Interesting facts about the blockade of Leningrad. Siege of Leningrad - unknown facts

During World War II, the defense of the besieged city went down in Russian history as one of the terrible and tragic pages of that difficult time. For many years the Germans laid siege to the northern capital of Russia with a tight blockade. A terrible time attacked the city - there was a lack of water, food often lost electricity. It was the blockade of Leningrad.

The beginning of a hard time

The blockade in Leningrad began on September 8, 1941, the Nazis occupied the city in a dense circle. And only on January 18, 1943, it was possible to break through the cordon. Water and food supplies were quickly depleted. Children died from cold and hunger.

Every day the city was subjected to shelling and raids by the fascist army. During the occupation, about 107,000 bombs were dropped on the city, 3,000 buildings were destroyed, 7,000 were damaged. More than 1,000 food enterprises were disabled during the bombing.

Residents of the city built defensive barricades 35 kilometers long on the streets, 22,000 firing points were erected in buildings, more than 4,000 bunkers and bunkers were built by Leningraders. People defended themselves as best they could.

Harsh winter

In the first year of the blockade, the region experienced a record cold winter. The temperature dropped to -32.1 degrees, although the average in peacetime did not fall below 19 degrees below zero, and this cold lasted until May.

In April, a record amount of precipitation fell, with snowdrifts reaching about 52 cm in height. Work in factories and factories stopped. Residents of the city were not ready for such tests, due to the lack of electricity they had to be heated with the help of stoves. In order to somehow warm up, they burned everything that could be burned, even books and furniture were used. Not to mention the fact that all the trees in the city have long been cut down.

In the spring, in anticipation of a long siege, people began to plant vegetable gardens on every convenient piece of land, using available seeds. The whole potato was not planted - only a thick peel with rings was buried in the ground, since the rest was used for food.

Ladoga lake

By frozen lake Ladoga, in mortal danger, transported the sick and wounded, and on the way back, food products were delivered, which were sorely lacking. The inhabitants called this path "The Road of Life".

To provide the city with fuel, more than 20 kilometers of pipes were laid along the bottom of the lake in just 45 days at a depth of 13 meters. Oil products were later pumped through them.

But this "road of life" was also a "road of death", because the lake was constantly bombarded, bombs broke the ice. In the spring, when the ice became thin, cars often fell through and sank. But there was nowhere to go, the lives of the inhabitants of the Northern capital were saved at the cost of the lives of the heroic drivers.

Rodent attack on the city

In the current deplorable situation, rodents also added problems, mercilessly eating the already meager food reserves. In 1943, 4 wagons of cats and cats were brought to the city to exterminate mice and rats.

After breaking the blockade, another 5,000 smoky cats were brought in. Residents believed that cats of this particular color are the best rat-catchers. A huge queue lined up behind them, everyone wanted to get their own animal.

So cats saved the city, and at the present time in St. Petersburg there is a monument to these animals as a token of gratitude for saving the city from rodents.

Loudspeakers like a heartbeat

Despite the difficult situation, there were about 1,500 loudspeakers in the city, which sounded alarms and announced the situation in present-day St. Petersburg. This technique was closely monitored, quickly repaired or replaced after damage, restored wire communication, which was often cut off due to bombing and shelling.

According to the instructions of the leadership, it was forbidden to turn off the radio, which broadcast government orders and news around the clock. At the same time, all wireless receivers were seized, as the Germans broadcast their radio broadcasts in Russian, urging the blockade to surrender and promising an improvement in life after the victory of the German troops.

When the Leningrad announcer stopped announcing, the metronome began counting through the speakers. The rhythm of the metronome was a lifesaving signal for the residents of Leningrad. A quick reading of the rhythm foreshadowed alarm, the beginning of a bombing attack, a raid of enemy aircraft. A slowdown in rhythm signified the end of anxiety. Residents called this rhythm the heartbeat rhythm.

Evacuation of residents of Leningrad

Blockade of Leningrad - interesting facts about the evacuation of citizens. During the blockade, 3 waves of evacuation were carried out, during which half of the residents were taken out of the city. The first evacuation began even before the onset of the siege. About 400 thousand children were transported to other districts of the Leningrad Region, but the Germans occupied these territories too, and most of them had to return.

It was decided to ferry the second wave across the ice of Lake Ladoga. This time, over 500 thousand people were successfully evacuated. It was a dangerous route, since the ice cover was bombarded, fired upon, and sometimes it simply could not withstand the load of numerous loaded vehicles.

And the last third wave was transported by water transport along the lake. During the evacuation, more than 1.5 million inhabitants were sent to the mainland. But it was not possible to take out all. Firstly, workers were needed who would support work in enterprises, the city's defense and institutions that were responsible for the life of the Northern capital. Secondly, evacuation is not a way in comfortable transport along a wide road. It was simply not possible to take everyone out. But all the same, the salvation of such a large number of people is a real feat of the Russian people.

125 grams of bread per day

A terrible famine began, for each child, dependent and ordinary employees a day was given 125 grams of bread, workers - 250 grams, fire brigades - 300 grams each, and only the fighters on the front lines of the defense received 0.5 kilograms each.

The bread tasted black and bitter. In the absence of enough grains, various impurities were added to bread - cake, cellulose, soda, bran. The baking dish was often greased with diesel oil.

During the first bombing, a sugar warehouse burned down. On the territory of the burnt room, they dug up sweetish earth and used it for food. Such "sweets" were even sold on the market, and they were in demand.

The lack of food has become a strong test for the inhabitants of Leningrad. Many could not stand the hunger and cold; during the blockade, about 630 thousand residents of the city died. Leningraders have a very reverent attitude towards bread. In this city, you will not see bread thrown into the trash can, a person who litters bread will simply not be understood. All this is a consequence of the blockade that was many decades ago.

It is difficult to realize that the city was able to withstand so long. But after 872 days, Russian troops still managed to break through the ring of the Nazis, and the city was completely liberated. Despite the fact that many people try to distort the facts of that time, this page in history will forever remain heroic in the memory and hearts of the Russian people.

For several years, the Nazis besieged the northern capital of Russia with a tight ring of blockade - there was no food and heat, no running water and no electricity. A terrible time, but the city survived it. It was the blockade of Leningrad, interesting facts about which still excite the minds of many historians and everyone.

Important events of World War II

1. The city was under siege for 872 days. The blockade of modern Petersburg began on September 8, 41 of the last century, when the Germans surrounded the settlement in a dense ring. It was possible to break through the fortification only on the 18th, in January 43. The city quickly ran out of food and water supplies. With the arrival of winter, transportation began to be carried out through the frozen Ladoga Lake. The path bore a very symbolic name - "The Road of Life".
2. For each person a day there were only 125 g of bread. It was precisely the lack of an adequate supply of food that was the main problem of the besieged city and its inhabitants.


3. For 3 waves of the evacuation carried out from the city itself, about 1.5 million citizens were taken out - this is almost half of all residents of Leningrad.
4. Despite the fact that the city was under siege, about one and a half thousand loudspeakers worked in it. On them daily alarms were given, news from the front and the situation in St. Petersburg broadcasted.
5. The first winter of 1941 was the most difficult for the inhabitants of Leningrad. The temperature then reached a record high for this area - minus 32.1 degrees Celsius. On average, thermometer readings do not drop below 18-19 degrees below zero here. By April 1942, the maximum amount of precipitation recorded in the history of the city's existence fell - the height of snowdrifts reached 52 cm. Such climatic conditions persisted until May 1942. The infrastructure was not designed for such a climate. There was no light, no heat, the sewerage system did not work, no water was supplied to the houses, but they were warmed up in the rooms with the help of stoves - the so-called "burzhuyki".
   
6. The blockade of Leningrad continued even after the Soviet troops broke through it; these are undoubtedly interesting facts about the cultural center of Russia. German and Finnish soldiers kept it under siege for six months, fearing fierce resistance. Only an offensive maneuver in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk made it possible to completely liberate the city and its inhabitants from the deadly ring of siege.
7. At the beginning of 1943, 4 carriages of cats were brought into the city to fight rats and mice, which were en masse destroying already scarce food supplies. After the liberation of the city, 5000 smoky cats and cats were brought to it - they were considered the best rodent exterminators. They saved the city and the people who remained in it. In modern St. Petersburg, as a sign of respect and special gratitude, a monument was erected to these animals on Malaya Sadovaya Street. Elisha the cat and Vasilisa the cat personify the smoky rodent fighters in the besieged city.

   

8. During the entire period of the siege, 150 thousand aircraft shells fell from the sky onto the besieged city. Air raids on the city were made several times a day - about 107,000 bombs were dropped on the city during the entire siege. 3,000 destroyed buildings and 7,000 damaged - a consequence of the raids and shelling of German aircraft.

   

9. The blockade of Leningrad, interesting exciting facts about which are important not only for the Russians, but for the supporters of fascism - the Italians and Spaniards, who supported the German troops during the siege. There were conflicting opinions about the "Blue Division" of Spain: some spoke of the extraordinary resilience of its fighters, others argued that there was a complete lack of discipline in the troops. In this regard, along with the Italians opposing the Soviet Union in operations on Lake Ladoga, desertion was noted in the ranks of the Spaniards - desertion to the side of Soviet soldiers.
   

   

10. During the blockade, there were an average of 63 men and 37 women per 100 deaths. This difference was formed due to the high physical endurance in the difficult living conditions of the weak half of the population.

The siege of Leningrad, which was told in this article, remains in the memory of the surviving veterans and subsequent generations. January 27 is annually celebrated as the anniversary of the liberation from the Nazi occupation of the cultural capital of Russia, which was of strategic importance for Hitler along with Moscow.

Blockade of Leningrad - a military blockade by German, Finnish and Spanish (Blue Division) troops with the participation of volunteers from North Africa, Europe and the Italian naval forces during the Great Patriotic War Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). It lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (the blockade ring was broken on January 18, 1943) - 872 days.

By the beginning of the blockade, the city did not have sufficient food and fuel reserves. The only way of communication with Leningrad was Lake Ladoga, which was within the reach of the artillery and aviation of the besiegers; the united naval flotilla of the enemy also operated on the lake. The capacity of this transport artery did not meet the needs of the city. As a result, the massive famine that began in Leningrad, aggravated by the especially harsh first blockade winter, problems with heating and transport, led to hundreds of thousands of deaths among residents.

After breaking the blockade, the siege of Leningrad by enemy troops and the fleet continued until September 1944. To force the enemy to lift the siege of the city, in June - August 1944, Soviet troops, supported by ships and aviation of the Baltic Fleet, conducted the Vyborg and Svir-Petrozavodsk operations, liberated Vyborg on June 20, and Petrozavodsk on June 28. In September 1944, the island of Gogland was liberated.

For massive heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, shown by the defenders of besieged Leningrad, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 8, 1965, the city was awarded highest degree distinction - title Hero City.

January 27 is the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the complete liberation of the city of Leningrad by Soviet troops from the blockade by German fascist troops (1944).

Germany's attack on the USSR

The capture of Leningrad was part of the plan of war against the USSR developed by Nazi Germany - the "Barbarossa" plan. It stipulated that the Soviet Union should be completely defeated within 3-4 months of the summer and autumn of 1941, that is, during a lightning war ("blitzkrieg"). By November 1941, German troops were to capture the entire European part of the USSR. According to the "Ost" ("East") plan, it was planned to exterminate a significant part of the population of the Soviet Union, primarily Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, as well as all Jews and Gypsies - no less than 30 million people in total. None of the peoples inhabiting the USSR should have had the right to their statehood or even autonomy.

Already on June 23, the commander of the Leningrad Military District, Lieutenant General M.M. Popov, was ordered to start work on the creation of an additional defense line in the Pskov direction in the Luga area.

On July 4, this decision was confirmed by the Directive of the Headquarters of the main command, signed by G.K. Zhukov.

Finland's entry into the war

On June 17, 1941, a decree was issued in Finland on the mobilization of the entire field army, and on June 20, the mobilized army concentrated on the Soviet-Finnish border. On June 21-25, the naval and air forces of Germany operated from the territory of Finland against the USSR. On June 25, 1941, in the morning, by order of the Headquarters of the Air Force of the Northern Front, together with the aviation of the Baltic Fleet, they inflicted a massive strike on nineteen (according to other sources - 18) airfields in Finland and Northern Norway. The aircraft of the Finnish Air Force and the German 5th Air Army were based there. On the same day, the Finnish parliament voted for war with the USSR.

On June 29, 1941, Finnish troops, crossing the state border, began a ground operation against the USSR.

The exit of enemy troops to Leningrad

In the first 18 days of the offensive, the 4th tank group of the enemy covered more than 600 kilometers in battles (at a rate of 30-35 km per day), forcing the Western Dvina and Velikaya rivers.

On July 4, units of the Wehrmacht entered the Leningrad Region, crossing the Velikaya River and overcoming the fortifications of the "Stalin Line" in the direction of the Ostrov.

On July 5-6, enemy troops occupied the city, and on July 9, Pskov, located 280 kilometers from Leningrad. From Pskov, the shortest way to Leningrad is along the Kiev highway, which runs through Luga.

On July 19, by the time of the advance of the German units, the Luga defensive line was well prepared in engineering terms: defensive structures were built with a length of 175 kilometers and a total depth of 10-15 kilometers. The defensive structures were built by the hands of Leningraders, mostly women and adolescents (men went into the army and the militia).

The German offensive was delayed near the Luga fortified area. Reports from the commanders of the German troops to the headquarters:

Panzer group Gepner, whose vanguards were exhausted and tired, only slightly advanced in the direction of Leningrad.

Gepner's offensive is stopped ... People are fighting, as before, with great ferocity.

The command of the Leningrad Front took advantage of the delay of Gepner, who was awaiting reinforcements, and prepared to meet the enemy, using, among other things, the newest heavy tanks KV-1 and KV-2, which had just been produced by the Kirov plant. In 1941 alone, more than 700 tanks were built that remained in the city. During the same time, 480 armored vehicles and 58 armored trains were produced, often armed with powerful naval guns. At the Rzhevsky artillery range, a battle-worthy ship gun with a caliber of 406 mm was found. It was intended for the head battleship Sovetsky Soyuz, which was already on the slipway. This weapon was used when firing at German positions. The German offensive was suspended for several weeks. Enemy troops failed to capture the city on the move. This delay caused strong discontent with Hitler, who made a special trip to Army Group North in order to prepare a plan for the capture of Leningrad no later than September 1941. In conversations with the military leaders, the Fuhrer, in addition to purely military arguments, gave many political arguments. He believed that the capture of Leningrad would give not only a military gain (control over all Baltic coasts and the destruction of the Baltic Fleet), but also bring huge political dividends. The Soviet Union will lose the city, which, being the cradle of the October Revolution, has a special symbolic meaning for the Soviet state. In addition, Hitler considered it very important not to give the Soviet command the opportunity to withdraw troops from the Leningrad region and use them in other sectors of the front. He counted on destroying the troops defending the city.

In long exhausting battles, overcoming crises in different places, German troops prepared for the storming of the city for a month. The Baltic Fleet approached the city with its 153 main guns of naval artillery, as the experience of the defense of Tallinn showed, in its combat effectiveness superior to the guns of the same caliber of coastal artillery, also numbering 207 barrels near Leningrad. The sky of the city was protected by the 2nd Air Defense Corps. The highest density of anti-aircraft artillery in the defense of Moscow, Leningrad and Baku was 8-10 times greater than in the defense of Berlin and London.

On August 14-15, the Germans managed to break through the swampy terrain, bypassing the Luga UR from the west and, forcing the Luga River near Bolshoy Sabsk, to reach the operational space in front of Leningrad.

On June 29, crossing the border, the Finnish army began hostilities on the Karelian Isthmus. On July 31, a major Finnish offensive began in the direction of Leningrad. By the beginning of September, the Finns crossed the old Soviet-Finnish border on the Karelian Isthmus that existed before the signing of the 1940 peace treaty to a depth of 20 km, stopped at the turn of the Karelian fortified area. Communication between Leningrad and the rest of the country through the territories occupied by Finland was restored in the summer of 1944.

On September 4, 1941, General Jodl, Chief of the General Staff of the German Armed Forces, was sent to Mannerheim's headquarters in Mikkeli. But he was refused the participation of the Finns in the attack on Leningrad. Instead, Mannerheim launched a successful offensive in the north of Ladoga, cutting off the Kirov railway and the White Sea-Baltic Canal in the area of ​​Lake Onega, thereby blocking the route for the supply of goods to Leningrad.

It was on September 4, 1941 that the city was subjected to the first artillery shelling from the side of the city of Tosno occupied by German troops:

“In September 1941, on the instructions of the command, a small group of officers drove in a lorry and a half along Lesnoy Avenue from the Levashovo airfield. A little ahead of us was a crowded tram. He slows down before stopping where a large group of people are waiting. A shell burst, and many at the stop fall, bleeding. The second gap, the third ... The tram was smashed to pieces. Heaps of the dead. The wounded and maimed, mostly women and children, are scattered across the cobblestone pavement, moaning and crying. A fair-haired boy of about seven or eight years old, who miraculously survived at the bus stop, covering his face with both hands, weeps over his murdered mother and repeats: - Mommy, what have they done ... "

On September 6, 1941, Hitler, by his order (Weisung No. 35), stopped the offensive of the group of forces "North" to Leningrad, which had already reached the suburbs of the city, and gave the order to Field Marshal Leeb to hand over all Heepner's tanks and a significant number of troops in order to start "as soon as possible" attack on Moscow. Subsequently, the Germans, having given their tanks to the central sector of the front, continued to encircle the city with a blockade ring no more than 15 km away from the city center, and went over to a long blockade. In this situation, Hitler, realistically imagining the enormous losses that he would have suffered by entering the city battles, by his decision doomed his population to starvation.

On September 8, the soldiers of the "North" group captured the city of Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost). From that day on, the blockade of the city, which lasted for 872 days, began.

On the same day, German troops unexpectedly quickly found themselves in the suburbs of the city. German motorcyclists even stopped a tram on the southern outskirts of the city (route 28 Stremyannaya street - Strelna). At the same time, the information about closing the encirclement ring was not reported to the Soviet high command, hoping for a breakthrough. And on September 13, Leningradskaya Pravda wrote:

The assertion of the Germans that they managed to cut all the railways connecting Leningrad with The Soviet Union, is a common exaggeration for the German command

This silence cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of townspeople, as the decision to bring food was taken too late.

All summer, day and night, about half a million people created defense lines in the city. One of them, the most fortified, called "Stalin's Line", ran along the Obvodny Canal. Many of the houses on the line of defense have been turned into permanent strongholds of resistance.

On September 13, Zhukov arrived in the city, who took over command of the front on September 14, when, contrary to popular belief, replicated by numerous feature films, the German offensive had already been stopped, the front was stabilized, and the enemy canceled his decision to storm.

Problems of evacuation of residents

The situation at the beginning of the blockade

The evacuation of residents of the city began on June 29, 1941 (the first trains) and was of an organized nature. At the end of June, the City Evacuation Commission was established. Explanatory work began among the population about the need to leave Leningrad, since many residents did not want to leave their homes. Before the German attack on the USSR, there were no pre-developed plans for the evacuation of the population of Leningrad. The possibility of the Germans reaching the city was considered minimal.

First wave of evacuation

The very first stage of the evacuation lasted from June 29 to August 27, when the Wehrmacht units seized the railway linking Leningrad with the regions lying to the east of it. This period was characterized by two features:

• The reluctance of residents to leave the city;
• Many children from Leningrad were evacuated to the districts of the Leningrad region. This subsequently led to the fact that 175,000 children were returned back to Leningrad.

During this period, 488,703 people were taken out of the city, of which 219,691 were children (395,091 were taken out, but later 175,000 were returned back) and 164,320 workers and employees who were evacuated together with enterprises.

Second wave of evacuation

In the second period, the evacuation was carried out in three ways:

• evacuation through Lake Ladoga by water transport to Novaya Ladoga, and then to st. Volkhovstroy by motor transport;
• evacuation by aviation;
• evacuation along an ice road across Lake Ladoga.

During this period, 33,479 people were transported by water transport (of which 14,854 people were not the Leningrad population), by aviation - 35,114 (of which 16,956 were not the Leningrad population), by marching order through Lake Ladoga and unorganized vehicles from the end of December 1941 to January 22, 1942 - 36,118 people (the population is not from Leningrad), from January 22 to April 15, 1942 along the "Road of Life" - 554,186 people.

In total, during the second period of evacuation - from September 1941 to April 1942 - about 659 thousand people were evacuated from the city, mainly along the "Road of Life" through Lake Ladoga.

Third wave of evacuation

From May to October 1942, 403 thousand people were taken out. In total, during the blockade, 1.5 million people were evacuated from the city. By October 1942, the evacuation was complete.

Consequences

Implications for evacuees

Some of the emaciated people taken out of the city were never saved. Several thousand people died from the effects of starvation after they were transported to the "mainland". Doctors did not immediately learn to care for starving people. There were cases when they died, having received a large amount of high-quality food, which for a depleted organism turned out to be essentially poison. At the same time, there could have been much more victims if the local authorities of the regions where the evacuees were stationed had not made extraordinary efforts to provide Leningraders with food and qualified medical care.

Implications for urban governance

The blockade became a cruel test for all city services and departments that ensured the life of the huge city. Leningrad gave a unique experience of organizing life in conditions of hunger. Attention is drawn to the following fact: during the blockade, unlike many other cases of mass famine, there were no major epidemics, despite the fact that the hygiene in the city was, of course, much lower than the normal level due to the almost complete lack of running water. sewerage and heating. Of course, the harsh winter of 1941-1942 helped to prevent epidemics. At the same time, the researchers point to effective preventive measures taken by the authorities and the medical service.

“The most severe famine during the blockade was, as a result of which the inhabitants developed dystrophy. 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. "

Autumn 1941

Blitzkrieg failed

At the end of August 1941, the German offensive resumed. German units broke through the Luga defensive line and rushed to Leningrad. On September 8, the enemy reached Lake Ladoga, captured Shlisselburg, taking control of the source of the Neva, and blockaded Leningrad from land. This day is considered the day of the beginning of the blockade. All railway, river and road communications were severed. Communication with Leningrad was now supported only by air and Lake Ladoga. From the north, the city was blocked by Finnish troops, which were stopped by the 23rd army at the Karelian UR. Only the only railway connection with the coast of Lake Ladoga from the Finland Station has survived - the Road of Life.

This partly confirms the fact that the Finns stopped on the orders of Mannerheim (according to his memoirs, he agreed to take the post of supreme commander of the Finnish troops on the condition that he would not conduct an offensive against the city), at the turn of the state border in 1939, that is, the border that existed between The USSR and Finland on the eve Soviet-Finnish war 1939-1940, on the other hand, is disputed by Isaev and N. I. Baryshnikov:

The legend that the Finnish army set only the task of returning what was taken by the Soviet Union in 1940 was later invented in hindsight. If on the Karelian Isthmus the crossing of the 1939 border was of an episodic nature and was caused by tactical tasks, then between the Ladoga and Onega lakes the old border was crossed along its entire length and to a great depth.

- Isaev A.V. Boilers of the 41st. The history of the Second World War, which we did not know. - S. 54.

On September 11, 1941, Finnish President Risto Ryti told the German envoy in Helsinki:

If Petersburg no longer exists as a large city, then the Neva would be the best border on the Karelian Isthmus ... Leningrad must be liquidated as a large city.

- from the statement of Risto Ryti to the German ambassador on September 11, 1941 (words of Baryshnikov, the source is not verified).

The total area of ​​Leningrad and its suburbs taken into the ring was about 5000 km².

The situation at the front from June 22 to December 5, 1941

According to G.K. Zhukov, “the situation that developed near Leningrad, Stalin at that moment assessed as catastrophic. He even used the word "hopeless" once. He said that, apparently, several more days would pass, and Leningrad would have to be considered lost. " After the end of the Elninsky operation, by order of September 11, G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the Leningrad Front, and began his duties on September 14.

On September 4, 1941, the Germans began regular shelling of Leningrad, although their decision to storm the city remained in effect until September 12, when Hitler's order to cancel it followed, that is, Zhukov arrived two days after the cancellation of the order for the assault (September 14). The local leadership prepared the main factories for the explosion. All ships of the Baltic Fleet were to be sunk. Trying to stop the enemy offensive, Zhukov did not stop at the most cruel measures. At the end of the month, he signed encryption program no. 4976 with the following text:

"Explain to all personnel that all families who surrendered to the enemy will be shot, and upon their return from captivity, they will also all be shot."

In particular, he issued an order that for unauthorized retreat and abandonment of the defensive line around the city, all commanders and soldiers were subject to immediate execution. The retreat stopped.

The soldiers who defended Leningrad these days fought to the death. Leeb continued his successful operations on the nearest approaches to the city. Its goal was to strengthen the blockade ring and divert the forces of the Leningrad Front from helping the 54th Army, which had begun to unblock the city. In the end, the enemy stopped 4-7 km from the city, in fact, in the suburbs. The front line, that is, the trenches where the soldiers were sitting, passed only 4 km from the Kirov plant and 16 km from Winter Palace... Despite the proximity of the front, the Kirov plant did not stop working throughout the entire period of the blockade. There was even a tram running from the factory to the front line. It was a regular tram line from the city center to the suburbs, but now it was used to transport soldiers and ammunition.

The beginning of the food crisis

Ideology of the German side

Hitler's directive No. 1601 of September 22, 1941 "The future of the city of St. Petersburg" (German Weisung No. Ia 1601/41 vom 22. September 1941 "Die Zukunft der Stadt Petersburg") stated with all certainty:

"2. The Fuhrer decided to wipe out the city of Leningrad from the face of the earth. After defeat Soviet Russia the further existence of this largest settlement is of no interest ...

4. It is supposed to surround the city with a tight ring and by shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombardment from the air to level it to the ground. If, as a result of the situation in the city, requests for surrender are announced, they will be rejected, since the problems associated with the stay of the population in the city and its food supply cannot and should not be solved by us. In this war waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving at least part of the population. "

According to Jodl's testimony during the Nuremberg Trials,

“During the siege of Leningrad, Field Marshal von Leeb, commander of Army Group North, told OKW that streams of civilian refugees from Leningrad were seeking refuge in the German trenches and that he was unable to feed and care for them. The Fuehrer immediately gave an order (dated October 7, 1941, No. S.123) not to accept refugees and push them back into enemy territory. "

It should be noted that in the same order No. S.123 there was the following clarification:

“... not a single German soldier should enter these cities and Leningrad. Whoever leaves the city against our lines must be driven back by fire.

Small unguarded passages that make it possible for the population to go out one by one for evacuation to the inner regions of Russia should only be welcomed. The population must be forced to flee the city with the help of artillery shelling and aerial bombardment. The larger the population of cities, running deep into Russia, the more chaos the enemy will have and the easier it will be for us to manage and use the occupied regions. All senior officers should be aware of this desire of the Fuhrer "

German military leaders protested against the order to shoot civilians and they said that the troops would not carry out such an order, but Hitler was adamant.

Changing war tactics

The battles near Leningrad did not stop, but their character changed. German troops began to destroy the city with massive artillery shelling and bombing. The bombing and artillery strikes in October - November 1941 were especially strong. The Germans dropped several thousand incendiary bombs on Leningrad in order to cause massive fires. They paid special attention to the destruction of warehouses with food, and they succeeded in this task. So, in particular, on September 10, they managed to bomb the famous Badayevsky warehouses, where there were significant food supplies. The fire was enormous, thousands of tons of food were burned, molten sugar flowed through the city, absorbed into the ground. Nevertheless, contrary to popular belief, this bombing could not become the main reason for the ensuing food crisis, since Leningrad, like any other metropolis, is supplied "from the wheels", and the food stocks destroyed along with the warehouses would be enough for the city only for a few days ...

Learned from this bitter lesson, city officials began to pay special attention to camouflaging food supplies, which were now stored only in small batches. So hunger became the most important factor that determined the fate of the population of Leningrad. The blockade imposed by the German army was deliberately aimed at the extinction of the urban population.

The fate of the townspeople: demographic factors

As of January 1, 1941, a little less than three million people lived in Leningrad. The city was characterized by a higher than usual percentage of the disabled population, including children and the elderly. It was also distinguished by an unfavorable military-strategic position associated with its proximity to the border and isolation from raw materials and fuel bases. At the same time, the city medical and sanitary service of Leningrad was one of the best in the country.

Theoretically, the Soviet side could have had the option of withdrawing troops and surrendering Leningrad to the enemy without a fight (using the terminology of that time, declare Leningrad “ open city", As happened, for example, with Paris). However, if we take into account Hitler's plans for the future of Leningrad (or, more precisely, his lack of any future at all), there is no reason to assert that the fate of the city's population in the event of surrender would be better than the fate of the real conditions of the blockade.

The actual start of the blockade

The blockade began on September 8, 1941, when land communications between Leningrad and the whole country were interrupted. However, residents of the city had lost the opportunity to leave Leningrad two weeks earlier: the railway service was interrupted on August 27, and tens of thousands of people gathered at the stations and in the suburbs, waiting for the possibility of a breakthrough to the east. The situation was further complicated by the fact that at the beginning of the war Leningrad was flooded with at least 300,000 refugees from the Baltic republics and neighboring Russian regions.

The catastrophic food situation of the city became clear on September 12, when the inspection and accounting of all food supplies were completed. Food ration cards were introduced in Leningrad on July 17, that is, even before the blockade, but this was done only in order to put things in order in the supply. The city entered the war with a normal supply of food. The rationing ration of food was high, and there was no shortage of food before the blockade began. The decrease in the norms for the dispensing of products first took place on 15 September. In addition, on September 1, the free sale of food was prohibited (this measure was in effect until mid-1944). While the “black market” continued, the official sale of products in so-called commercial stores at market prices ceased.

In October, residents of the city experienced a clear shortage of food, and in November, a real famine began in Leningrad. The first cases of loss of consciousness from hunger on the streets and at work, the first cases of death from exhaustion, and then the first cases of cannibalism were noted. In February 1942, more than 600 people were convicted of cannibalism, in March - more than a thousand. It was extremely difficult to replenish food supplies: it was impossible to supply such a large city by air, and shipping on Lake Ladoga temporarily stopped due to the onset of cold weather. At the same time, the ice on the lake was still very weak so that cars could pass on it. All these transport communications were under constant enemy fire.

Despite the lowest norms for the distribution of bread, death from hunger has not yet become a mass phenomenon, and the bulk of the dead so far were victims of bombing and artillery shelling.

Winter 1941-1942

Leningrader rations

In the collective and state farms of the blockade ring, everything that could be useful for food was collected from the fields and vegetable gardens. However, all these measures could not save from hunger. On November 20 - for the fifth time to the population and for the third time to the troops - it was necessary to reduce the norms for the distribution of grain. The warriors on the front line began to receive 500 grams per day; workers - 250 grams; employees, dependents and warriors not on the front line - 125 grams. And apart from bread, almost nothing. Famine began in besieged Leningrad.

Based on the actual consumption, the availability of basic food products on September 12 was (figures are given according to the accounting data made by the trade department of the Leningrad City Executive Committee, the commissariat of the front and the KBF):

Grain and flour for 35 days

Groats and pasta for 30 days

Meat and meat products for 33 days

Fat for 45 days

Sugar and confectionery for 60 days

The norms for the release of goods on food ration cards introduced in the city back in July, due to the blockade of the city, decreased, and turned out to be minimal from November 20 to December 25, 1941. The size of the food ration was:

For workers - 250 grams of bread per day,

Employees, dependents and children under 12 years old - 125 grams each,

The personnel of the paramilitary guards, fire brigades, fighter detachments, vocational schools and schools of the FZO, who were on the boiler allowance - 300 grams,

For the troops of the first line - 500 grams.

At the same time, up to 50% of the bread was made up of practically inedible impurities, which were added instead of flour. All other products have almost ceased to be dispensed: already on September 23, beer production stopped, and all stocks of malt, barley, soybeans and bran were transferred to bakeries in order to reduce the consumption of flour. On September 24, 40% of bread consisted of malt, oats and husks, and later cellulose (at different times from 20 to 50%). On December 25, 1941, the norms for the distribution of bread were increased - the population of Leningrad began to receive 350 g of bread for a work card and 200 g for an employee, child and dependent. On February 11, new supply standards were introduced: 500 grams of bread for workers, 400 for employees, 300 for children and non-workers. Impurities have almost disappeared from the bread. But the main thing is that the supply has become regular, the products on the cards have begun to be issued on time and almost completely. On February 16, for the first time, quality meat was issued - frozen beef and lamb. In the food situation in the city, a turning point has been outlined.

Residents alert system

Metronome

In the first months of the blockade, 1,500 loudspeakers were installed on the streets of Leningrad. The radio network carried information for the population about raids and air raids. The famous metronome, which went down in the history of the siege of Leningrad as a cultural monument of the population's resistance, was broadcast through this network during the raids. A fast rhythm meant an air raid, a slow rhythm meant a hang-up. The announcer Mikhail Melaned also announced the alarm.

The deterioration of the situation in the city

In November 1941, the situation of the townspeople deteriorated sharply. Deaths from hunger have become widespread. Special funeral services daily picked up about a hundred corpses only on the streets.

Countless stories have survived of people falling from weakness and dying - at home or at work, in shops or on the streets. Elena Scriabin, a resident of the besieged city, wrote in her diary:

“Now they die so simply: first they stop being interested in anything, then they go to bed and don't get up anymore.

“Death rules the city. People die and die. Today, as I walked down the street, a man was walking in front of me. He could hardly move his legs. Overtaking him, I involuntarily drew attention to the eerie blue face. I thought to myself: probably, she will soon die. Here one could really say that the seal of death was on the person's face. After a few steps I turned around, stopped, followed him. He sank down on the curbstone, his eyes rolled back, then he slowly began to slide to the ground. When I approached him, he was already dead. People are so weak from hunger that they do not resist death. They die as if they are falling asleep. And the surrounding half-dead people do not pay any attention to them. Death has become a phenomenon observed at every step. They got used to it, complete indifference appeared: after all, not today - tomorrow such a fate awaits everyone. When you leave the house in the morning, you come across corpses lying in the gateway, on the street. The corpses lie for a long time, since there is no one to remove them.

D.V. Pavlov, authorized by the State Defense Committee for the provision of food for Leningrad and the Leningrad Front, writes:

“The period from mid-November 1941 to the end of January 1942 was the most difficult during the blockade. Internal resources by this time were completely depleted, and the delivery through Lake Ladoga was carried out in insignificant amounts. People pinned all their hopes and aspirations on the winter road. "

Despite the low temperatures in the city, part of the water supply network worked, so dozens of water taps were opened, from which residents of neighboring houses could take water. Most of the Vodokanal workers were transferred to a barracks position, but residents also had to take water from damaged pipes and ice holes.

The number of victims of hunger grew rapidly - every day more than 4,000 people died in Leningrad, which was a hundred times higher than the death rate in peacetime. There were days when 6-7 thousand people died. In December alone, 52,881 people died, while losses in January-February were 199,187. Male mortality significantly exceeded female mortality - for every 100 deaths, there were on average 63 men and 37 women. By the end of the war, women made up the bulk of the urban population.

Exposure to cold

Cold has become another important factor in the rise in mortality. With the onset of winter, the city practically ran out of fuel reserves: electricity generation was only 15% of the pre-war level. Stopped centralized heating houses, froze or were cut off water supply and sewerage. Work has stopped at almost all factories and plants (except for defense). Often came to workplace the townspeople could not do their job due to the lack of water, heat and energy supplies.

The winter of 1941-1942 turned out to be much colder and longer than usual. Ironically, the winter of 1941-1942 in terms of aggregate indicators is the coldest for the entire period of systematic instrumental observations of the weather in St. Petersburg - Leningrad. The average daily temperature steadily dropped below 0 ° С on October 11, and became steadily positive after April 7, 1942 - the climatic winter was 178 days, that is, half a year. During this period, there were 14 days with an average daily t> 0 ° С, mainly in October, that is, there were practically no thaws familiar to winter Leningrad weather. Even in May 1942, there were 4 days with a negative average daily temperature, on May 7, the maximum daytime temperature rose only to +0.9 ° С. There was also a lot of snow in winter: the depth of the snow cover by the end of winter was more than half a meter. In terms of the maximum height of snow cover (53 cm), April 1942 is the record holder for the entire observation period, up to 2010 inclusive.

The average monthly temperature in October was +1.4 ° C (the average for the period 1743-2010 is + 4.9 ° C), which is 3.5 ° C below the norm. In the middle of the month, frosts reached -6 ° С. By the end of the month, the snow cover was established.

average temperature November 1941 was −4.2 ° С (average long-term - −0.8 ° С), the temperature variation was from +1.6 to −13.8 ° С.

In December, the average monthly temperature dropped to −12.5 ° С (with a long-term average of −5.6 ° С). The temperature ranged from +1.6 to -25.3 ° C.

The first month of 1942 was the coldest this winter. The average temperature of the month was −18.7 ° С (the average temperature for the period 1743-2010 was −8.3 ° С). The frost reached -32.1 ° С, the maximum temperature was + 0.7 ° С. The average snow depth reached 41 cm (the average depth for 1890-1941 was 23 cm).

The February mean monthly temperature was −12.4 ° С (average long-term - −7.9 ° С), the temperature variation was from −0.6 to −25.2 ° С.

March was slightly warmer than February - average t = −11.6 ° С (with an average long-term t = −4 ° С). The temperature varied from +3.6 to -29.1 ° С in the middle of the month. March 1942 was the coldest in the history of meteorological observations in 2010.

The average monthly temperature in April was close to the average values ​​(+ 2.8 ° C) and amounted to +1.8 ° C, while the minimum temperature was -14.4 ° C.

In the book "Memoirs" by Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, it is said about the years of the blockade:

“The cold was somehow internal. He permeated everything through and through. The body was generating too little heat.

The human mind was the last to die. If the arms and legs had already refused to serve you, if the fingers could no longer fasten the buttons of the coat, if the person no longer had any strength to close his mouth with a scarf, if the skin around the mouth became dark, if the face looked like the skull of a dead man with bared front teeth - the brain continued to work. People wrote diaries and believed that they would be able to live one more day. "

Heating and transport system

Special mini-stoves and potbelly stoves have become the main heating agent for most of the inhabited apartments. They burned everything that could burn, including furniture and books. Wooden houses dismantled for firewood. Fuel extraction has become the most important part of the life of Leningraders. Due to the lack of electricity and massive destruction of the contact network, the movement of urban electric transport, primarily trams, stopped. This event was an important factor contributing to the rise in mortality.

According to D.S.Likhachev,

“… When a tram stop added to the usual daily work load another two or three hours of walking from home to work and back, this led to additional expenditure of calories. Very often people died from sudden cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness and freezing on the way. "

"The candle burned from both ends" - these words expressively characterized the situation of a city dweller who lived in conditions of starvation rations and enormous physical and mental stress. In most cases, families did not die out immediately, but one at a time, gradually. As long as someone could walk, he brought food rations. The streets were covered with snow, which did not clear all winter, so movement on them was very difficult.

Organization of hospitals and canteens for enhanced nutrition.

By the decision of the bureau of the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Leningrad City Executive Committee, an additional health food on higher rates in special hospitals established at factories and factories, as well as in 105 city canteens. The hospitals functioned from January 1 to May 1, 1942 and served 60 thousand people. From the end of April 1942, by the decision of the Leningrad City Executive Committee, the network of canteens with reinforced food was expanded. On the territory of factories, plants and institutions, instead of hospitals, 89 were created. 64 canteens were organized outside the enterprises. Food in these canteens was made according to specially approved standards. From April 25 to July 1, 1942, 234 thousand people used them, of which 69% were workers, 18.5% were employees and 12.5% ​​were dependents.

In January 1942, a hospital for scientists and creative workers began to work at the Astoria Hotel. In the dining room of the House of Scientists, 200 to 300 people ate during the winter months. On December 26, 1941, the Leningrad City Executive Committee ordered the Gastronom office to organize, with home delivery, a one-time sale at state prices without food cards to academicians and corresponding members of the USSR Academy of Sciences: animal oil - 0.5 kg, wheat flour - 3 kg, canned meat or fish - 2 boxes, sugar 0.5 kg, eggs - 3 dozen, chocolate - 0.3 kg, cookies - 0.5 kg, and grape wine - 2 bottles.

By the decision of the city executive committee, in January 1942, new orphanages were opened in the city. For 5 months, 85 orphanages were organized in Leningrad, accepting 30 thousand children left without parents. The command of the Leningrad Front and the city leadership strove to provide orphanages with the necessary food. The decree of the Military Council of the Front of February 7, 1942 approved the following monthly norms for the supply of orphanages per child: meat - 1.5 kg, fats - 1 kg, eggs - 15 pieces, sugar - 1.5 kg, tea - 10 g, coffee - 30 g , cereals and pasta - 2.2 kg, wheat bread - 9 kg, wheat flour - 0.5 kg, dried fruits - 0.2 kg, potato flour - 0.15 kg.

Universities open their own hospitals, where scientists and other employees of universities could rest for 7-14 days and receive enhanced nutrition, which consisted of 20 g of coffee, 60 g of fat, 40 g of sugar, or confectionery, 100 g of meat, 200 g of cereals, 0.5 eggs, 350 g of bread, 50 g of wine per day, and the products were handed out with coupons cut out from food cards.

In the first half of 1942, hospitals, and then canteens of enhanced nutrition, played a huge role in the fight against hunger, the restoration of strength and health of a significant number of patients, which saved thousands of Leningraders from death. This is evidenced by numerous reviews of the blockade themselves and the data of polyclinics.

In the second half of 1942, to overcome the effects of hunger, the following patients were hospitalized: in October - 12 699, in November 14 738 patients in need of enhanced nutrition. As of January 1, 1943, 270 thousand Leningraders received food supplies that were increased in comparison with the all-Union norms, another 153 thousand people attended canteens with three meals a day, which became possible thanks to the navigation of 1942, which was more successful than in 1941.

Use of food substitutes

An important role in overcoming the problem of food supply was played by the use of food substitutes, the conversion of old enterprises to their production and the creation of new ones. In the certificate of the secretary of the city committee of the CPSU (b) Ya.F. Kapustin addressed to A.A. Zhdanov, it is reported about the use of substitutes in the bread, meat, confectionery, dairy, canning industry, and in public catering. For the first time in the USSR, food cellulose produced at 6 enterprises was used in the baking industry, which made it possible to increase the baking of bread by 2,230 tons. Soy flour, intestines, technical albumin obtained from egg white, animal blood plasma, and whey were used as additives in the manufacture of meat products. As a result, an additional 1,360 tons of meat products were produced, including table sausage - 380 tons, jelly 730 tons, albumin sausage - 170 tons and vegetable blood loaf - 80 tons. The dairy industry processed 320 tons of soybeans and 25 tons of cotton cake, which gave additional production of 2,617 tons, including: soy milk 1,360 tons, soy milk products (curdled milk, cottage cheese, cheesecakes, etc.) - 942 tons. A group of scientists from the Forestry Academy under the leadership of V.I. wood. The technology of preparation of vitamin C in the form of an infusion of pine needles was widely used. Until December alone, more than 2 million doses of this vitamin were manufactured. In public catering, jelly was widely used, which was prepared from vegetable milk, juices, glycerin and gelatin. For the production of jelly, waste oat grinding and cranberry cake were also used. Food industry the city produced glucose, oxalic acid, carotene, tannin.

Attempts to break the blockade. "The road of life"

Breakout attempt. Bridgehead "Nevsky Piglet"

In the fall of 1941, immediately after the establishment of the blockade, Soviet troops undertook two operations to restore land communications between Leningrad and the rest of the country. The offensive was carried out in the area of ​​the so-called "Sinyavinsko-Shlisselburg salient", the width of which along the southern coast of Lake Ladoga was only 12 km. However, German troops were able to create powerful fortifications. The Soviet army suffered heavy losses, but was never able to move forward. The soldiers who broke through the blockade ring from the side of Leningrad were severely exhausted.

The main battles were fought on the so-called "Nevsky Pyatachka" - a narrow strip of land 500-800 meters wide and about 2.5-3.0 km long (according to I.G. Svyatov's recollections) on the left bank of the Neva, held by the troops of the Leningrad Front ... The entire patch was shot by the enemy, and Soviet troops, constantly trying to expand this bridgehead, suffered heavy losses. However, it was by no means possible to surrender the patch, otherwise the deep Neva would have to be forced through anew, and the task of breaking the blockade would have become much more complicated. In 1941-1943, about 50,000 Soviet soldiers were killed on the Nevsky Pyatachka.

At the beginning of 1942, the high Soviet command, inspired by the success in the Tikhvin offensive operation and clearly underestimating the enemy, decided to attempt by the forces of the Volkhov Front, supported by the Leningrad Front, to completely liberate Leningrad from the enemy blockade. However, the Luban operation, which initially had strategic tasks, developed with great difficulty, and ultimately ended in a severe defeat for the Red Army. In August - September 1942, Soviet troops made another attempt to break the blockade. Although the Sinyavinskaya operation did not achieve its goals, the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts managed to thwart the plan of the German command to seize Leningrad under the code name "Northern Lights" (German Nordlicht).

Thus, during 1941-1942, several attempts were made to break the blockade, but all of them were unsuccessful. The area between Lake Ladoga and the village of Mga, in which the distance between the lines of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts was only 12-16 kilometers (the so-called "Sinyavinsko-Shlisselburg salient"), continued to firmly hold parts of the 18th Army of the Wehrmacht.

The Road of Life is the name of the ice road through Ladoga in the winters of 1941-42 and 1942-43, after the ice reached a thickness that allowed the transportation of goods of any weight. The road of life was actually the only remedy communication of Leningrad with the mainland.

“In the spring of 1942, when I was 16 years old, I had just graduated from the school of chauffeurs, and went to Leningrad to work on a lorry. Just my first flight was through Ladoga. Cars broke down one after another and food for the city was loaded into the cars not just "to the eyeballs", but much more. It seemed that the car was about to fall apart! I drove exactly half the way and I only had time to hear the crackling of ice, as my "lorry" was under water. I was saved. I don't remember how, but I woke up already on the ice about fifty meters from the hole where the car fell. I quickly began to freeze. They drove me back in a passing car. Someone threw on me either an overcoat, or something like that, but it did not help. My clothes began to freeze and no longer felt my fingertips. Passing by, I saw two more drowned cars and people trying to save the cargo.

I was in the blockade area for another six months. The worst thing that I saw was when the bodies of people and horses floated up during the ice drift. The water seemed black and red ... "

Spring-summer 1942

The first breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad

On March 29, 1942, a partisan train with food for the residents of the city arrived in Leningrad from the Pskov and Novgorod regions. The event was of great propaganda significance and demonstrated the enemy's inability to control the rear of its troops, and the possibility of unblocking the city by the regular Red Army, since the partisans managed to do this.

Organization of subsidiary plots

On March 19, 1942, the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council adopted a regulation "On personal consumer gardens of workers and their associations", providing for the development of personal consumer gardening both in the city itself and in the suburbs. In addition to the individual gardening proper, subsidiary plots were also created at enterprises. For this, vacant plots of land adjacent to the enterprises were cleared, and the employees of the enterprises, according to the lists approved by the heads of the enterprises, were provided with plots of 2-3 acres for personal gardens. The subsidiary farms were guarded around the clock by the personnel of the enterprises. Garden owners were assisted in purchasing seedlings and their economical use... So, when planting potatoes, only small parts of the fruit with a sprouted "eye" were used.

In addition, the Leningrad City Executive Committee ordered some enterprises to provide residents with the necessary equipment, as well as to issue benefits for agriculture("Agricultural rules for individual vegetable growing", articles in Leningradskaya Pravda, etc.).

In total, in the spring of 1942, 633 subsidiary farms and 1468 associations of gardeners were created, the total gross collection from state farms, individual gardening and subsidiary farms amounted to 77 thousand tons.

Reducing street deaths

In the spring of 1942, due to warming and improved nutrition, the number of sudden deaths on the city streets decreased significantly. So, if in February about 7000 corpses were picked up on the streets of the city, then in April - about 600, and in May - 50 corpses. In March 1942, the entire working-age population went out to clean the city of garbage. In April-May 1942, there was a further improvement in the living conditions of the population: the restoration of communal services began. Many enterprises have resumed their work.

Restoring urban public transport traffic

On December 8, 1941, Lenenergo cut off the power supply and the traction substations were partially repaid. The next day, by decision of the city executive committee, eight tram routes were abolished. Subsequently, individual cars were still moving along the Leningrad streets, finally stopping on January 3, 1942 after the power supply was completely cut off. 52 trains have stopped in the snowy streets. Snow-covered trolleybuses stood on the streets all winter. More than 60 vehicles were destroyed, burned or seriously damaged. In the spring of 1942, the city authorities ordered the removal of cars from the highways. The trolleybuses could not go on their own, so they had to organize towing. On March 8, for the first time, voltage was applied to the network. The restoration of the city's tram facilities began, and a freight tram was launched. On April 15, 1942, power was given to the central substations and a regular passenger tram was launched. To reopen freight and passenger traffic, it was necessary to restore about 150 km of the overhead network - about half of the entire network operated at that time. The city authorities considered it inexpedient to start the trolleybus in the spring of 1942.

Official statistics

Incomplete figures of official statistics: with a pre-war mortality rate of 3,000 people, in January-February 1942 about 130,000 people died in the city every month, 100,000 people died in March, 50,000 people died in May, 25,000 people died in July, September - 7000 people. A radical decrease in mortality occurred due to the fact that the weakest have already died: the elderly, children, the sick. Now the main victims of the war among the civilian population were mainly those who died not from hunger, but from bomb attacks and artillery shelling. In total, according to the latest research, in the first, most difficult year of the blockade, approximately 780,000 Leningraders died.

1942-1943 years

1942 year. Intensification of shelling. Counter-battery fight

In April - May, the German command, during Operation Eissstoss, unsuccessfully tried to destroy the ships of the Baltic Fleet standing on the Neva.

By the summer, the leadership of Nazi Germany decided to intensify hostilities on the Leningrad Front, and, first of all, to intensify the shelling and bombing of the city.

New artillery batteries were deployed around Leningrad. In particular, super-heavy guns were deployed on railway platforms. They fired shells at a distance of 13, 22 and even 28 km. The weight of the shells reached 800-900 kg. The Germans drew up a map of the city and outlined several thousand of the most important targets, which were fired upon daily.

At this time, Leningrad turns into a powerful fortified region. 110 major defense centers were created, many thousands of kilometers of trenches, communication lines and other engineering structures were equipped. This made it possible to carry out a covert regrouping of troops, the withdrawal of soldiers from the front line, and the raising of reserves. As a result, the number of losses of our troops from shell fragments and enemy snipers was sharply reduced. Reconnaissance and camouflage of positions was established. Counter-battery combat is organized against enemy siege artillery. As a result, the intensity of the shelling of Leningrad by enemy artillery significantly decreased. For these purposes, the ship's artillery of the Baltic Fleet was skillfully used. The positions of heavy artillery of the Leningrad Front were pushed forward, part of it was transferred across the Gulf of Finland to the Oranienbaum bridgehead, which made it possible to increase the firing range, and to the flank and rear of the enemy artillery groups. Thanks to these measures, in 1943 the number of artillery shells that fell on the city decreased by about 7 times.

1943 year. Break of the blockade

On January 12, after artillery preparation, which began at 09:30 and lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, at 11:00 the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front and the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front went over to the offensive and by the end of the day advanced three kilometers towards each other. friend from the east and west. Despite the stubborn resistance of the enemy, by the end of January 13, the distance between the armies was reduced to 5-6 kilometers, and on January 14, to two kilometers. The enemy command, striving at all costs to keep Workers' villages No. 1 and 5 and strong points on the flanks of the breakthrough, hastily transferred its reserves, as well as units and subunits from other sectors of the front. The enemy grouping, located north of the villages, several times unsuccessfully tried to break through the narrow mouth to the south to their main forces.

On January 18, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts united in the area of ​​Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5. On the same day, Shlisselburg was liberated and the entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga was cleared of the enemy. A corridor 8-11 kilometers wide, punched along the coast, restored land communication between Leningrad and the country. In seventeen days, road and rail (the so-called "Victory Road") roads were laid along the coast. Subsequently, the troops of the 67th and 2nd Shock Armies tried to continue the offensive in the southern direction, but to no avail. The enemy continuously transferred fresh forces to the Sinyavino area: from January 19 to January 30, five divisions and a large number of artillery were brought up. To exclude the possibility of the enemy's repeated withdrawal to Lake Ladoga, the troops of the 67th and 2nd shock armies went over to the defensive. By the time the blockade was broken, about 800 thousand civilians remained in the city. Many of these people were evacuated to the rear during 1943.

Food factories began to gradually switch to peacetime products. It is known, for example, that already in 1943 at the Confectionery Factory named after NK Krupskaya three tons of sweets of the well-known Leningrad brand "Bear in the North" were produced.

After breaking through the blockade ring in the Shlisselburg area, the enemy, nevertheless, seriously strengthened the lines on the southern approaches to the city. The depth of the German lines of defense in the area of ​​the Oranienbaum bridgehead reached 20 km.

1944 year. Complete liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade

On January 14, the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts began the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation. Already by January 20, Soviet troops had achieved significant successes: the formations of the Leningrad Front defeated the Krasnoselsk-Ropsha enemy grouping, and units of the Volkhov Front liberated Novgorod. This allowed L.A. Govorov and A.A. Zhdanov on January 21 to address J.V. Stalin:

In connection with complete release Leningrad city from the enemy blockade and from enemy artillery shelling, please allow:

2. In honor of the victory won, fireworks in Leningrad on January 27 this year at 20.00 with twenty-four artillery salvoes from three hundred and twenty-four guns.

JV Stalin granted the request of the command of the Leningrad Front and on January 27 a salute was fired in Leningrad to commemorate the final liberation of the city from the blockade, 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, not Stalin. This privilege was not awarded to any of the front commanders during the Great Patriotic War.

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

About the besieged city through the decades

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

The Siege of Leningrad: Interesting Facts about the City's Significance for the Invaders

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

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

The northern capital was in the blockade ring for almost 900 days. In the entire history of human existence, this was the longest and most terrible siege of the city. that before the start of the blockade, part of the residents managed to be evacuated from Leningrad, a large number of townspeople continued to remain in it. These people suffered terrible torments, and not all of them managed to survive until the liberation of their hometown.

The horrors of hunger

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

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

Abnormal winter

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

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

On the "road of life" and life surrounded by the enemy

Until the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad took place, the only way by which residents were evacuated and supplied to the city was Lake Ladoga. It was used by trucks and horse-drawn carts in winter, and barges were running around the clock in summer. The narrow road, completely unprotected from air bombing, was the only link between besieged Leningrad and the world. Local residents called Lake Ladoga "the dear life", because if it were not for it, the victims of the Nazis would have been immeasurably greater.

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

Interesting facts about St. Isaac's Cathedral and cats

On the very last day of the siege of Leningrad, he was subjected to regular shelling. The shells that leveled many structures in the city flew around Saint Isaac's Cathedral... It is not known why the Nazis did not touch the building. There is a version that they used its high dome as a reference point for shelling the city. The basement of the cathedral served as a repository for the Leningraders for valuable museum exhibits, thanks to which they managed to be preserved intact until the very end of the war.

Not only the fascists were a problem for the townspeople while the blockade of Leningrad lasted. Interesting facts indicate that in the northern capital, rats were bred in large numbers. They destroyed those scanty food supplies that remained in the city. In order to save the population of Leningrad from starvation, 4 carriages of smoky cats, considered the best rat-catchers, were transported to it along the "road of life" from the Yaroslavl region. The animals coped with the mission entrusted to them with dignity and gradually destroyed the rodents, saving people from another hunger.

Ridding the city of enemy forces

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

Memory of the besieged Leningrad

January 27 in Russia marks the day when the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad took place. On this memorable date, the leaders of the country, church ministers and ordinary citizens come to St. Petersburg, where the ashes of hundreds of thousands of Leningraders who died from hunger and shelling are buried. 900 days of the siege of Leningrad will forever remain black page v national history and will remind people of the inhuman crimes of fascism.

Among the participants in those events who had to endure all the horrors of war, hunger, cold, the loss of loved ones and relatives, including the stars of cinema, theater, music, etc.

Janina Zheimo

The famous Soviet Cinderella lived for a whole year in the besieged city. Despite her small stature and fragility of the figure, the actress was enrolled in a fighter battalion. Just like all Leningraders, she hurried to work during the day, and at night she went to watch on the roofs of houses, to extinguish incendiary bombs.

In the worst days Janina Zheimo stayed in the city, filmed, performed in front of the soldiers with concerts, received her 125 grams of bread, so after years she said: "Hitler did one good deed - I lost weight."

Sergey Filippov

Reviewing military photos of those years, you can see a thin, emaciated man with a small piece of bread. This is a resident of besieged Leningrad, who is so similar to Sergei Filippov. It is difficult to say whether he is it or not, because no data about this has been preserved. All employees of the Comedy Theater, where the actor worked in 1941, were to be evacuated to Dushanbe.

Filippov could have stayed in the city, but he could have left. We do not undertake to claim that these two photos depict the same person, but the striking similarity is undoubtedly.

Leonid and Victor Kharitonov

After the appearance on the screens of "Soldier Ivan Brovkin" Leonid Kharitonov became a real idol. On the screen, he created the image of a good-natured, modest and charming, but unlucky guy who literally everyone fell in love with. The younger brother, Viktor Kharitonov, became an actor and director, founded the Experiment Theater. But all this happened after the war.

The terrible events of the 20th century also affected the Kharitonov family. In 1941, future artists Leonid and Viktor were only 11 and 4 years old. In besieged Leningrad, in order to survive, children even had to eat soap. According to his younger brother, it was because of this that Leonid developed an ulcer, which tormented him all his life.

In the newsreel of those years there is a frame with two very thin children, one of them is reading a book, and the other is sleeping on the steps - these are Lenya and Vitya.

About the blockade on the 23rd minute of the video

Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina

When the blockade began, the future actress was not even three years old. Her family at that time lived in one of the St. Petersburg communal apartments, which housed more than 40 people. That time Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina does not like to remember.

Like everyone else, she had to go through hunger, devastation, because of which she had to grow up quickly. After the siege of the city was over, my mother took Lida and her brother to her grandmother at Peno station.

Alisa Freundlich

Another actress who, on her own experience, felt the whole horror of war and life in the besieged city is Alisa Freundlich. In 1941, she had just started school. At the beginning of the war, their house, located in the very center of Leningrad, fell into a zone of intense shelling.

And in the winter of 1941 it was completely destroyed. To survive, as the actress recalls, she and her mother and grandmother had to cook wood glue and fill it with mustard for taste, which the thrifty grandmother saved from pre-war times.

Galina Vishnevskaya

The future opera singer spent all 900 days of the siege in Leningrad. At that time she was 15 years old. She lived with her grandmother. After the parents divorced, it was she who took over the upbringing of the girl. During the blockade, young Galya lost the most dear person for her - her grandmother.

After that, she began to serve in the air defense units of the city, helping as much as she could, including with her singing talent.

Ilya Reznik

In 1941, when the war began, he was only three years old. Ilya Reznik lived in Leningrad with his grandparents. The father went to the front (in 1944 he died), and the mother met another, remarried and gave birth to triplets, abandoned her eldest son. After the blockade was broken, the family was evacuated to Sverdlovsk and then returned.

Ilya Glazunov

The future artist was born into a hereditary noble family. Father was a historian, mother - nee Flug - great-granddaughter of the famous historian and extra, Konstantin Ivanovich Arsenyev, educator of Alexander II. All members of the large family of Ilya Glazunov (dad, mom, grandmother, aunt, uncle) died of starvation in besieged Leningrad.

And little Ilya, who was then 11 years old, was managed by relatives in 1942 to take out of the city along the "Road of Life".

Elena Obraztsova

The opera singer connects all her childhood memories with the besieged Leningrad. When the war began, she was 2 years old. Despite her young age, Elena Obraztsova remembered for her entire life the all-consuming feeling of hunger and cold, constant air raids, long lines for bread in 40-degree frost, draining corpses that were taken to the hospital.

In the spring of 1942, she managed to evacuate along the "Road of Life" to the Vologda Oblast.

Joseph Brodsky

The famous poet and prose writer was born in Leningrad in 1940 in an intelligent Jewish family. When he was one year old, the war and the siege of the city began. Due to his young age, he remembered little about it. In memory of the blockade, there is a photo of little Joseph on a sled. It was on them that his mother took him to the bakery.

During the bombing, little Joseph often had to be hidden in a laundry basket and taken to a bomb shelter. In April 1942, the family was evacuated from the city.

Valentina Leontieva

In 1941 she turned 17 years old. During the blockade, the fragile Valya Leontyeva, along with her sister Lyusya, were in the air defense detachment, helping to extinguish incendiary bombs. Their 60-year-old father, in order to receive additional rations and feed, thus, the family became a donor.

Once, through negligence, he injured his arm, which caused blood poisoning, and soon he died in the hospital. In 1942, Valentina and her family were evacuated from the city along the Road of Life.

Larisa Luzhina

The future actress and her family met the beginning of the war in Leningrad. Then Luzhina was only two years old. Not everyone survived the blockade: the older sister, who was 6 years old, the father, who returned from the front due to injury, died of hunger, the grandmother - from a shell fragment. Kira Kreilis-Petrova remembers the blockade well, in 1941 she was 10 years old

However, even then, she was able to joke and support those around her. During the bombings, she painted herself a mustache with soot and amused the children roaring with fear in the bomb shelter.

Claudia Shulzhenko

The singer met the beginning of the war on a tour in Yerevan. Klavdia Shulzhenko voluntarily joined the ranks of the active army and returned to the city, becoming a soloist of the front-line jazz orchestra of the Leningrad Military District.

Together with her husband, the artist Coralli, during the blockade, they gave more than 500 concerts. With their performances, the ensemble helped people believe in victory and not give up in difficult times. The team existed until 1945 and received many awards.

Dmitry Shostakovich

In the summer of 1941, Shostakovich began writing his new symphony, which he later dedicated to the fight against fascism. When the blockade began, he was in the city and, to the sound of bombing and shuddering of the walls of the house, continued to work on his work.

At the same time, he helped to keep watch on the roofs of houses and extinguish incendiary bombs. Confirmation of this - a photo of the composer in a fire helmet, which was placed on the cover of the British magazine "Times". The editors of the site hope that the next generations will not forget about the feat of Leningraders and defenders of the city.
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