (8 divisions in total) and the Northwestern Front ( Commander Major General P. P. Sobennikov, member of the Military Council Lieutenant General V. N. Bogatkin) as part of the 8th, 11th and 27th armies (31 divisions and 2 brigades) defending at the front 455 km; in 22 divisions, losses in personnel and equipment amounted to over 50%. To strengthen the defense of the southwestern approaches to Leningrad, the command of the Northern Front on July 6 formed the Luga operational group, from which, at the beginning of hostilities, only 2 rifle divisions, 1 division of the people's militia, personnel of two Leningrad military schools, a separate mountain rifle brigade, and a special artillery unit arrived group and some other parts. By July 10, the troops of Army Group North had superiority over the Soviet troops of the Northwestern Front: in infantry - 2.4, guns - 4, mortars - 5.8, tanks - 1.2, aircraft - 9 ,8 times.

K.E. Voroshilov K.E. Voroshilov (right) A.A. Zhdanov (in the center)

To coordinate the actions of the fronts, on July 10, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) formed the North-Western direction [Commander-in-Chief - Marshal of the Soviet Union K. E. Voroshilov, member of the Military Council, Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (Bolsheviks) A. A. Zhdanov, Chief of Staff Major General M.V. Zakharov], subordinating to him the troops of the Northern and Northwestern Fronts, the Northern and Red Banner Baltic Fleets. A defense system consisting of several belts was created around Leningrad. On the near approaches to Leningrad in the southwestern and southern directions, the Krasnogvardeysky and Slutsk-Kolpinsky fortified areas were built, and the Karelian fortified area was improved to the north of the city. A belt of defensive structures was also erected along the line Peterhof (Petrodvorets), Pulkovo; Defensive structures were also created inside Leningrad. The civilian population provided great assistance to the troops in the construction of defense lines.

In a short time, 10 divisions of the people's militia and dozens of partisan detachments were formed.

Militia

Children, some factory equipment, and cultural property were evacuated from the city. The remaining industry in the city was converted to the production and repair of weapons.

Defense on the distant and near approaches to Leningrad (July 10 - end of September 1941). Having overcome the fierce resistance of Soviet troops in the Baltic states, the enemy invaded the Leningrad region. Nazi troops captured the city of Ostrov on July 5, and Pskov on July 9. On July 10, 1941, the enemy launched an offensive on the southwestern and northern approaches to Leningrad. Almost simultaneously, the enemy launched attacks in the Luga, Novgorod and Staraya Russian directions, in Estonia, in the Petrozavodsk and Olonets directions. In the last ten days of July, at the cost of heavy losses, the enemy reached the line of the Narva, Luga and Mshaga rivers, where he was forced to go on the defensive and regroup.

When attacking Leningrad, the Germans used the latest PzVI “Tiger” tanks for the first time.

On the Karelian Isthmus, from July 31, Soviet troops fought defensive battles with the advancing Finnish troops and by September 1 stopped them at the state border of 1939. In the Olonets, Petrozavodsk and Svirsk directions, ground forces with the support of the Ladoga military flotilla (commander since August, captain 1st rank , from September Rear Admiral B.V. Khoroshkhin, from October 1941 - Captain 1st Rank V.S. Cherokov), waging stubborn battles from July 10, by the end of September they stopped the enemy at the turn of the river. Svir. In August, fighting broke out on the near approaches to Leningrad. On August 8, the enemy went on the offensive in the Red Guard direction. On August 16, after heavy fighting, Kingisepp was abandoned; by August 21, the enemy reached the Krasnogvardeisky fortified area, trying to bypass it from the south-east. and break into Leningrad, but his attacks were repelled.

From August 22 to September 7, intense fighting took place in the Oranienbaum direction. The enemy was stopped northeast of Koporye. The combat operations of the ground forces developed in close cooperation with the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (commander Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs, member of the Division Military Council Commissar N.K. Smirnov) and the Ladoga Military Flotilla.

V.F. Tributs

cruiser “Maxim Gorky”

In addition to supporting the ground forces with aviation and powerful artillery, the fleet solved independent tasks: defended the approaches to Leningrad, disrupted enemy communications in the Baltic Sea, fought for the Moonsund archipelago, the main fleet base - Tallinn, and for the Hanko Peninsula. During the defense of Leningrad, the fleet sent over 160 thousand personnel to land (in marine brigades, separate rifle battalions, etc.). The fleet's long-range artillery operated successfully against the Nazi troops. Near Luga, all enemy attacks were repelled. In the Novgorod-Chudivo direction, where the enemy delivered the main blow, Soviet troops tried to counterattack the enemy advancing on Novgorod, but did not achieve significant results. On August 19, the enemy captured Novgorod, and on August 20, Soviet troops left Chudovo. At the expense of the liberated troops, the fascist German command strengthened the group advancing on Leningrad and transferred the main aviation efforts of Army Group North here.

There was a danger of encirclement of Leningrad. On August 23, the Headquarters divided the Northern Front into Karelian (commander Lieutenant General V. A. Frolov, member of the Military Council corps commissar A. S. Zheltov) and Leningrad (commander Lieutenant General M. M. Popov, from September 5 Marshal of the Soviet Union K E. Voroshilov, from September 12, Army General G. K. Zhukov, from October 10, Major General I. I. Fedyuninsky, from October 26, Lieutenant General M. S. Khozin; member of the Military Council A. A. Zhdanov). On August 29, the GKO united the Main Command of the North-Western Direction with the command of the Leningrad Front, and subordinated the North-Western Front directly to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The situation near Leningrad remained extremely tense. The enemy resumed the offensive with large forces along the Moscow-Leningrad highway and captured Lyuban on August 25, Tosno on August 29, and reached the river on August 30. Neva and cut the railways connecting Leningrad with the country.

From August 30 to September 9, fierce fighting took place in the Krasnogvardeysk area, where the enemy suffered heavy losses and his attacks were repulsed. However, having broken through the Mga station to Shlisselburg on September 8, fascist German troops cut off Leningrad from land. The blockade of the city began.

The message was supported only for Lake Ladoga. and by air. The supply of everything necessary to the troops, population and industry was sharply reduced. On September 4, 1941, the enemy began barbaric artillery shelling of the city and systematic air raids.

The enemy's advance to Krasnogvardeisk and Kolpino forced the Soviet troops defending in the Luga area to retreat to the north. On September 9, fascist German troops resumed their attack on Leningrad, delivering the main blow from the area west of Krasnogvardeisk. Concentrating 8 divisions (5 infantry, 2 tank and 1 motorized), the enemy tried to take the city by storm. The command of the Leningrad Front transferred some formations from the Karelian Isthmus to threatened sections of the front, replenished reserve units with militia detachments, and transferred a significant part of the sailors from ships to land. Fighting in the Krasnogvardeysk area continued continuously 9 days. Naval artillery was especially effective. The enemy was exhausted, drained of blood, and by September 18 was stopped at the Ligovo-Pulkovo line. The outcome of the defensive battle near Krasnogvardeysk and Kolpino was influenced by the offensive of Soviet troops from the Volkhov area to Mga and Sinyavino, which began on the instructions of Headquarters on September 10, which pinned down significant enemy forces.

“SU-122” are leaving for the front

At the same time, from the right bank of the Nova in the direction of Sinyavino - Mga, the troops of the Neva operational group went on the offensive, which crossed the river by September 26. Neva and captured a small bridgehead in the Moscow Dubrovka area (the so-called Nevsky “patch”).

On the night of September 12, 1941, five reconnaissance officers of the 115th Rifle Division crossed the Neva by boat, collected data on the movement of enemy vehicles and military equipment in the area of ​​the 8th State District Power Plant and returned to the right bank without losses.
Perhaps this is what helped the paratroopers of Captain Vasily Dubik from the 115th Rifle Division successfully cross the Neva on the dark, rainy night of September 19-20. Silently landing on the left bank near Moskovskaya Dubrovka, they rushed into the first trench. Taken by surprise, German soldiers from the 20th Motorized Division were unable to offer serious resistance at first. Expanding the bridgehead, the paratroopers made their way to the Leningrad-Shlisselburg highway and started a battle on the outskirts of Arbuzov. For two days they fought desperate battles with the enemy, hoping for the promised help. Almost everyone led by Dubik died. It is unknown today where the first hero of the patch is buried, although eyewitnesses claim that he was moved to the right bank and interred with military honors.

On the same day, to the north, in the Maryino area, the rifle battalion of the 1st NKVD division tried to land, but failed. However, over the next few days, two battalions and a reconnaissance company of the 115th Infantry Division, an NKVD battalion (a total of 1,166 people) and three battalions of 1st Marine Brigade. By the end of September, losses in the infantry amounted to 865 people, among the sailors - up to 80 percent, and the size of the bridgehead was reduced to two kilometers along the front and about 500 meters in depth.
But the German 20th Motorized Division, with the 424th Regiment of the 126th Infantry Division and the 287th Regiment of the 96th Infantry Division attached to it, suddenly found itself in a difficult situation. Stretched along the front from Shlisselburg to Otradny, the units (up to 10 km per battalion) were not able to prevent our soldiers from consolidating on the left bank. Within a few days, the division lost 530 people killed and wounded. The battalion of the 8th Tank Division, which was attached for this purpose, did not help it, losing four tanks.
General Paulus, a representative of the Wehrmacht High Command headquarters who arrived in Shlisselburg on September 24, was told that the troops were exhausted by continuous fierce battles, and the 20th Motorized Division was no longer capable of offensive actions. Leaving the Nevsky sector of the front in early October, the division had 2,411 soldiers killed and wounded out of 7,000 combat personnel.
The situation did not improve much when two regiments of the 7th Cretan Airborne Division were urgently airlifted at the end of September. “It is better to parachute three times to the island of Crete than to fight one battle on the ground in Russia,” said the German paratroopers, who did not expect such fierce resistance. When they took up positions at Moskovskaya Dubrovka, they discovered that the trenches were filled with the bodies of those killed in previous battles. The Russians lay next to the corpses of German soldiers. As a result of stubborn fighting, the two front lines became so close that in moments of calm one could hear a conversation, and even the coughing of enemy soldiers with a cold.
Nevertheless, the German command of the Nevsky sector of the front managed to achieve the main thing: the patch was localized, targeted along with the crossing points on the other bank, and the situation was brought under control. German infantry battalions were given the opportunity to equip positions, install wire barriers and systematically mine the eastern bank of the Neva.

Germans on the “Nevsky Piglet”

On October 20, 1941, the Sinyavinsk operation began to break the blockade by troops of the Neva operational group. This time the factor of surprise could not be used. The enemy foresaw the possibility of an offensive by Soviet troops. As soon as the crossing of the Neva began, the entire area where boats and boats were concentrated came under fire from cannons and machine guns. Dozens of boats that had just been launched into the water turned into splinters at once. However, the crossing continued, and as a result of many days of fighting, units of the 86th Infantry Division managed to expand the bridgehead along the front by one kilometer. But in the end, only 177 active bayonets remained in the division. In other formations the situation was the same: 265th Rifle Division (RD) - 180 people, 168th Rifle Division - 175 people. And only in the 115th Rifle Division there were 1,324 people thanks to the replenishment transferred the day before. Heavy losses occurred in the 20th NKVD division, 123rd separate tank brigade and other units.

But the Germans also suffered great damage. The 96th Infantry Division, transferred at the end of September to the Nevsky sector of the front, had company losses of up to 40 people killed and up to 70 people wounded by the beginning of November.
On November 8, Stalin personally demanded a new operation from the Nevsky bridgehead, proposing the creation of “shock regiments of brave people who can break through the road to the east.” Starting on November 11, it became one of the bloodiest for our troops located in the area. According to incomplete data, over five days of fighting, the 8th Army, formed on the basis of the Neva Operational Group, lost over 5,000 people. The losses in the three shock communist regiments were especially large - more than 2,500 people.

Meanwhile, the enemy brought the fresh 1st Infantry Division to the Neva, which also immediately suffered heavy losses. By mid-December, 1,500 people were out of action. She lost about 90 soldiers every day. As a result, by November 24, the combat strength of the 1st battalion of the 1st infantry regiment was only 90 people, the 2nd and 1st battalions of the 22nd infantry regiment - 88 people each.
German military historians pedantically calculated that the Russians from 11/15 to 12/27/41. attacked by small combat reconnaissance groups 79 times, consisting of up to two companies - 66 times, consisting of a battalion and above - 50 times. That is, on average, about 15 times during the day. When repelling sixteen tank attacks, 51 tanks were destroyed, mainly of the KV and T-34 types.
The year 1942 arrived. Piglet held on, although it was reduced to two kilometers along the front and 600 meters in depth. Exhausted by battles and weakened by losses, the remnants of the Soviet divisions were withdrawn to the right bank of the Neva. They were replaced by the 10th Infantry Division and separate units of the 177th Division. In March, only one 330th regiment of the 86th Infantry Division remained on the left bank of the Neva, which had no more than 480 soldiers. Together with the 2nd company of the 120th engineer battalion and the 4th company of the 169th mortar battalion and other small units attached to it, its strength was increased to 600 people. Shortly before the spring ice drift, about 500 additional soldiers from the 284th Infantry Regiment were transported to Pyatachok. The total number of defenders was about 1000 Soviet soldiers.
On the German side, in front of the front of the Soviet units, was the 1st Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. Gradually, the enemy concentrated its units, preparing to take advantage of the ice drift on the Neva and deliver a decisive blow. On April 24, the ice on the river began to crack. On the same day, the command of the German 1st Infantry Division began to liquidate the bridgehead. The operation of the 1st Infantry Regiment, reinforced by units of the 43rd Infantry Regiment and the 1st Engineer Battalion, included two stages: the capture of the so-called corridor (the northern part of the patch) and the subsequent destruction of it entirely. For this purpose, powerful artillery support was additionally provided by the 1st Artillery Regiment, the 2nd Division of the 196th Artillery Regiment and the 2nd Battery of Rocket Launchers of the 9th Separate Artillery Battalion.
At 20:20 on April 24, with a surprise attack, the Germans managed to break through to the bank of the Neva and gain a foothold there. Firing points and front line trenches were destroyed by powerful artillery fire. The last reinforcements for the defenders of the patch arrived on April 26. These were two companies of the 284th regiment. Together with them, judging by reports from the archives of the Ministry of Defense, 382 Soviet soldiers fought on the bridgehead at the final stage. On the morning of April 27, units of the 330th and 284th regiments retreated 300-400 meters to the center of the bridgehead. The entire coastal part of the Neva fell into the hands of the Germans. But it turned out that the battles were bloody for the Germans too. The report on losses during the operation to liquidate the Soviet bridgehead scrupulously confirms this: 81 soldiers were killed, 389 were wounded and 19 were missing. A total of 489 soldiers were out of action. According to German data, our losses totaled 1,400 people. 117 Soviet soldiers were captured, including four officers. Thus ended the first six-month stage of the most bloody struggle of the defenders of the Nevsky bridgehead.
In the following months in the spring and summer of 1942, the section of the Nevsky Front, and with it the territory of the former Nevsky Patch, was successively occupied by units of the 12th Panzer and then the 28th Light Jaeger Divisions of the Wehrmacht. In the fall, they were replaced by the “Crimean” 170th Infantry Division.
On September 9, 1942, an attempt was made by a rifle battalion to cross to the left bank of the Neva in the area of ​​Moscow Dubrovka. However, it failed. On the night of September 25-26, the crossing of the Neva began in several places at once. The attempt to seize a small bridgehead near the village of Arbuzovo, near the place where the Nevsky Piglet had previously been, was successful. Thus began his second birth. During the night it was possible to transfer the forward groups of the 70th, 86th, 46th rifle divisions and the 11th separate rifle brigade. For some time, confusion arose on the left bank: German infantrymen were hiding in shell craters, almost next to the Soviet soldiers. For fear of hitting their own, neither side temporarily used artillery. Over the next day, the patch restored its previous boundaries.
On the night of October 6, by order of the Soviet command, the Nevsky bridgehead was temporarily abandoned. For two days none of our soldiers were on the other side. And an amazing thing: for two days, without reducing the density of fire, the Germans intensively hammered the “division’s abscess,” as they called the patch, with shells and mines, never daring to attack it. The command of the German 170th Infantry Division did not detect the reoccupation of the patch by a combined company of volunteers from the 70th Infantry Division on the night of October 8th. On October 11, units of the 46th Infantry Division relieved this company, and remained on the bridgehead until its end in February 1943. During this time they repelled up to 300 enemy attacks.

Piglet's merit in breaking the blockade

On January 12, 1943, Operation Iskra began, which ended on January 18 with the long-awaited breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad. However, the offensive from the Nevsky bridgehead was again unsuccessful. Units of the 46th Infantry Division were able to advance only 600 meters. Bearing in mind the previous heavy battles, the German command concentrated two regiments of the 170th Infantry Division on this section of the front, exposing the Maryino region. It was there that the first successful breakthrough of the 136th Infantry Division was made. So Piglet fulfilled his important role in breaking the blockade, attracting significant forces of German troops and forcing them to make a mistake in choosing the direction of the main attack of the Soviet troops.
On February 17, 1943, the Germans, under threat of encirclement, abandoned their positions in front of the Nevsky Piglet. Having completed its task, the Nevsky bridgehead ceased to exist, which in total lasted about 400 days of the siege of Leningrad.
Large-caliber artillery, including specially delivered French 150-mm howitzers and 210-mm mortars, were hidden on the Kelkolov Heights.

From the Sinyavino area, fire support was provided by guns of the 227th Infantry Division. Enemy aircraft from the German 1st Air Fleet caused large losses among our troops, since the Soviet side, especially in the initial period, did not have sufficient air defense systems. Estimatedly, one can still focus on the figure of 50,000 Soviet soldiers who died on the Nevsky bridgehead itself, taking into account that there were not only periods of the highest intensity of fighting, but also separate pauses when the sniper war was mainly waged.
German losses killed in the battles for the Nevsky bridgehead are estimated at about 10,000 soldiers.

In mid-September, fascist German troops reached the Gulf of Finland in the Strelna area and cut off the Soviet troops located to the west, who, thanks to the powerful support of the fleet, managed to hold the Primorsky (Oranienbaum) bridgehead, which then played a large role in the defense of the city. By the end of September, the front on the approaches to Leningrad had finally stabilized, and the plan to capture it by storm failed. On October 20, the Sinyavinsk offensive operation of the troops of the Leningrad Front began with the goal of unblocking the city, but it was not possible to complete the operation, because The Soviet Supreme High Command was forced to transfer some troops to the Tikhvin direction, where the enemy launched an offensive. On November 8, the enemy managed to capture Tikhvin. Although Soviet troops did not allow the enemy to break through to Svir, the last railway (Tikhvin - Volkhov), along which cargo was transported to Lake Ladoga, was cut. In November 1941, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive , On November 20 they captured Malaya Vishera, and on December 9 - Tikhvin and drove the enemy beyond the river. Volkhov.

Tikhvin offensive operation of 1941 (November 10-December 30, 1941)

Counter-offensive of troops of the 54th Army of the Leningrad Front, 4th and 52nd divisions. Army with the assistance of troops of the Northwestern Front, carried out from November 10 to December 30; part of the Battle of Leningrad 1941-44. The goal is to defeat the Tikhvin group of fascist German troops and restore the railway. movement in the Tikhvin-Volkhov sector, improve the position of the troops of the Leningrad Front, the Baltic Fleet and Leningrad, as well as pin down enemy forces in the northwestern direction and prevent their transfer to the Moscow direction. In front of the front of the Soviet troops, there were formations of the 16th Army of the Nazi Army Group North, which by November 10 had deeply wedged themselves into the defense of the Soviet troops in the Tikhvin direction, cutting off the last railway line. d., along which cargo was transported to Lake Ladoga. to supply Leningrad. In this regard, the Supreme Command Headquarters ordered the Sov. troops to immediately launch a counteroffensive in the Tikhvin direction. The Tikhvin offensive operation was prepared during a defensive operation. Thanks to the measures taken to strengthen the 4th, 52nd and 54th A Sov. the troops gained superiority over the enemy in men and artillery. However, they were inferior to him in tanks and aircraft. Soviet troops occupied an enveloping position in relation to the Tikhvin grouping of the pr-ka. By the intention of the owls. The command envisaged striking in converging directions towards Kirishi and Gruzino. The main blow was delivered from the Tikhvin region by the 4th Army (Army General K. A. Meretskov) with the task of uniting in the Kirishi region with the troops of the 54th Army (Major General I. I. Fedyuninsky) and in the region Gruzino with the troops of the 52nd Army (Lieutenant General N.K. Klykov), with whom the Novgorod Army Group of the North-Western Front interacted, which had the task of attacking Selishche with its main forces.

On November 10, without expecting all the troops to be ready, the Novgorod Army Group went on the offensive north of Novgorod, November 12. north and south of M. Vishera - 52nd Army, November 19. north-east of Tikhvin - 4th Army, December 3. west of the city of Volkhov - the 54th Army. The offensive of the Novgorod group was not successful, and the troops of the 52nd Army, due to shortcomings in the organization of the offensive, only broke through the enemy’s defenses on November 18 and captured M. Vishera on November 20. 7 Dec. The left flank formations of the 4th Army, having broken through the enemy defenses west of Tikhvin and reaching Sitomla, created a threat of interception of the units. communications of the Tikhvin enemy group. The German fascist command began a hasty withdrawal of the remnants of the units defeated in the Tikhvin area across the river. Volkhov. 9 Dec. The troops of the 4th Army liberated Tikhvin and began pursuing the enemy. 16 Dec troops of the 52nd Army defeated the enemy garrison in B. Vishera and began to advance to the river. Volkhov. At the same time, the troops of the 4th and 54th Armies captured the flanks of the Volkhov enemy group, which, under the threat of encirclement, began to retreat. By December 28, the 54th Army pushed back the fascist troops behind the railway. village Mga - Kirishi. In con. On December 17, the troops of the 4th and 52nd Armies, united (December 17) into the Volkhov Front (Army General K. A. Meretskov), reached the river. Volkhov and captured several bridgeheads on her lion. shore, throwing German troops back to the line from which they began their attack on Tikhvin.

K.A. Meretskov (in the center)

As a result of the Tikhvin offensive operation, Soviet troops inflicted heavy damage on 10 enemy divisions (including 2 tank and 2 motorized), forced the Nazi command to transfer 5 divisions to the Tikhvin direction, advanced 100-120 km, and liberated them from the German invaders. territory, ensured through traffic along the railway. d. to st. Voybokalo, they thwarted the enemy’s plan to create a 2nd ring of encirclement of Leningrad. The Tikhvin offensive operation was one of the first major offensive operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in the war; it created favorable conditions for the Soviet counteroffensive that unfolded at the end of 1941. Army and contributed to the defeat of German troops near Moscow. For military exploits in the troops of the 4th and 52nd Armies, 1179 people. were awarded orders and medals, 11 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

However, the situation in Leningrad continued to be difficult. Supplies of raw materials were very limited, food and fuel were running out. From November 20, the daily bread ration was 125-250 G. A famine began, from which 641,803 people died from November 1941 to October 1942.

Diary of Tanya Savicheva, who died of hunger

Leningradskaya street

The Party and the Soviet government took measures to supply food, ammunition, fuel and fuel to the city.

The fascist German command tried to break the resistance of the defenders of Leningrad with air bombing and heavy artillery fire.

In September - November 1941, 64,930 incendiary and 3,055 high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city and 30,154 artillery shells were fired (September - December). But the enemy did not break the fighting spirit of the defenders of the city of Lenin. An exceptional role in the life of Leningrad during the days of the siege was played by the City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (committee secretaries A. A. Zhdanov, A. A. Kuznetsov, Ya. F. Kapustin) and the Council of Working People's Deputies (chairman P. S. Popkov). In the 2nd half of November, a road was built on the ice of Lake Ladoga.

“Road of Life”, the only military-strategic transport route across Lake Ladoga, connecting from September 1941 to March 1943 Leningrad, blocked by Nazi troops, with the rear areas of the country during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. Along the “Road of Life” the population, factories and factories were evacuated, food, fuel, reinforcements, weapons and ammunition were delivered (see table). During navigation periods, transportation was carried out along the water route on ships of the Ladoga Military Flotilla and ships of the North-Western River Shipping Company from the ports of Novaya Ladoga (Large Route 125 km) and Kobona (small route 35 km) to the port of Osinovets; during the freeze-up period - along the ice road by car from Kobona to Vaganovo and Kokkorevo.

In addition, 300 thousand people were delivered to Leningrad to replenish the troops. All cargo from the western shore of Lake Ladoga was delivered to Leningrad along the Irinovskaya branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway. By decision of the State Defense Committee dated April 25, 1942, a pipeline 35 meters long was laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga in record time. km(including 26 km under water) for supplying petroleum products, which went into operation on June 18, 1942. The “Road of Life” was subjected to heavy artillery fire and enemy air strikes. The Ladoga military flotilla, air defense troops and aviation of the Leningrad Front and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet reliably defended the “Road of Life” and ensured its uninterrupted operation, which played an extremely important role in the defense of Leningrad. The memory of the mass heroism of the Soviet people, who acted in extremely difficult conditions on the “Road of Life,” is immortalized in a number of monuments erected on the shores of Lake Ladoga and along the highway to Leningrad.

Memorial “Broken Ring”

The work of the route did not stop, despite the bombing, shelling, and bad weather. City party and Soviet organizations took all possible measures to save people from hunger. With the start of work on the Ladoga highway, the bread ration began to gradually increase (from December 25, 1941 - 200-350 G).

Daily ration

Attempts to relieve the siege of Leningrad in 1942 (an offensive in the Lyuban direction in January - April and in the Sinyavinsk direction in August - September) due to a lack of forces and means, and shortcomings in organizing the offensive were not successful, however, these active actions of the Soviet troops thwarted the new assault on the city that was being prepared . The successful strategic counteroffensive of Soviet troops in the winter of 1942–43 near Stalingrad pulled back some of the enemy forces from the Leningrad area and created a favorable situation for its release from the blockade.

Breaking the siege of Leningrad (1943). January 12-30, 1943 troops of the 67th Army of Leningrad (commander from June 1942, Lieutenant General, later Marshal of the Soviet Union L. A. Govorov)

L.A. Govorov (in the center)

2nd shock and part of the forces of the 8th Volkhov Army (created on December 17, 1941, commanded by Army General K.A. Meretskov) fronts with the support of long-range aviation, artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet with counter strikes in a narrow ledge between Shlisselburg and Sinyavin (to the south Lake Ladoga) broke the blockade ring and restored the land connection between Leningrad and the country. Through the resulting corridor (width 8-10 km) within 17 days a railway and a highway were laid, but the problem of supplying the city had not yet been completely solved: an important point was the Mga station on the railway. The Leningrad-Volkhov line remained in enemy hands, the roads in the liberated zone were under constant fire from enemy artillery. Attempts to expand land communications (the offensive in February - March 1943 on MGU and Sinyavino) did not achieve their goal. In July-August, at the Mginsky ledge, Soviet troops inflicted a heavy defeat on the troops of the 18th German Army and prevented the transfer of enemy troops to other fronts.

As a result of the victories of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, near Smolensk, on. In left-bank 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.

Ferdinand Schörner

By this time, Army Group North, consisting of the 18th and 16th armies (from January 1942 to January 1944, commander Field Marshal G. Küchler, from late January to early July 1944, Colonel General G. Lindemann, in July 1944 - General of Infantry G. Friesner, from July 23, 1944 Colonel General F. Schörner) numbered 741 thousand soldiers and officers, 10,070 guns and mortars, 385 tanks and assault guns, 370 aircraft and had the task of preventing a breakthrough of occupied positions that had important for covering the approaches to the Baltic, keeping Finland as an ally and ensuring freedom of action for the German fleet in the Baltic Sea. By the beginning of 1944, the enemy had created a defense in depth with reinforced concrete and wood-earth structures, covered with minefields and wire barriers.

The Soviet command organized an offensive with forces from 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 (commander General of the Army M. M. Popov) of the fronts and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Long-range aviation (commanded by Air Marshal A.E. Golovanov), partisan detachments and brigades were also involved. In total, the fronts included 1,241 thousand soldiers and officers, 21,600 guns and mortars, 1,475 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,500 aircraft. The goal of the operation was to defeat the flank groups of the 18th Army, and then, by actions in the Kingisepp and Luga directions, complete the defeat of its main forces and reach the line of the river. Meadows; in the future, acting in the Narva, Pskov and Idritsa directions, defeat the 16th Army, complete the liberation of the Leningrad region and create conditions for the liberation of the Baltic states. In preparation for the operation, the ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet transported over 52 thousand people and about 14 thousand people across the Gulf of Finland to the Primorsky bridgehead. T cargo. On January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive from the Primorsky bridgehead to Ropsha, and on January 15 from Leningrad to Krasnoe 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. Thus, from January 14 to 20, the enemy’s defenses were broken through and the flank groups of the 18th Army were defeated; the troops of its center, fearing encirclement, began to withdraw from the Mga-Tosno area on January 21. To commemorate the final lifting of the blockade, a fireworks display was given in Leningrad on January 27, 1944.

German prisoners on Nevsky Prospekt in Leningrad

By the end of January, Messrs. were released. Pushkin, Krasnogvardeysk, Tosno, Lyuban, Chudovo, Novosokolniki. The enemy tried to hold the river line. Luga, but despite his stubborn resistance, Soviet troops, in cooperation with the partisans, liberated Luga on February 12, and by February 15 they had completely overcome the enemy’s defensive line on the river. Meadows. The Volkhov Front was disbanded, and the troops of the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic Fronts continued to pursue the remnants of the defeated formations of the 18th Army and the left flank of the 16th Army in the Pskov and Staraya Russian directions. The bridgehead on the river was expanded. Narva and released. Staraya Russa, Kholm, Dno, etc. By the end of February, Soviet troops reached the approaches to the border of the Latvian SSR. As a result of the operation, Army Group North was severely defeated and the enemy was driven back to 220-280 km from Leningrad, almost the entire Leningrad and part of the Kalinin region were liberated. In L. b. The partisans of the Leningrad region provided great assistance to the troops (about 3 thousand at the end of 1942, about 35 thousand in January 1944). They fought for populated areas, liberated cities and entire regions. Over 32 months fighting in the enemy rear, the partisans exterminated about 114 thousand enemy soldiers and officers, blew up and burned a large amount of military equipment, destroyed bridges, communication lines, and blew up enemy warehouses.

In June - August 1944, Soviet troops, with the support of ships and aircraft of the Baltic Fleet, carried out the Vyborg Operation of 1944 and the Svir-Petrozavodsk Operation of 1944, liberated the city of Vyborg on June 20, and Petrozavodsk on June 28.

The Battle of Leningrad was of enormous political and strategic importance. In the battle for Leningrad, Soviet troops took over 15-20% of the enemy forces on the Eastern Front and the entire Finnish army, and defeated up to 50 German divisions. The soldiers and residents of the city showed examples of heroism and selfless devotion to the Motherland. Many units and formations that participated in the Leningrad Battle were converted into guards units or became decorated. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers received government awards, hundreds received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, five of them twice: A.E. Mazurenko, P.A. Pokryshev, V.I. Rakov, N.G. Stepanyan and N.V. Chelnokov.

Fighter pilot M.P. Zhukov

(the first Hero of the USSR during the Second World War)

The daily care of the Party Central Committee, the Soviet government and the support of the entire country were inexhaustible sources of strength for the Leningraders to overcome the trials and hardships of the 900-day blockade. On December 22, 1942, the Soviet government established the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad.”

On January 26, 1945, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded Leningrad the Order of Lenin, and on May 8, 1965, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45, it awarded Leningrad the honorary title of Hero City.

Piskarevsky memorial complex in Leningrad

(more than 600,000 Leningraders are buried)

Obelisk of Victory in Leningrad

I. S. Lyapunov.

The Battle of Leningrad and its blockade, which lasted from 1941 to 1944, are the clearest example of the courage, inflexibility and unquenchable will to victory of the Soviet people and the Red Army.

Background and position of the city

From the very moment of its founding, St. Petersburg was located in a very advantageous, but at the same time dangerous place for a large city. The proximity of first the Swedish and then the Finnish border only aggravated this danger. However, throughout its history, St. Petersburg (in 1924 it received a new name - Leningrad) has never been captured by the enemy.

By the beginning of World War II, all the negative aspects of the location of Leningrad became most clearly visible. The Finnish state, whose border was located only 30-40 kilometers from the city, was definitely opposed to the USSR, which created a real threat to Leningrad. In addition, Leningrad was important for the Soviet state not only as a social, cultural and economic center, but also as a large naval base. All this together influenced the decision of the Soviet government to move the Soviet-Finnish border away from the city at all costs.

It was the position of Leningrad, as well as the intransigence of the Finns, that led to the war that began on November 30, 1939. During this war, which lasted until March 13, 1940, the border of the Soviet Union was significantly pushed to the north. In addition, the USSR's strategic position in the Baltic was improved by the lease of the Finnish Hanko Peninsula, on which Soviet troops were now stationed.

Also, the strategic position of Leningrad was significantly improved in the summer of 1940, when the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) became part of the Soviet Union. Now the closest border (still Finnish) lay about 140 km from the city.

By the time of the German attack on the Soviet Union, the headquarters of the Leningrad Military District, commanded by Lieutenant General M. M. Popov, was located in Leningrad. The district included the 7th, 14th and 23rd armies. Aviation units and formations of the Baltic Fleet were also based in the city.

Beginning of the Great Patriotic War (June-September 1941)

At dawn on June 22, 1941, German troops began military operations against the Red Army along almost the entire western border of the USSR - from the White to the Black Sea. At the same time, military operations against the Soviet troops began from Finland, which, although it was in an alliance with the Third Reich, was in no hurry to declare war on the Soviet Union. Only after a series of provocations and the bombing of Finnish airfields and military installations by the Soviet Air Force did the Finnish government decide to declare war on the USSR.

At the very beginning of the war, the situation in Leningrad did not cause concern among the Soviet leadership. Only the lightning-fast offensive of the Wehrmacht, which had already captured Pskov on July 9, forced the Red Army command to begin equipping fortified lines in the city area. It is this time in Russian historiography that is referred to as the beginning of the Battle of Leningrad - one of the longest battles of the Second World War.

However, the Soviet leadership not only strengthened the approaches to Leningrad and Leningrad itself. In July-August 1941, Soviet troops carried out a complex of offensive and defensive actions that helped delay the enemy’s attack on the city for about a month. The most famous such counterattack of the Red Army is the strike in the area of ​​​​the city of Soltsy, where parts of the 56th motorized corps of the Wehrmacht were exhausted. This time was used to prepare Leningrad for defense and concentrate the necessary reserves in the area of ​​the city and on its approaches.

However, the situation still remained tense. In July-August, the Finnish army went on the offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, which by the end of 1941 managed to capture vast territories. At the same time, the lands that went to the USSR as a result of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 were captured by the Finns in just 2-3 months. From the north, the enemy approached Leningrad and stood 40 km from the city. In the south, the Germans managed to break through the Soviet defenses and already in August captured Novgorod, Krasnogvardeysk (Gatchina) and by the end of the month reached the approaches to Leningrad.

Beginning of the siege of Leningrad (September 1941 - January 1942)

On September 8, German troops reached Lake Ladoga, occupying Shlisselburg. Thus, land communication between Leningrad and the rest of the country was interrupted. The blockade of the city began, lasting 872 days.

After establishing the blockade, the command of the German Army Group North launched a massive assault on the city, hoping to break the resistance of its defenders and free up forces that were urgently needed in other sectors of the front, primarily for Army Group Center. However, the heroic defense of the Red Army units defending Leningrad allowed the Wehrmacht to achieve very modest successes. German troops captured the cities of Pushkin and Krasnoye Selo. Another success of the Wehrmacht was the dissection of the Soviet defense in the Peterhof area, as a result of which the Oranienbaum bridgehead was formed, cut off from the Leningrad group of Soviet troops.

In the very first days of the blockade, the Soviet leadership in Leningrad faced an acute problem of organizing supplies for the city population and troops. There were only enough supplies left in Leningrad for a month, which forced us to actively look for a way out of the situation. At first, the city was supplied by aviation, as well as by sea route through Ladoga. However, by October the food situation in Leningrad had become first disastrous and then critical.

Desperate to take the northern capital of the USSR, the Wehrmacht command began systematic artillery shelling and aerial bombing of the city. The civilian population suffered more from these bombings, which only increased the hostility of the citizens of Leningrad towards the enemy. In addition, at the end of October-November, famine began in Leningrad, claiming from 2 to 4 thousand lives every day. Before the freeze-up on Ladoga, the city's supplies could not satisfy even the minimum needs of the population. The norms for rations issued on ration cards were systematically reduced, becoming minimal in December.

However, at the same time, the troops of the Leningrad Front successfully distracted a fairly large group of the Wehrmacht, preventing it from coming to the aid of German troops in other sectors of the Soviet-German front at critical moments for the country.

Already in the first half of September 1941 (data in different sources vary from September 8 to 13), Army General G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the Leningrad Front. His appointment chronologically coincided with the furious assault of the city by the Germans. At this critical time, a real threat hung over the city, if not its surrender, then the loss of part of it, which was also unacceptable. Zhukov's energetic measures (mobilization of Baltic Fleet sailors into land units, prompt transfer of units to threatened areas) were one of the decisive factors that influenced the outcome of this assault. Thus, the most difficult and furious attack of Leningrad was repulsed.

Having no time for respite, the Soviet leadership began planning an operation to unblock the city. In the fall of 1941, two operations were carried out for this purpose, which, alas, had very modest results. Soviet troops managed to capture a small bridgehead on the opposite bank of the Neva in the area of ​​Nevskaya Dubrovka (this bridgehead is now known as the “Neva patch”), which the Germans managed to liquidate only in 1942. However, the main goal - the liquidation of the Shlisselburg salient and breaking the blockade of Leningrad - was not achieved.

At the same time, when the Wehrmacht launched its decisive offensive on Moscow, Army Group North launched a limited offensive towards Tikhvin and Volkhov with the aim of reaching the Svir River, where Finnish troops were located. This meeting east of Leningrad threatened the city with complete disaster, since in this way the maritime connection with the city would be completely disrupted.

By November 8, 1941, the Wehrmacht managed to capture Tikhvin and Volkhov, which created additional difficulties for supplying Leningrad, since the railway leading to the coast of Lake Ladoga was cut. However, at the same time, the troops of the Soviet North-Western Front managed to create a strong defense, which the Germans failed to break through. The Wehrmacht was stopped less than a hundred kilometers from the Finnish troops. The Soviet command, having correctly assessed the state of the enemy and the capabilities of its troops, decided to launch a counteroffensive in the Tikhvin area with virtually no operational pause. This offensive began on November 10, and on December 9, Tikhvin was liberated.

Winter 1941-1942 for many thousands of Leningraders it became fatal. The deterioration of the food situation reached its peak in December 1941, when the daily food allowance for children and dependents dropped to just 125 grams of bread per day. This norm determined many starvation deaths.

Another factor that led to high mortality in Leningrad during the first winter of the siege was the cold. Winter 1941-1942 was abnormally cold, while central heating in Leningrad virtually ceased to exist. However, the cold winter was also a salvation for Leningraders. The frozen Lake Ladoga became a convenient road for supplying the besieged city over the ice. This road, along which food trucks traveled until April 1942, was called the “Road of Life.”

At the end of December 1941, the first increase in the nutritional standard of residents of besieged Leningrad followed, which made it possible to significantly reduce the mortality rate of the population from hunger and disease. During the winter of 1941/1942. There were several more increases in food distribution standards. Leningrad was saved from starvation.

However, the military situation, even after the liberation of Tikhvin and the restoration of land communications between Moscow and the coast of Lake Ladoga, remained difficult. The command of Army Group North understood that it would not be able to carry out an offensive in the winter and spring of 1942, and defended positions for a long defense. The Soviet leadership did not have sufficient forces and means for a successful offensive in the winter of 1941/1942, so the Wehrmacht managed to gain the necessary time. By the spring of 1942, German positions in the Shlisselburg area constituted a well-fortified bridgehead.

The siege of Leningrad continues (1942)

In January 1942, the Soviet command attempted to break through the German defenses in the Leningrad area and release the city. The main force of the Soviet troops here was the 2nd Shock Army, which in January-February managed to break through the German defenses south of Leningrad and significantly advance into the territory occupied by the Wehrmacht. Along with the advance of the army to the rear of Nazi troops, the danger of its encirclement also increased, which was not appreciated in time by the Soviet leadership. As a result, in the spring of 1942 the army was surrounded. After heavy fighting, only about 15 thousand people managed to escape from the encirclement. Most of the soldiers and officers died, some, along with the army commander A. A. Vlasov, were captured.

At the same time, the German leadership, realizing that it would not be possible to take Leningrad, during the spring-summer of 1942, attempted to destroy the ships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet using airstrikes and artillery shelling. However, here too the Germans failed to achieve any significant results. The death of civilians only increased the hatred of Leningraders towards the Wehrmacht.

In 1942, the situation in the city itself returned to normal. In the spring, large-scale cleanup work was held to remove people who died during the winter and put the city in order. At the same time, many Leningrad enterprises and the tram network were launched, becoming a symbol of the city’s life in the grip of the blockade. The restoration of the city's economy took place under conditions of intense artillery shelling, but people seemed to have gotten used to even this.

To counter German artillery fire during 1942, a set of measures was carried out in Leningrad to strengthen positions, as well as counter-battery warfare. As a result, already in 1943, the intensity of shelling of the city decreased by 7 times.

And although in 1942 the main events of the Soviet-German front unfolded in the southwestern and western directions, Leningrad played an important role in them. Still diverting large German forces, the city became a major bridgehead behind enemy lines.

A very significant event in the second half of 1942 for Leningrad was the Germans’ attempt to seize Suho Island in Lake Ladoga by landing forces and thereby create serious problems for the city’s supply. On October 22, the German landing began. Fierce fighting immediately broke out on the island, often turning into hand-to-hand combat. However, the Soviet garrison of the island, showing courage and perseverance, managed to repel the enemy landing.

Breaking the siege of Leningrad (1943)

Winter 1942/1943 seriously changed the strategic situation in favor of the Red Army. Soviet troops carried out offensive operations in all directions, and the northwestern was no exception. However, the main event in the northeast of the Soviet-German front was Operation Iskra, the goal of which was to break the blockade of Leningrad.

This operation began on January 12, 1943, and two days later only 5 kilometers remained between the two fronts - Leningrad and Volkhov. However, the Wehrmacht command, realizing the criticality of the moment, hastily transferred new reserves to the Shlisselburg area in order to stop the Soviet offensive. These reserves seriously slowed down the advance of the Soviet troops, but already on January 18 they united, thereby breaking through the blockade of the city. However, despite this success, the further offensive of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts ended in nothing. The front line stabilized for another year.

In just 17 days after the blockade was broken, a railway and road were opened along the corridor to Leningrad, which received the symbolic name “Roads of Victory”. After this, the city's food supply improved even more, and mortality from hunger practically disappeared.

During 1943, the intensity of German artillery shelling of Leningrad also decreased significantly. The reason for this was the effective counter-battery fight of Soviet troops in the city area and the difficult situation of the Wehrmacht in other sectors of the front. By the end of 1943, this severity began to affect the northern sector.

Lifting the siege of Leningrad (1944)

At the beginning of 1944, the Red Army firmly held the strategic initiative. The German army groups "Center" and "South" suffered heavy losses as a result of the battles of the previous summer and winter and were forced to switch to strategic defense. Of all the German army groups located on the Soviet-German front, only Army Group North managed to avoid heavy losses and defeats, largely due to the fact that there had been practically no active operations there since the end of 1941.

On January 14, 1944, troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts began the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, during which they managed to defeat large Wehrmacht forces and liberate Novgorod, Luga and Krasnogvardeisk (Gatchina). As a result, German troops were thrown back hundreds of kilometers from Leningrad and suffered huge losses. Thus, there was a complete lifting of the siege of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days.

In June-July 1944, during the Vyborg operation, Soviet troops pushed Finnish troops back from Leningrad to the north, thanks to which the threat to the city was practically eliminated.

Results and significance of the siege of Leningrad

As a result of the siege of Leningrad, the city's population suffered significant losses. From hunger for the entire period 1941-1944. About 620 thousand people died. During the same period, about 17 thousand people died from barbaric German shelling. The bulk of the losses occurred in the winter of 1941/1942. Military losses during the Battle of Leningrad amount to approximately 330 thousand killed and 110 thousand missing.

The siege of Leningrad became one of the outstanding examples of the resilience and courage of ordinary Soviet people and soldiers. For almost 900 days, almost completely surrounded by enemy forces, the city not only fought, but also lived, functioned normally and contributed to the Victory.

The significance of the Battle of Leningrad is very difficult to overestimate. With stubborn defense, the troops of the Leningrad Front in 1941 managed to pin down a large and powerful German group, excluding its transfer to the Moscow direction. Also in 1942, when the German troops near Stalingrad needed urgent reinforcements, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts actively prevented Army Group North from transferring divisions to the south. The defeat in 1943-1944. This army group put the Wehrmacht in an extremely difficult position.

In memory of the greatest merits of the citizens of Leningrad and the soldiers who defended it, on May 8, 1965, Leningrad was awarded the title of hero city.

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