2. The defeat of the Swedish invaders and the German "knight-dogs" by Alexander Nevsky The Russian land took the brunt of the blow of the conquerors and thus saved Europe from the Tatar invasion. The forces of the Tatars were exhausted in the fight against the Russians, who stubbornly resisted

Yes, we will not hide: these days
We ate earth, glue, belts;
But after eating the stew from the belts
A stubborn master got up to the machine,
To sharpen the pieces of guns necessary for the war.

Olga Berggolts "Leningrad Poem".

Towards the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

May 9 is a special and sacred date in the history of Russia. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of Great Victory over the fascist invaders. All these years, the memory of the immortal feat of the people who defended the independence of the Motherland lives in the hearts of Russians. This year marks 71 years since the liberation of Leningrad from the Siege.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in April 2013 signed the Decree "On the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

The decree was signed in order to coordinate the activities of federal executive authorities, executive authorities of the subjects Russian Federation, local self-government bodies and public associations for the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, and taking into account the world-historical significance of the victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

It is impossible to recall the events of the Great Patriotic War without tears and shudder, which became a victorious, heroic and tragic page in the history of our people.

One of these events was the blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 900 long days of death, hunger, cold, bombing, despair and courage of the inhabitants of the Northern capital.

We dedicate a series of our articles to the sacred time in the history of Russia ...

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

The beginning of the blockade of Leningrad. Hitler's plans

The offensive of the Nazi troops on Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the capture of which the German command attached great strategic and political importance, began on July 10, 1941.

In August, heavy fighting was already on the outskirts of the city. On August 30, German troops cut the railroads connecting Leningrad with the country. On September 8, the Nazis managed to block the city from land. According to Hitler's plan, Leningrad was to be wiped off the face of the earth. Having failed in their attempts to break through the defenses of the Soviet troops inside the blockade ring, the Germans decided to starve the city out. According to all the calculations of the German command, the population of Leningrad had to die of hunger and cold.

September 8, the day the blockade began, the first massive bombardment of Leningrad took place. About 200 fires broke out, one of them destroyed the Badaev food warehouses.

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

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

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

... on the basis of the directives of the supreme command, I order:

1. Block the city of Leningrad with a ring as close as possible to the city itself in order to save our strength. Do not demand surrender.

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

As you can see, according to the directives of the German command, the blockade was directed precisely against the civilian population of Leningrad. Neither the city nor its inhabitants were needed by the Nazis. The fury of the Nazis towards Leningrad was terrifying.

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

It was planned, with the help of Army Group North, to destroy Soviet troops in the Baltic states, capture Leningrad, capture the most important land and sea routes and communications for supplying troops and an advantageous initial bridgehead for striking at the rear of the Red Army defending Moscow. The German offensive against Leningrad began on July 10, 1941.

The situation after the attack on the city remained very tense. The enemy attacked with large forces along the Moscow-Leningrad highway and at the end of August captured Lyuban, Tosno, went to the Neva and blocked the railway communication with Leningrad. For about two weeks fierce battles were fought in the area of ​​Krasnogvardeysk, where the German attacks were repulsed. However, having broken through the Mga station to Shlisselburg, the Nazi troops cut off the city from land. The blockade of Leningrad began.

"Road of Life" for besieged Leningrad

About 2.5 million inhabitants remained in the city. The constant bombardment of enemy aircraft destroyed people, houses, architectural monuments, food warehouses. During the blockade, there was no area in Leningrad that could not be reached by an enemy shell. Areas and streets were identified where the risk of becoming a victim of enemy artillery was greatest. Special warning signs were hung there with, for example, the text: “Citizens! During shelling, this side of the street is the most dangerous.” Several of them have been preserved in the city today in memory of the blockade.

Communication with the city was maintained only by air and via Lake Ladoga. From the first days of the blockade, the Road of Life began its dangerous and heroic work - the pulse of besieged Leningrad A. In summer - water, and in winter - an ice path connecting Leningrad with the "mainland" along Lake Ladoga. On September 12, 1941, the first barges with food came to the city along this route, and until late autumn, until storms made navigation impossible, barges went along the Road of Life.

At that time, there were almost 3 million civilians in the city and its environs (almost two thirds of which were women), including about half a million children, and food and fuel supplies remained for one and a half to two months.

The whole country helped besieged Leningrad in its heroic struggle. With incredible difficulties, food and fuel were delivered from the mainland to the besieged city across the frozen Lake Ladoga. The people very accurately called this road - "The Road of Life." The salvation of the inhabitants of Leningrad, the provision of the front with everything necessary depended on it. On November 22, 1941, the first trucks carrying flour entered the still fragile ice.

In Leningrad, a food rationing system was introduced: from November 20, 1941, workers received 250 grams of bread a day, and everyone else - 125 grams. But even in such conditions the city worked. Protective fortification anti-tank structures were built, tanks and weapons were being repaired at the enterprises. From the end of autumn, famine began in the city, from which about 500 thousand people died in December 1941 alone.

Military Highway No. 101, as this route was called, made it possible to increase the bread ration and evacuate a large number of people. The Germans constantly tried to break this thread connecting the besieged city with the country, but thanks to the courage and fortitude of the Leningraders, the Road of Life lived by itself and gave life to the great city.

The significance of the Ladoga highway is enormous, it has saved thousands of lives. Now on the shore of Lake Ladoga there is a museum "The Road of Life".

Life of besieged Leningrad

At the same time, Leningraders did their best to survive and not let their native city die. Not only that: Leningrad helped the army by producing military products - the factories continued to work even in such conditions. Theaters and museums restored their activities. It was necessary - to prove to the enemy, and, most importantly, to ourselves: the blockade of Leningrad will not kill the city, it continues to live!

One of the clearest examples of amazing selflessness and love for the Motherland, life, and hometown is the story of the creation of one piece of music. During the blockade, D. Shostakovich's most famous symphony was written, later called the "Leningrad" symphony. Rather, the composer began to write it in Leningrad, and finished already in the evacuation. When the score was ready, it was taken to the besieged city. By that time, the symphony orchestra had already resumed its activities in Leningrad. On the day of the concert, so that enemy raids could not disrupt it, our artillery did not let a single fascist aircraft near the city! All the days of the siege, the Leningrad radio worked, which for all Leningraders was not only a life-giving source of information, but also simply a symbol of continuing life.

The blockade became a cruel test for all city services and departments that ensured the vital activity of the huge city. Leningrad gave a unique experience of organizing life in conditions of famine. The following fact attracts attention: during the blockade, unlike many other cases of mass starvation, no major epidemics occurred, despite the fact that hygiene in the city was, of course, far below the normal level due to the almost complete absence of running water, sewerage and heating. Of course, the severe winter of 1941-1942 helped to prevent epidemics. At the same time, researchers also point to effective preventive measures taken by the authorities and the medical service.

The most severe during the blockade was hunger, as a result of which dystrophy developed among the inhabitants. At the end of March 1942, an epidemic of cholera, typhoid fever, and typhus broke out, but due to the professionalism and high qualifications of doctors, the outbreak was minimized.

Children's contribution to the liberation of Leningrad from the blockade. Ensemble of A.E.Obrant

At all times there is no greater grief than a suffering child. Blockade children are a special topic. Having matured early, not childishly serious and wise, they, along with adults, did their best to bring victory closer. Children are heroes, each fate of which is a bitter echo of those terrible days.

Children's dance ensemble A.E. Obranta is a special piercing note of a besieged city. During the first winter of the siege of Leningrad, many children were evacuated, but despite this, for various reasons, many children remained in the city. The Palace of Pioneers, located in the famous Anichkov Palace, switched to martial law with the outbreak of war. I must say that 3 years before the start of the war, the Song and Dance Ensemble was created on the basis of the Palace of Pioneers. At the end of the first blockade winter, the remaining teachers tried to find their pupils in the besieged city, and the ballet master A.E. Obrant created a dance group from the children who remained in the city. It is terrible even to imagine and compare the terrible blockade days and pre-war dances! Nevertheless, the ensemble was born. At first, the guys had to be restored from exhaustion, only then they were able to start rehearsals. However, already in March 1942, the first performance of the band took place. The fighters, who had seen a lot, could not hold back their tears, looking at these courageous children. Remember How long did the siege of Leningrad last? So during this considerable time the ensemble gave about 3,000 concerts. Wherever the guys had to perform: often the concerts had to end in a bomb shelter, since several times during the evening the performances were interrupted by air raid alerts, it happened that young dancers performed a few kilometers from the front line, and in order not to attract the enemy with unnecessary noise, they danced without music, and the floors were covered with hay.

Strong in spirit, they supported and inspired our soldiers; the contribution of this team to the liberation of the city can hardly be overestimated. Later, the guys were awarded medals "For the Defense of Leningrad".

Victims of the siege of Leningrad

We will probably never know the exact number of victims. According to historians, at the Nuremberg Tribunal, it was about 641,000 dead civilians. According to the latest estimates, this number is at least 800 thousand, according to other sources, up to a million people died in Leningrad during the blockade.

Russian historians and eyewitnesses of the tragedy say that post-war statistics ranked only the native inhabitants of Leningrad among the dead. In fact, before the siege of the city, there were a lot of refugees in it. They didn't know what was really going on.

If you listen to the information of the Information Bureau of that time, they said that the Germans were advancing, and we were fighting back, then that we were suddenly going over to a successful counteroffensive. It was simply impossible to understand something. It was the refugees, who were not registered, and therefore did not even have the right to bread cards, who became the first victims of the blockade of Leningrad. They died of hunger, froze to death in the streets, their bodies filled anonymous graves at Piskarevsky and other cemeteries in the city. The blockade and war are complex and painful topics, both for Russia and for Germany.

The plans of the Nazi leadership did not leave the right to life to the inhabitants of Leningrad, just as they did not leave the right to life to the Jews.

The Nazis deliberately doomed hundreds of thousands of people to starvation both in besieged Leningrad and in the Leningrad region occupied by them. So the blockade and the Holocaust, no matter how many victims it may be, are really phenomena of the same order, undoubted crimes against humanity. This, by the way, has already been legally fixed: in 2008, the German government and the Commission for the presentation of Jewish material claims against Germany (Claims Conference) came to an agreement according to which the Jews who survived the siege of Leningrad were equated with the victims of the Holocaust and received the right to one-time compensation .

Due to the actions of the Nazis, the city was actually turned into a gigantic ghetto dying of starvation, the difference of which from the ghetto in the territories occupied by the Nazis was that auxiliary police units did not break into it to carry out massacres and the German security service did not carry out mass executions here. However, this does not change the criminal essence of the blockade of Leningrad.

Liberation of besieged Leningrad

As a result of the victories of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, near Smolensk, in the Left-Bank Ukraine, in the Donbass and on the Dnieper, in late 1943 - early 1944, favorable conditions were created for a major offensive operation near Leningrad and Novgorod.

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

The purpose of the operation was to defeat the flank groupings 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 Luga River. In the future, acting on 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.

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 liquidated the encircled Peterhof-Strelninskaya enemy grouping. At the same time, on January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive in the Novgorod region, and on January 16 in the Luban direction, on January 20 they liberated Novgorod.

In commemoration of the final lifting of the blockade on January 27, 1944, a festive salute was given in Leningrad.

On January 27, 1944, Leningrad saluted with 24 volleys of 324 guns in honor of the complete elimination of the enemy blockade - the defeat of the Germans near Leningrad.

... And again the world hears with delight
Russian peal salute.
Oh, it breathes deeply
liberated Leningrad!

... We remember autumn, forty-first,
The clear air of those nights
When, like a whip, often, measuredly
The executioners' bombs whistled.

But we, humbled fear and crying,
They repeated, listening to wild explosions:
- You lost the war, executioner,
Barely entered our land! …

(O. Bergholz, 1944)

The armies of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts pushed back the German troops from the city, liberated almost the entire Leningrad region.

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

Exactly one year later, on January 27, 1945, units of the 28th Rifle Corps of the 60th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp, an ominous Nazi death factory where a huge number of people were killed. The Soviet soldiers managed to save a few - seven and a half thousand emaciated people who looked like living skeletons. All the rest - those who could walk - the Nazis managed to steal. Many of the liberated prisoners of Auschwitz could not even smile; they were only strong enough to stand.

The coincidence of the day of lifting the blockade of Leningrad with the day of the liberation of Auschwitz is something more than a mere accident. The blockade and the Holocaust, symbolized by Auschwitz, are phenomena of the same order.

After the war, on the granite stele of the Piskarevsky memorial cemetery, where 470,000 Leningraders who died during the Leningrad Siege and in the battles defending the city are buried, the words of the poetess Olga Berggolts were carved:

Here lie the Leningraders.
Here the townspeople are men, women, children.
Next to them are Red Army soldiers.

All my life
They protected you, Leningrad,
The cradle of the revolution.

We cannot list their noble names here,
So there are many of them under the eternal protection of granite.
But know, listening to these stones:
Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten.

The historical significance of the Battle of Leningrad

The Battle of Leningrad was of great political and strategic importance. Soviet troops in the battle for Leningrad pulled back up to 15-20% of the enemy forces on the Eastern Front and the entire Finnish army, defeated up to 50 German divisions. Warriors and residents of the city showed examples of heroism and selfless devotion to the Motherland. Many units and formations that participated in the Battle of Leningrad were transformed into guards or became order-bearing. 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.

The daily care of the Central Committee of the party, the Soviet government and the support of the whole country were inexhaustible sources of strength for the people of Leningrad 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, awarded Leningrad the honorary title of Hero City.

On January 27, 2014, St. Petersburg celebrated the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad. On both sides of Nevsky Prospekt, thousands of people lit candles in memory of those who died during this terrible time.

Leningrad blockade- a tragic and great page in Russian history, which claimed more than 2 million human lives. As long as the memory of these terrible days lives in the hearts of people, finds a response in talented works of art, is passed from hand to hand to descendants - this will not happen again! The blockade of Leningrad was briefly but succinctly described by Vera Inber, her lines are a hymn to the great city and at the same time a requiem for the departed.

Glory to you, great city,
Merged front and rear.
In unprecedented difficulties
Survived. Fought. Won.

And I would like to end with poems by the great Soviet poetess Olga Berggolts, who survived the blockade with her beloved city.

Enemies broke into our free city,
crumbled the stones of the city gates.
But I went out to International Avenue
armed working people.

He walked with the immortal
exclamation
in chest:
- We will die, but Red Peter
we won't give up!

The Red Guards, remembering the past,
formed new units
in collecting bottles every house
and built his own barricade.

And for this - long nights
the enemy tortured us with iron and fire.
- You will give up, you will be afraid - bombs to us

crash into the ground, fall prone ...
Trembling, they will ask for captivity, as mercy,
not only people are the stones of Leningrad.

But we stood on high rooftops
with your head up to the sky,
did not leave our fragile towers,
shovel squeezing numb hand.

... The day will come, and, rejoicing, hurrying,
still sad without removing the ruins,
we will decorate our city like this,
like people never decorated.

And then on the most slender building
facing the sunrise itself
put up a marble statue
a simple air defense worker.

Let it stand, always embraced by the dawn,
as he stood, holding an unequal battle:
with your head up to the sky,
with the only weapon - a shovel.

Bergholz Olga (1941).

The victory of Leningraders over the Blockade is truly a miracle that showed the whole world the strength of the spirit of the Russian people.

If there are blockade survivors in your family, be sure to congratulate them today. It is likely that after congratulations, you will hear an amazing story of a person who knew the hardships of that time ...

January 27 - Day of military glory of Russia. Day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.

On January 14, 1944, the Krasnoselsko-Ropsha operation ("January Thunder") of the troops of the Leningrad Front began against the 18th German army, which was besieging Leningrad. This operation was part of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic operation. As a result, on January 27, the blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days, was completed.

General situation

On September 8, 1941, the Germans, with the support of the Finnish army, closed the ring around Leningrad, the second most important strategic, political, economic and cultural center of the country. On January 18, 1943, the blockade was broken, and the city had a land communication corridor with the country. After the enemy blockade of Leningrad was broken in January 1943, the situation in the besieged city improved in many respects. The resumption of overland communication with the mainland made it possible to increase the rates of food supply. They began to comply with the standards established for other major industrial centers. The situation with fuel has also changed significantly.

However, the Soviet troops failed to completely liberate the city from the siege. The troops of the German 18th Army were in close proximity to Leningrad and continued intensive artillery shelling of the city and the railway "Road of Victory". Leningrad continued to live in a front-line situation. The Germans shelled the city. In September, for example, 5,000 shells hit him. German aircraft bombed the city 69 times in March-May. True, already in the autumn of 1943, as a result of an increase in the number and more coordinated actions of the fighter aviation of the fronts, the Leningrad Air Defense Army and the air defense systems of the Baltic Fleet, the air situation improved in the northwestern direction. Soviet aviation gained air supremacy, which led to sharp decline the intensity of enemy raids on troops and directly on Leningrad. On the night of October 17, the last bomb fell on the city.

Despite the continued difficult combat conditions and the lack of manpower, the Leningrad industry increased the output of military products. So, the production of large-caliber naval artillery was resumed in the city. Mass production of artillery shells and mines for all types of mortars began in the third quarter. The construction of small ships and boats began, primarily the minesweepers that were sorely needed by the fleet. At the same time, strict savings in raw materials, fuel and electricity were carried out. The work of 85 large industrial enterprises was partially restored. By the end of the year, 186 such enterprises were operating in the besieged city.

I. I. Fedyuninsky assessed the situation near Leningrad by the end of 1943 as follows: “The situation near Leningrad was determined by the general situation on the fronts. During 1943, the Soviet Army inflicted a series of strong blows on the Nazi troops and forced the enemy into a continuous retreat. By November, the enemy was forced to clear almost two-thirds of the territory of our Motherland he had captured. But near Leningrad, the Nazis, having surrounded themselves with a powerful line of defensive structures, continued to improve their positions and expected to keep them as the basis of the entire left wing of the Eastern Front.

As a result, the task of ensuring the security of Leningrad, as well as military-strategic considerations related to the further conduct of the war, the development of an offensive on the northern flank of the Soviet-German front, required the complete lifting of the blockade and the liberation of the Leningrad region. Its implementation opened the way to the Baltic states, facilitated the liberation of Karelia and the defeat of Finland, and the fleet's entry into the expanses of the Baltic.

Side forces

The German Army Group North (18th and 16th armies), commanded by Field Marshal G. Küchler, numbered 741 thousand soldiers and officers, 10,070 guns and mortars, 385 tanks and assault guns, 370 aircraft. For two and a half years, the enemy created strong defensive positions with reinforced concrete field fortifications, numerous bunkers, a system of barbed wire and minefields. All settlements in the defensive zones were turned by the Germans into centers of resistance and strongholds. Particularly powerful fortifications were located in the area south of the Pulkovo Heights and north of Novgorod. The Nazis were confident in the invincibility of their "Northern Wall".

The German Army Group North was opposed by the troops of the Leningrad (without the 23rd Army), Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts, numbering 1252 thousand soldiers and officers, 20183 guns and mortars, 1580 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1386 combat aircraft.

Soviet fighters are machine-gunning the enemy next to the old station building of the Detskoye Selo station near Leningrad. Pushkin, Leningrad region

Side plans. Operation preparation

In early September 1943, the Soviet command became aware that the German troops had begun preparations for a retreat from Leningrad to new defensive lines along the Narva River - Lake Peipus - Pskov - Ostrov - Idritsa (Panther line) line. Based on the current situation, the military councils of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts immediately began to develop a plan for a joint large-scale operation to defeat the 18th German army and completely liberate Leningrad from the blockade. Since until the end of 1943 there was uncertainty about the plans of the German troops, the Soviet command developed two options for the offensive. The first option provided for an immediate transition to the pursuit of the enemy in the event of his retreat ("Neva 1"), and the second - a breakthrough in the enemy's echeloned defense if the German troops continued to hold their positions ("Neva 2").

The position of Army Group North has deteriorated significantly. The German command could not strengthen it either at the expense of strategic reserves or by transferring forces from other army groups, since they were pinned down by the powerful offensive of the Soviet troops in the southwestern and western directions. Throughout 1943, for Hitler, Army Group North did not seem to exist. From July 1943 to January 1944, Küchler had to transfer several of the most combat-ready divisions to Army Groups Center and South. In order to somehow compensate for the withdrawal of troops from the northwestern direction, several less combat-ready divisions and brigades were transferred there.

The command of the Army Group "North" had information about the preparation of the Soviet troops for the offensive, which forced G. Küchler to turn to Hitler with a request to expedite the withdrawal of troops to the "Panther" line. However, the Fuhrer, guided by the opinion of the commander of the 18th Army G. Lindemann, who assured that his troops would repel a new Soviet offensive, ordered the North Army Group to continue the siege of Leningrad. The German High Command set the troops of the North group the task of firmly defending their positions and continuing the blockade of Leningrad. The stabilization of this sector of the Russian Front made it possible to reliably cover the approaches to the Baltic states and its naval bases, preserve the freedom of action of the German fleet in the Baltic Sea and ensure sea communications with Sweden and Finland.

The Soviet Headquarters, with some adjustments, approved the ideas of the military councils of the fronts for the planned operation. Its general plan was to defeat the Peterhof-Strelna and Novgorod groups of the 18th German Army with simultaneous strikes by the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, and then, developing the offensive in the Kingisepp and Luga directions, complete the defeat of this army. At the next stage, through the offensive of all three fronts in the directions of Narva, Pskov and Idritsa, it was planned to defeat the German 16th Army, completely liberate the Leningrad and Kalinin regions. The actions of the ground troops were to be supported by the 13th, 14th and 15th air armies and long-range aviation, as well as artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet.

The offensive was prepared with great care. Troops were regrouped in the fronts to create strike groups. The 2nd shock army under the command of General I.I. Fedyuninsky was secretly transported on ships from Leningrad and Lisyy Nos to the Oranienbaum region. The defenders of this small seaside bridgehead, located west of Leningrad, surrounded by a semi-circle of enemy troops, covered Kronstadt from land, and the Kronstadt fortress supported them with its batteries. The Oranienbaum coastal bridgehead was to play an important role in defeating the opposing enemy. From November 1943 to January 1944, 53 thousand people, 658 guns, many tanks, vehicles, tractors, tens of thousands of tons of ammunition and other military cargo were brought here by sea in severe weather conditions. At the same time, the Germans were misled: until the very last moment, they believed that the Soviet command was transferring troops from the bridgehead to the city.

Offensive

On January 14, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad Front under the command of General L. A. Govorov went on the offensive. Troops of the 2nd shock army broke through from the Oranienbaum bridgehead in the direction of Ropsha. At first, the artillery of the army and the Baltic Fleet dealt a powerful blow to the enemy, bringing down over 100 thousand shells and mines on the positions of the Nazis. Then the infantry went on the attack, acting in close cooperation with tanks and artillery. The Nazis stubbornly resisted, every meter of land was recaptured with a fight. The fierce fighting continued the next day. Fedyuninsky's troops repulsed up to 30 counterattacks.

The 42nd Army of General I. I. Maslennikov advanced towards them with fierce battles, striking from the Pulkovo Heights area. On the third day of the operation, the 2nd Shock Army completed the penetration of the enemy's main line of defense, advancing 8-10 km in depth and expanding the penetration to 23 km. On January 19, Ropsha was taken - a powerful stronghold of the enemy's defense. On the same day, troops moving from the Pulkovo Heights captured Krasnoe Selo by storm. Here there was a meeting of parts of the 2nd shock and 42nd armies of the Leningrad Front. The Peterhof-Strelny group of the German 18th Army was defeated.

Thus, in six days of offensive battles, the troops of the Leningrad Front advanced 25 km into the depth of the enemy defense. The German artillery shelling Leningrad from the Duderhof-Voronya Gora region fell silent forever.

Shot down during Operation January Thunder german tank PzKpfw IV

Machine gunner V. Kh. Timchenko knocks down a German road sign with the butt of a machine gun. The photo was taken during the operation to finally lift the blockade of Leningrad.

On January 14, the Volkhov Front under the command of General K. A. Meretskov also went on the offensive. The 59th Army under the command of General I. T. Korovnikov dealt the main blow here north of Novgorod in difficult conditions in a wooded and swampy area. After an hour and a half of artillery preparation, the breakthrough tanks and infantry moved into enemy positions.

“Bad weather made it difficult for artillery to conduct aimed fire, and due to low cloud cover, aviation was not able to take part in the preparation of the offensive at all and came into action only on the second day. Part of the tanks got stuck in the swamp: a sudden thaw, unusual for January, turned the hummocky ice fields overgrown with bushes into a dirty mess. However, these obstacles did not stop our troops. “Separate regiments of the 6th and 14th rifle corps,” recalled Marshal K. A. Meretskov, “reached the line of attack a few minutes before the end of the artillery preparation, and when the artillery moved the fire into the depths, these regiments broke into the enemy’s defenses. The blow turned out to be so powerful, sudden and swift that the first position of the Nazi defense immediately passed into our hands, and on January 15 the Novgorod-Chudovo railway was cut.

The southern group of forces of this army crossed Lake Ilmen at night on the ice and cut the Novgorod-Shimsk railway, which created a threat to enemy communications from the south. Troops of the 59th Army also successfully broke through the enemy's main line of defense north of Novgorod. Field Marshal Kühler removed the 24th and 21st divisions from Mga and Chudovo, and the 290th and 8th divisions from Solts and Staraya Russa and threw them into the Lyuboliad region to close the gap. However, the Soviet troops continued the offensive.

On the morning of January 20, the northern and southern groupings of the advancing troops united west of Novgorod. On the same day, the ancient Russian city was cleared of the Nazis by a decisive assault. “I came to Novgorod as soon as he was released,” recalled K. A. Meretskov. Dead silence reigned in the streets. About forty buildings remained intact throughout the city. The greatest monuments of antiquity, the pride and adornment of ancient Russian architecture, were blown up.” At the same time, the 8th and 54th armies of the Volkhov Front actively fettered the enemy forces in the Tosno, Luban and Chudov directions, preventing the German command from transferring troops from there to Novgorod.

The German command, seeing the threat of encirclement of the 18th Army, withdrew its formations and units from the ledge of eastern Tosno, Chudovo. The offensive was deployed along the entire front from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ilmen. The troops of the Leningrad Front liberated Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Gatchina and by the end of January reached the line of the Luga River. The Volkhov Front, advancing in the direction of Luga and Shimsk, liberated the cities and railway stations of Mga, Tosno, Lyuban, and Chudovo. The October Railway was cleared of the Germans. At the same time, the 2nd Baltic Front, under the command of General M.M. Popov, was holding down the German 16th Army.

Thus, the Red Army crushed the "Northern Wall" and completely eliminated the enemy blockade of Leningrad. On January 27, in the evening, a solemn artillery salute from 324 guns thundered in the city on the Neva. The entire Soviet people joyfully celebrated the historic victory together with the people of Leningrad.

Leningraders paint over the inscription on the wall of the house, warning about shelling, after the final liberation of the city from the enemy blockade. The inscriptions "Citizens! During shelling, this side of the street is the most dangerous" were applied in Leningrad on the northern and northeastern sides of the streets, since the city was shelled from the southern (Pulkovo Heights) and southwestern (Strelna) directions

Hitler's headquarters, as usual with a heavy defeat at the front, concealed its true causes. But the commander of Army Group North, Field Marshal Küchler, was replaced by Colonel General V. Model, who had a reputation as a "specialist in strategic defense."

Soviet troops continued to develop the offensive. On February 1, the 2nd Shock Army of the Leningrad Front crossed Luga and captured Kingisepp by storm. The 42nd Army, advancing south, on February 4 entered Gdov, liberated by the partisans. The Volkhov Front, having defeated the Luga grouping of the enemy, captured Luga on February 12. Shortly thereafter, it was disbanded and its armies transferred to the Leningrad Front. The advancing formations reached the line of the Narva River. The German 18th Army was retreating. The 16th Army also withdrew. Pursuing her, the troops of the 2nd Baltic Front liberated Staraya Russa on February 18, and then the city of Kholm.

On the right wing of the Leningrad Front, the troops entered the territory of Soviet Estonia, and on the left flank, in cooperation with the 2nd Baltic Front, they occupied an important node railways- Dno station. By the end of February, the advancing Soviet troops stopped at the Narva-Pskov-Ostrov line, where they took up defensive positions. It was necessary to regroup forces, replenish troops, equipment and ammunition, and tighten up the rear.

Residents of Leningrad in front of the stock exchange meeting the news of the lifting of the blockade of the city

Results

As a result of a month and a half continuous offensive in the northwestern direction, the Red Army inflicted a heavy defeat on Army Group North and pushed it back 220-280 km to the west. 3 German divisions were destroyed and 17 divisions were defeated. Almost the entire territory of the Leningrad and Kalinin regions was liberated from the German invaders. During the offensive operation near Leningrad and Novgorod, the southern and southeastern approaches to Leningrad were cleared of the Germans. Only the northern outskirts of this city still had Finnish troops that participated in its blockade. It was necessary to defeat them on the Karelian Isthmus and in South Karelia.

The Great Battle for Leningrad, one of the most significant and bloody battles of the Great War, which lasted 900 days, ended with the victory of the Red Army and the entire Soviet people. Despite the severe trials and huge sacrifices, the hero city survived the fierce struggle.

Leningraders on Suvorovskaya Square watch fireworks to commemorate the lifting of the blockade

Leningraders and Red Army soldiers at the order to the troops of the Leningrad Front to lift the blockade of the city

The great feat of the Soviet people during the Second World War should not be forgotten by posterity. Millions of soldiers and civilians brought the long-awaited victory closer at the cost of their lives, men, women and even children became a single weapon that was directed against fascism. The centers of partisan resistance, plants and factories, collective farms operated in the territories occupied by the enemy, the Germans failed to break the spirit of the defenders of the Motherland. A striking example of resilience in the history of the Great Patriotic War was the hero city of Leningrad.

Hitler's plan

The fascists' strategy consisted in delivering a sudden, lightning strike in the directions that the Germans had chosen as priorities. Three army groups before the end of autumn were to capture Leningrad, Moscow and Kyiv. Hitler assessed the capture of these settlements as a victory in the war. Fascist military analysts planned in this way not only to "decapitate" the Soviet troops, but also to break the morale of the divisions retreating to the rear, to undermine the Soviet ideology. Moscow should be captured after the victories in the northern and southern directions, the regrouping and connection of the Wehrmacht armies were planned on the outskirts of the capital of the USSR.

Leningrad, according to Hitler, was the city-symbol of the power of the Soviets, the "cradle of the revolution", which is why it was subject to complete destruction along with the civilian population. In 1941, the city was an important strategic point; many machine-building and electrical plants were located on its territory. Due to the development of industry and science, Leningrad was a place of concentration of highly qualified engineering and technical personnel. A large number of educational institutions produced specialists for work in various sectors of the national economy. On the other hand, the city was territorially isolated and located at a great distance from sources of raw materials and energy. Hitler was also helped by the geographical position of Leningrad: its proximity to the country's borders made it possible to quickly encircle and blockade. The territory of Finland served as a springboard for basing fascist aviation on preparatory stage intrusions. In June 1941, the Finns enter the Second World War on the side of Hitler. The huge at that time military and merchant fleet based in the Germans had to be neutralized and destroyed, and profitable sea routes should be used for their own military needs.

Environment

The defense of Leningrad began long before the encirclement of the city. The Germans advanced rapidly, on the day tank and motorized formations passed 30 km deep into the territory of the USSR in a northerly direction. The creation of defensive lines was carried out in the Pskov and Luga directions. The Soviet troops retreated with heavy losses, losing a large amount of equipment and leaving cities and fortified areas to the enemy. Pskov was captured on July 9, the Nazis moved to the Leningrad region along the shortest path. For several weeks, their offensive was delayed by the Luga fortified areas. They were built by experienced engineers and allowed the Soviet troops to hold back the onslaught of the enemy for some time. This delay greatly angered Hitler and made it possible to partially prepare Leningrad for the Nazi attack. In parallel with the Germans on June 29, 1941, the Finnish army crossed the border of the USSR, the Karelian Isthmus was occupied for a long time. The Finns refused to participate in the attack on the city, but they blocked a large number of transport routes connecting the city with the "mainland". The complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade in this direction took place only in 1944, in the summer. After Hitler's personal visit to Army Group North and the regrouping of troops, the Nazis broke the resistance of the Luga fortified area and launched a massive offensive. Novgorod, Chudovo were captured in August 1941. The dates of the blockade of Leningrad, which are ingrained in the memory of many Soviet people, begin in September 1941. The capture of the Petrokrepost by the Nazis finally cuts off the city from land routes of communication with the country, this happened on September 8th. The ring has closed, but the defense of Leningrad continues.

Blockade

An attempt to quickly capture Leningrad failed completely. Hitler cannot withdraw forces from the surrounded city and transfer them to the central direction - to Moscow. Quite quickly, the Nazis found themselves in the suburbs, but, having met with strong resistance, they were forced to fortify themselves and prepare for protracted battles. On September 13, G.K. Zhukov arrived in Leningrad. His main task was to defend the city, Stalin at that time recognized the situation as practically hopeless and was ready to “surrender” it to the Germans. But with such an outcome, the second capital of the state would have been completely destroyed along with the entire population, which at that time was 3.1 million people. According to eyewitnesses, Zhukov was terrible in these September days, only his authority and iron will stopped the panic among the soldiers defending the city. The Germans were stopped, but kept Leningrad in a tight ring, which made it impossible to supply the metropolis. Hitler decided not to risk his soldiers, he understood that urban battles would destroy most of the northern army grouping. He ordered the mass extermination of the inhabitants of Leningrad to begin. Regular shelling and aerial bombardment gradually destroyed the city's infrastructure, food stores, and energy sources. German fortified areas were erected around the city, which excluded the possibility of evacuating civilians and supplying them with everything necessary. Hitler was not interested in the possibility of surrendering Leningrad, his main goal was the destruction of this settlement. At the time of the formation of the blockade ring in the city there were many refugees from the Leningrad region and adjacent areas, only a small percentage of the population managed to evacuate. A large number of people gathered at the railway stations, who tried to leave the besieged northern capital. Famine began among the population, which Hitler called his main ally in the capture of Leningrad.

Winter 1941-42

January 18, 1943 - the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad. How far this day was from the autumn of 1941! Massive shelling, food shortages led to mass deaths. Already in November, the limits for issuing products on cards for the population and military personnel were cut. Delivery of everything necessary was carried out by air and through which the Nazis shot through. People began to record the first deaths from exhaustion and cases of cannibalism, which were punishable by executions.

With the advent of cold weather, the situation became much more complicated, the first, most severe, winter came. The blockade of Leningrad, the "road of life" - these are concepts that are inseparable from each other. Everything in the city was violated engineering Communication, there was no water, heating, sewerage did not work, food stocks were running out, urban transport did not function. Thanks to qualified doctors who remained in the city, mass epidemics were avoided. Many people died on the street on their way home or to work, most Leningraders did not have enough strength to carry their dead relatives on a sled to the cemetery, so the corpses lay on the streets. The created sanitary brigades could not cope with such a number of deaths, not everyone could be buried.

The winter of 1941-42 was much colder than the average meteorological indicators, but there was Ladoga - the road of life. Under the constant fire of the occupiers, cars and convoys drove along the lake. They brought food and necessary things to the city, in the opposite direction - people exhausted by hunger. The children of besieged Leningrad, who were evacuated across the ice to different parts of the country, remember all the horrors of the freezing city to this day.

According to the food card, dependents (children and the elderly) who could not work were given 125 grams of bread. Its composition varied depending on what the bakers had available: shake-outs from bags of corn grits, linen and cotton cake, bran, wallpaper dust, etc. From 10 to 50% of the ingredients that made up the flour were inedible , cold and hunger have become synonymous with the concept of "blockade of Leningrad".

The road of life, passing through Ladoga, saved many people. As soon as the ice cover gained strength, trucks began to move across it. In January 1942, the city authorities had the opportunity to open canteens at enterprises and factories, the menu of which was compiled specifically for malnourished people. In hospitals and established orphanages, they give enhanced nutrition, which helps to survive the terrible winter. Ladoga is the road of life, and this name, which the Leningraders gave to the crossing, is fully consistent with the truth. Food and essential goods were collected for the blockade, as well as for the front, by the whole country.

The feat of the inhabitants

In a dense ring of enemies, fighting cold, hunger and constant bombing, Leningraders not only lived, but also worked for victory. On the territory of the city, factories produced military products. The cultural life of the city did not stop at the most difficult moments, unique works of art were created. Poems about the siege of Leningrad cannot be read without tears, they are written by participants in those terrible events and reflect not only the pain and suffering of people, but also their desire for life, hatred for the enemy and fortitude. Shostakovich's symphony is saturated with the feelings and emotions of the people of Leningrad. Libraries and some museums partly worked in the city, emaciated people continued to look after non-evacuated animals in the zoo.

Without heat, water and electricity, the workers stood at the machines, investing the rest of their vitality in victory. Most of the men went to the front or defended the city, so women and teenagers worked in factories and factories. The city's transport system was destroyed in massive shelling, so people went to work on foot for several kilometers, in a state of extreme exhaustion and in the absence of roads cleared of snow.

Not all of them saw the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade, but their daily feat brought this moment closer. Water was taken from the Neva and burst pipelines, houses were heated with potbelly stoves, burning the remains of furniture in them, they chewed leather belts and wallpaper pasted with paste, but they lived and resisted the enemy. wrote poems about the siege of Leningrad, lines from which became winged, they were carved on monuments dedicated to those terrible events. Her phrase “no one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten” today is of great importance for all caring people.

Children

The most terrible side of any war is its indiscriminate choice of victims. Hundreds of thousands of children died in the occupied city, many died in the evacuation, but the rest participated in the approach of victory along with adults. They stood at the machine tools, collecting shells and cartridges for the front line, were on duty at night on the roofs of houses, neutralizing incendiary bombs that the Nazis dropped on the city, raising the spirit of the soldiers holding the defense. The children of besieged Leningrad became adults at the moment when the war came. Many teenagers fought in the regular units of the Soviet army. The hardest thing was for the smallest, who lost all their relatives. Orphanages were created for them, where the elders helped the younger ones and supported them. Surprising fact is the creation during the blockade of the children's dance ensemble of A. E. Obrant. The guys were gathered around the city, treated for exhaustion and rehearsals began. During the blockade, this famous ensemble gave more than 3,000 concerts; it performed at the front line, at factories and in hospitals. The contribution of young artists to the victory was appreciated after the war: all the guys were awarded medals "For the Defense of Leningrad".

Operation Spark

The liberation of Leningrad was a paramount task for the Soviet leadership, but there were no opportunities for offensive actions and resources in the spring of 1942. Attempts to break through the blockade were carried out in the autumn of 1941, but they did not produce results. The German troops fortified quite well and surpassed the Soviet army in terms of weapons. By the autumn of 1942, Hitler had significantly depleted the resources of his armies and therefore made an attempt to capture Leningrad, which was supposed to release the troops located in the northern direction.

In September, the Germans launched Operation Northern Lights, which failed due to a counterattack by Soviet troops seeking to lift the blockade. Leningrad in 1943 was a well-fortified city, built by the forces of the townspeople, but its defenders were significantly exhausted, so breaking the blockade from the city was impossible. However, the successes of the Soviet army in other directions made it possible for the Soviet command to begin preparing a new attack on the fortified areas of the Nazis.

On January 18, 1943, the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad laid the foundation for the liberation of the city. The military formations of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts participated in the operation, they were supported by the Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga Flotilla. Preparation was carried out within a month. Operation Iskra was developed from December 1942, it included two stages, the main of which was the breakthrough of the blockade. The further advance of the army was to completely remove the encirclement from the city.

The start of the operation was scheduled for January 12, at which time the southern shore of Lake Ladoga was fettered by strong ice, and the surrounding impenetrable swamps froze to a depth sufficient to pass. after a massive artillery barrage of Soviet artillery. The fighting took on a protracted character, for six days the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts pierced the enemy's defenses, moving towards each other.

On January 18, 1943, the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad was completed, the first part of the developed Iskra plan was completed. As a result, the encircled grouping of German troops was ordered to leave the encirclement and join the main forces, which occupied more advantageous positions and were additionally equipped and fortified. For the inhabitants of Leningrad, this date became one of the main milestones in the history of the blockade. The formed corridor was no more than 10 km wide, but it made it possible to lay railroad tracks for the full supply of the city.

Second phase

Hitler completely lost the initiative in the northern direction. The divisions of the Wehrmacht had a strong defensive position, but could no longer take the recalcitrant city. The Soviet troops, having achieved their first success, planned to launch a large-scale offensive in a southerly direction, which would completely lift the blockade of Leningrad and the region. In February, March and April 1943, the forces of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts made attempts to attack the Sinyavskaya enemy grouping, which were called Operation Polar Star. Unfortunately, they failed, there were many objective reasons that prevented the army from developing the offensive. Firstly, the German grouping was significantly reinforced with tanks (Tigers were used for the first time in this direction), aviation and mountain rifle divisions. Secondly, the line of defense created by that time by the Nazis was very powerful: concrete bunkers, a large amount of artillery. Thirdly, the offensive had to be carried out on a territory with difficult terrain. The swampy terrain made it difficult to move heavy guns and tanks. Fourthly, when analyzing the actions of the fronts, obvious errors of command were revealed, which led to large losses of equipment and people. But a start had been made. The liberation of Leningrad from the blockade was a matter of careful preparation and time.

Lifting the blockade

The main dates of the siege of Leningrad are carved not only on the stones of memorials and monuments, but also in the heart of each of their participants. This victory was given by the great bloodshed of Soviet soldiers and officers and by the millions of deaths of civilians. In 1943, the significant successes of the Red Army along the entire length of the front line made it possible to prepare an offensive in the northwestern direction. The German group created the "Northern Wall" around Leningrad - a line of fortifications that could withstand and stop any offensive, but not Soviet soldiers. The lifting of the blockade of Leningrad on January 27, 1944 is a date that symbolizes victory. For this victory, a lot was done not only by the troops, but also by the Leningraders themselves.

Operation "January Thunder" began on January 14, 1944, it involved three fronts (Volkhov, 2nd Baltic, Leningrad), the Baltic Fleet, partisan formations (which at that time were quite strong military units), the Ladoga Navy with the support of aviation. The offensive developed rapidly, the fascist fortifications did not save Army Group North from defeat and a shameful retreat in a southwestern direction. Hitler was never able to understand the reason for the failure of such a powerful defense, and the German generals who fled the battlefield could not explain. On January 20, Novgorod and adjacent territories were liberated. The full January 27 was the occasion for festive fireworks in the exhausted but unconquered city.

Memory

The date of the liberation of Leningrad is a holiday for all residents of the once united Land of Soviets. There is no point in arguing about the significance of the first breakthrough or the final liberation, these events are equivalent. Hundreds of thousands of lives were saved, although it took twice as many to achieve this goal. The breaking of the blockade of Leningrad on January 18, 1943 gave the inhabitants the opportunity to contact the mainland. The supply of the city with food, medicines, energy resources, raw materials for factories was resumed. However, the main thing was that there was a chance to save many people. Children, wounded soldiers, exhausted by hunger, sick Leningraders and defenders of this city were evacuated from the city. 1944 brought the complete lifting of the blockade, Soviet army began its victorious march across the country, victory is near.

The defense of Leningrad is an immortal feat of millions of people, there is no justification for fascism, but there are no other examples of such stamina and courage in history. 900 days of hunger, overwork under shelling and bombing. Death followed every inhabitant of besieged Leningrad, but the city survived. Our contemporaries and descendants must not forget the great feat of the Soviet people and their role in the fight against fascism. This will be a betrayal of all the dead: children, old people, women, men, soldiers. The hero city of Leningrad should be proud of its past and build the present, regardless of all the renaming and attempts to distort the history of the great confrontation.