January lifting of the blockade. Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad
January 27 at Russian Federation the Day of military glory of Russia is celebrated - the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad. The date is marked on the basis of the federal law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia" dated March 13, 1995.
The offensive of the fascist troops on Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the capture of which the German command attached important strategic and political significance, began 10 July 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 attempts to break through the defense 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.
In September-October, enemy aircraft made several raids a day. The purpose of the enemy was not only to interfere with the activities of important enterprises, but also to create panic among the population. Especially intense shelling was carried out at the beginning and end of the working day. Many died during shelling and bombing, many buildings were destroyed.
The conviction that the enemy would not succeed in capturing Leningrad held back the pace of evacuation. More than two and a half million inhabitants, including 400,000 children, turned out to be in the besieged city. There were few food supplies, so food surrogates had to be used. Since the beginning of the introduction of the rationing system, the norms for issuing food to the population of Leningrad have been repeatedly reduced.
Autumn-winter 1941-1942 - the worst time of the blockade. Early winter brought cold with it - there was no heating, there was no hot water, and Leningraders began to burn furniture, books, and dismantled wooden buildings for firewood. The transport stopped. Thousands of people died from malnutrition and cold. But Leningraders continued to work - administrative offices, printing houses, polyclinics, kindergartens, theaters, a public library worked, scientists continued to work. 13-14-year-old teenagers worked, replacing their fathers who had gone to the front.
In the autumn on Ladoga, due to storms, the movement of ships was complicated, but tugboats with barges made their way around the ice fields until December 1941, some food was delivered by aircraft. Hard ice on Ladoga was not established for a long time, the norms for issuing bread were again reduced.
On November 22, the movement of vehicles along the ice road began. This transport highway was called "Road of Life". In January 1942, traffic on the winter road was already constant. The Germans bombed and shelled the road, but they failed to stop the movement.
By January 27, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke the defenses of the 18th german army, defeated its main forces and advanced 60 km in depth. Seeing a real threat of encirclement, the Germans retreated. Krasnoye Selo, Pushkin, Pavlovsk were liberated from the enemy. January 27 was the day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade. On this day, fireworks were given in Leningrad.
The blockade of Leningrad lasted 900 days and became the bloodiest blockade in the history of mankind. Historical meaning the defense of Leningrad is enormous. Soviet soldiers having stopped the enemy hordes near Leningrad, they turned it into a powerful bastion of the entire Soviet-German front in the northwest. By fettering significant forces of the fascist troops for 900 days, Leningrad thereby provided significant assistance to the development of operations on all other sectors of the vast front. In the victories near Moscow and Stalingrad, near Kursk and on the Dnieper - a significant share of the defenders of Leningrad.
The motherland highly appreciated the feat of the defenders of the city. Over 350 thousand soldiers, officers and generals of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 of them were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was awarded to about 1.5 million people.
For courage, steadfastness and unprecedented heroism in the days of a difficult struggle against the Nazi invaders, the city of Leningrad on January 20, 1945 was awarded the order Lenin, and on May 8, 1965 received honorary title"Hero City".
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
70 years ago, on January 27, 1944, Soviet troops completely lifted the blockade of Leningrad that had lasted for 900 days. German troops surrounded the second capital of the Soviet Union on September 8, 1941. But the most important political, industrial and cultural center of the USSR, despite fierce battles, bombing and artillery shelling, withstood the onslaught of the enemy. Then the German command decided to starve the city.
Memorial "Broken Ring"
It should be noted that not only German troops took part in the siege of Leningrad, but also the Finnish army, Spanish units (Blue Division), European volunteers, Italian Navy, which gives the defense of Leningrad the character of a civilizational confrontation. The main highway through which the country could supply the city was for a long time the "Road of Life" - an ice road along Lake Ladoga.
The capacity of this transport artery could not meet all the needs of a huge city, so Leningrad lost from 700 thousand to 1.5 million people. The vast majority of people died from starvation and cooling caused by lack of fuel and food. Especially heavy losses occurred in the first blockade winter. In the future, the supply improved, subsidiary farms were organized. Deaths have dropped significantly.
The blockade of Leningrad became one of the most heroic and terrible pages of the Great Patriotic War. Suffice it to recall the penetrating diary of the Leningrad schoolgirl Tatyana Savicheva. There are only 9 pages in the document, and six of them are devoted to the death of people close to her - mother, grandmother, sister, brother and two uncles (" The Savichevs are dead. All died. Only Tanya left"). Almost the entire family died during the first blockade winter: from December 1941 to May 1942. Tanya herself was saved by evacuating to " big land". But the girl's health was undermined, and she died in 1944.
"Road of Life" - an ice road along Lake Ladoga
At the cost of heavy losses and incredible efforts, the Red Army was able to literally break through the powerful German defense during Operation Iskra. By January 18, 1943, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts had broken through a small corridor along the shore of Lake Ladoga, restoring the land connection between the city and the country. Here, in the shortest possible time, a railway line and an automobile route (“Victory Road”) were laid. This made it possible to evacuate a significant part of the civilian population and supply the city.
At the beginning of 1944, in the Leningrad region, the Red Army carried out an offensive strategic operation (the first "Stalinist strike"), which led to the final de-siege of Leningrad. As a result of a number of strategic operations, among which are Battle of Stalingrad, the battle on the Oryol-Kursk Bulge, the Donbass operation and the battle for the Dnieper, carried out by the Red Army in 1943, by the beginning of 1944 a favorable situation had developed.
At the same time, the German armed forces still represented a serious force. The Wehrmacht retained combat capability, could carry out combat operations, controlled large areas of the USSR. In addition, the absence of a second front in Western Europe contributed to the Germans, allowing Berlin to concentrate its main efforts on the Eastern Front. The military operations that took place in Italy, in their scope and significance, could not have a serious impact on the Wehrmacht.
Blockade Leningrad
In December 1943, the Headquarters decided to organize a series of strikes against enemy troops from Leningrad to the Black Sea, focusing on the flanks of the Soviet-German front. In the southern direction, they planned to liberate the Crimea, Right-Bank Ukraine and go to the state border of the USSR. In the north, defeat Army Group North, completely lift the blockade of Leningrad, and liberate the Baltic states.
The task of liberating Leningrad and defeating Army Group North was solved by the troops of the Leningrad Front, the Volkhov Front, the 2nd Baltic Front and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. On January 14, the 2nd Shock Army of the Leningrad Front launched an offensive from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. On January 15, the 42nd Army of the LF went on the offensive. The Volkhov Front also struck on 14 January. The enemy, relying on well-prepared defensive lines, put up stubborn resistance. The factor of the marshy and wooded area also affected. The beginning of a thaw, unexpected for January, interfered with the operation of armored vehicles.
On January 19, Soviet troops liberated Ropsha and Krasnoye Selo. German troops were thrown back from Leningrad for 25 km, the Peterhof-Strelninskaya enemy grouping was defeated, partially surrounded and destroyed. The Mginsky group was under the threat of encirclement, the Germans began to hastily withdraw troops. On January 20, the troops of the Volkhov Front liberated Novgorod.
Soviet soldiers raise the red flag over the liberated Gatchina, January 26, 1944
For the entire ancient Russian city, which before the war was a major scientific, cultural and industrial center, about 40 buildings remained intact. Greatest Monuments Old Russian architecture and painting were destroyed. From the temples of the Savior on Ilyin, Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki, only the skeletons of the walls remained, St. Nicholas Cathedral was destroyed, St. Sophia Cathedral was looted and partially destroyed. The Novgorod Kremlin was badly damaged.
The German military-political leadership, which planned to give Novgorod land for the settlement of East Prussian colonists, tried to wipe out all evidence of the Russian historical and cultural presence in this territory. The monument "Millennium of Russia" was dismantled and planned to be melted down.
On January 30, Soviet soldiers liberated Pushkin, Slutsk, Krasnogvardeysk and reached the line of the Luga River in its lower reaches, occupying several bridgeheads. During this period, they sharply intensified their actions Soviet partisans. The German command had to throw in the fight against them not only separate security divisions, but also a battalion from each field division. central headquarters partisan movement organized a series of attacks on the German rear.
On January 27, a solemn salute was fired in Moscow and Leningrad in honor of the final deblockade of the northern capital. Three hundred and twenty-four guns struck in honor great victory. Soviet Union lit up with a flash of triumphant joy.
Diary of a Leningrad schoolgirl Tatyana Savicheva
The offensive of the Soviet troops continued in the Narva, Gdov and Luga directions. The Germans made strong counterattacks. They even managed to encircle individual Soviet units. So, for two weeks they fought surrounded by a compound of the 256th Infantry Division and part of the 372nd Infantry Division. On February 4, Gdov was liberated, Soviet troops reached Lake Peipsi. On February 12, the Red Army liberated the city of Luga. On February 15, the Luga defensive line was broken through. Soviet troops broke into the long-term German defenses and pushed the Germans back into the Baltic. Heavy fighting continued until the beginning of March, but the Leningrad Front was never able to solve the problem of liberating Narva.
By the beginning of March 1944, the Soviet troops of the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic fronts (the Volkhov Front was disbanded, most his troops were transferred to the Leningrad Front, part - to the 2nd Baltic) reached the Narva - Lake Peipus - Pskov - Ostrov - Idritsa line. The Germans held on to the Panther line. At the direction of the Headquarters, the Soviet fronts went on the defensive. For more than a month and a half they fought continuous heavy battles. The armies suffered heavy losses in manpower, equipment, and experienced an acute shortage of ammunition.
On March 13, 1995, Federal Law No. 32-FZ “On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia” was adopted, according to which on January 27 Russia celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad (1944). On November 2, 2013, the President signed the Federal Law “On Amendments to Article 1 of the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory and Commemorative Dates of Russia”. The name of the Day of Military Glory was somewhat changed, it became known as "Day of the complete liberation by the Soviet troops of the city of Leningrad from the blockade of its Nazi troops (1944)".
The myth about the possibility of saving the inhabitants of Leningrad
The topic of the blockade of Leningrad did not remain aloof from the attention of "humanists and liberals." So, it has been said more than once that if the “cannibalistic regime” of Stalin surrendered the city to “European civilizers” (Germans and Finns), then it would be possible to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the northern capital.
Blockade Leningrad
These people completely forget about the military-strategic factor of Leningrad, when the fall of the northern capital would have caused a serious deterioration in the situation on the Soviet-German front. The German command got the opportunity to intensify offensive operations in the northern strategic direction and transfer significant forces of Army Group North to other directions, for example, they would be useful for storming Moscow or capturing the Caucasus. They do not even remember the moral factor: the loss of the northern capital would have weakened the morale of the people and the army at the most critical moment.
The “humanists” do not even remember the fact that the Nazi leadership planned not only to capture Leningrad, but also to completely destroy the city on the Neva. On July 8, 1941, at a meeting of the Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces, the chief of staff of the command ground forces Halder noted in his diary Hitler's unshakable decision to "raze Moscow and Leningrad to the ground" in order to completely get rid of the population of these big cities. The Germans were not going to solve the problem of feeding the population of Soviet cities.
July 16, 1941 at a meeting of senior leaders German Empire this idea was confirmed. Finland claimed the Leningrad region. Hitler proposed to raze the northern capital of the USSR to the ground and give the empty territory to the Finns.
On September 21, 1941, the defense department of the Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces presented an analytical note in which he considered various options for the future of Leningrad. The authors of the report rejected the option of occupying the city, since they would have to supply the population. A scenario was proposed for a hermetic blockade of the city, its destruction with the help of aviation and artillery. Famine and terror were supposed to solve the "population problem". The remnants of the civilian population offered to "let go". It is clear that no one was going to feed them.
From Finland, Leningrad also did not have to expect anything good. The Finnish General Staff reported to the Finnish Foreign Ministry in early September 1941 that the occupation of the city on the Neva by Finnish troops was considered unrealistic, since there were no food supplies to provide for the civilian population. On September 11, Finnish President Ryti told Berlin that “Leningrad must be liquidated as Big City", and the Neva will become the border between the two states.
Thus, the "enlightened Europeans" - Germans and Finns - proposed to raze Leningrad to the ground, and its population was to die of hunger. No one was going to feed the "Russian barbarians".
January 27 marks the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the day of the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. It lasted 872 days (from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944) and claimed over a million human lives, became the bloodiest blockade in the history of mankind: more than 641 thousand inhabitants died from starvation and shelling. During all the days the city lived and fought, in unimaginably difficult conditions. Its inhabitants gave their last strength in the name of Victory, in the name of preserving the city.
The main announcer of Lenradio M. Melaned - "The order to end the blockade"
Leningrad-Novgorod operation - "Stalin's first blow"
In January 1943, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts carried out Operation Iskra during Operation Iskra. A railway line was laid in a narrow section near Lake Ladoga, trains with food, ammunition and fuel went to the city. However, it was not possible to completely remove the blockade from Leningrad.
The main offensive strategic operations of 1944 were called "Stalin's Ten Strikes"
The first of these was a strike in the Leningrad region - the Leningrad-Novgorod operation.
The general plan of the offensive operation was to deliver simultaneous strikes on the flanks of the 18th German Army in the Peterhof-Strelna region (Krasnoselsko-Ropsha operation) and in the Novgorod region (Novgorod-Luga operation). Then it was planned, advancing in the Kingisepp and Luga directions, to surround the main forces of the 18th Army and develop an offensive against Narva, Pskov and Idritsa. main goal the upcoming offensive was the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade. In addition, it was planned to release from German occupation Leningrad region and create the prerequisites for a further successful offensive in the Baltic
The position of the fascists
For two and a half years, the German troops strengthened very thoroughly. The Nazis created a powerful and well-equipped defense in terms of engineering. The line of defense consisted of a system of strong nodes of resistance and strongholds that had fire links. Particularly powerful defense was in the Pulkovo Heights and north of Novgorod. There were not only machine-gun emplacements, but also reinforced concrete pillboxes, anti-tank ditches and gouges. In addition, the marshland helped the defending side. Soviet troops had to overcome many rivers, streams, lakes and swamps. There were few dirt roads here, the railways were destroyed. The thaw made the operation even more difficult.
And now the numbers. According to Soviet data, the entire German 18th Army consisted of 168,000 soldiers and officers, about 4,500 guns and mortars, 200 tanks and self-propelled guns. Air support for the entire Army Group North was carried out by the 1st Air Fleet with 200 aircraft. According to other sources, the 1st Air Fleet consisted of 370 aircraft, of which 103 were based near Leningrad.
According to German sources, on October 14, 1943, the entire Army Group North (including formations located in northern Finland) consisted of 601,000 people, 146 tanks, 2,398 guns and mortars.
In any case, the Soviet troops had a significant superiority over the Germans. In the direction of the main attack, the troops of the Leningrad Front outnumbered the enemy in manpower by more than 2.7 times, in artillery - by 3.6 times, in tanks - by 6 times.
The blockade of Leningrad was of great strategic importance for Berlin. It allowed to pin down significant forces of the Red Army and Baltic Fleet, to close the approaches to the Baltic and its ports and naval bases, to maintain the freedom of action of the German Navy in the Baltic and to ensure maritime communications with Finland and Sweden. In addition, Adolf Hitler believed that the Red Army did not have enough strength to simultaneously continue the offensive in the south and strike in the north. And the commander of the 18th Army, Lindemann, assured the Fuhrer that his troops would repel the enemy's attack. Therefore, the Army Group "North" received an order to maintain positions in the Leningrad region at any cost.
"January Thunder" or Operation "Neva-2"
January 14
The artillery of the 42nd and 67th armies was continuously shelling enemy positions in the areas of Pulkovo heights and Mga in order to disorient the enemy and not let him know where and when the next blow would be struck.
January 15
After a 110-minute artillery preparation, in which 2300 guns and mortars took part, formations of three rifle corps of the 42nd Army went on the offensive on the 17-kilometer section of the Ligovo - Rare - Kuzmino front. Formations of the 30th Guards Rifle Corps (45th, 63rd, 64th Rifle Divisions), advancing directly behind the artillery rampart, advanced 4.5 kilometers forward with minimal losses by the end of the first day of the offensive. The attacks of the 109th (72nd, 109th, 125th rifle divisions) and the 110th (56th, 85th, 86th rifle divisions) rifle corps, advancing on the right and left, were less successful.
January 16-17
In the following days, formations of the 2nd shock and 42nd armies slowly but stubbornly moved towards Ropsha and Krasnoye Selo towards each other. German troops put up fierce resistance and, at every opportunity, made desperate counterattacks.
Parts of the 2nd shock army only by the end of the third day managed to move forward up to 10 kilometers and complete the breakthrough of the main defensive line of the enemy at the front up to 23 kilometers. This allowed I. I. Fedyuninsky on the morning of January 17 to form a mobile group (152nd tank brigade, as well as several rifle and artillery units), which was tasked with rapidly developing the offensive, capturing and holding Ropsha.
Even more stubborn battles unfolded in the offensive zone of the 42nd Army. A large number of anti-tank ditches and minefields, as well as effective enemy artillery fire, caused heavy losses in the tank units of the army, which could not properly support the offensive of rifle formations. Despite this, the Soviet infantry continued to stubbornly move forward. So, on January 16, units of the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, moving forward another 3-4 kilometers, reached the Krasnoe Selo-Pushkin highway. On the same day, units of the 109th Rifle Corps took a strong enemy defense center Finnish Koyrovo, and units of the 110th Corps took Aleksandrovka.
On the morning of January 17, the commander of the 42nd Army brought into battle the 291st Rifle Division and a mobile group (1st Leningrad Red Banner, 220th tank brigades, as well as two self-propelled artillery regiments) with the task of supporting the offensive of the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, capturing Krasnoe Selo, Duderhof and Voronya Gora.
By the end of January 17, the troops of the 2nd shock and 42nd armies were separated by only 18 kilometers. The German troops, who by this time had thrown into battle not only all tactical reserves in the area, but also the 61st Infantry Division, which constituted the operational reserve, were under the threat of complete encirclement.
The commander of Army Group North was forced to request permission from A. Hitler to withdraw units of the 26th Army Corps of the 18th Army from the Mginsky ledge in order to free up several divisions to strengthen the defense southwest of Leningrad. Having not received an unequivocal answer, G. Kühler decided to transfer a number of formations (21st, 11th, 225th infantry divisions and other units) to the Krasnoye Selo area, but this measure did not help to change the situation. Soon the German troops began a hasty retreat to the south from the areas of Strelna, Volodarsky and Gorelovo.
January 18
Soviet troops achieved a final turning point in the battle in their favor
On the offensive sector of the 2nd shock army, the 122nd rifle corps, with the support of tank units, after a fierce battle, took Ropsha and, together with the 108th army brought into battle from the second echelon of the army rifle corps and the mobile group continued the offensive to the east.
On the same day, the rifle units of the 42nd Army launched an assault on Krasnoye Selo and Voronya Gora; tank subunits continued their offensive towards units of the 2nd shock army. Fierce fighting for these key strongholds continued for several days.
January 19
In the morning, with a simultaneous blow from both sides, units of the 63rd Guards Rifle Division stormed Voronya Gora, and units of the 64th Guards and 291st rifle divisions liberated Krasnoye Selo.
The German command, taking advantage of the fact that there was no solid front line yet, withdrew most of the troops from the encirclement area.
January 20th
The remnants of the Peterhof-Strelna group of the enemy were destroyed. The Germans, retreating, abandoned heavy weapons and siege equipment, which had accumulated for years near Leningrad.
Soviet troops captured 265 guns, including 85 heavy ones. The Germans were pushed back from the second Soviet capital by 25 km.
The defeat of the Peterhof-Strelna group and the successes of the Volkhov Front, which also went on the offensive on January 14, created favorable conditions for the continuation of the offensive of the troops of the Leningrad Front. Maslennikov's army was ordered to strike in the direction of Krasnogvardeysk, Pushkin and Tosno in order to reach the rear of the forces of Army Group North, which held positions in the area of Ulyanovka, Mga and Tosno. In the future, the 42nd Army was to defeat the 26th and 28th German army corps and in cooperation with the forces of the 67th Army of Sviridov and the right wing of the VF, establish control over the October Railway and completely remove the encirclement from Leningrad. The forces of the Fedyuninsky army received the task of bypassing Krasnogvardeisk from the south-western direction, contributing to the offensive of the 42nd army.
January 21
Parts of the 67th Army of the LF and the 8th Army of the VF, having discovered the retreat of the forces of the Mgin group of the enemy, went on the offensive. On the same day, Soviet troops liberated Mga. The Kirov railway was recaptured from the Germans. However, they could not develop the offensive. The Nazis took up positions at the intermediate defensive line "Autostrada" along the October Railway and put up stubborn resistance.
The retreat of the Germans from Mga forced the command of the Leningrad Front to adjust their plans. Now main task The 2nd shock and 42nd armies were advancing on Krasnogvardeysk, and then on Kingisepp and Narva. The 67th Army was to occupy the October Railway and support the advance on Krasnogvardeisk.
For several days there were stubborn battles on the line of the October railway, for Krasnogvardeysk, Pushkin and Slutsk. The Germans tried to keep Krasnogvardeysk at any cost. The commander of Army Group North deployed several formations to the area. Hitler refused to allow the withdrawal of troops from the line of the October railway, from Pushkin and Slutsk.
January 24-30
Pushkin and Sluts were released. On January 25, a decisive assault on Krasnogvardeysk began. Fierce fighting went on for almost a day. On January 26, Krasnogvardeysk was cleared of the Nazis. The solid defense front of the 18th German Army was broken through, the German divisions retreated. By January 30, the 2nd shock army reached the Luga River. On the night of February 1, Kingisepp was taken by storm. The Germans, unable to hold their position on the Luga, retreated to the line on the Narva River. Formations of the 42nd Army, developing the offensive in a southwestern direction, also reached the Luga and occupied a bridgehead in the Bolshoy Sabsk area. The troops of the 67th Army under the command of Sviridov, overcoming the strong resistance of the enemy, liberated Vyritskaya on January 27, and by January 30 recaptured Siversky.
Thus, in part of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet, they broke through the powerful defenses of the enemy and inflicted a heavy defeat on the 18th German army. Soviet soldiers finally released Leningrad, advanced 70-100 km.
On January 21, the front commander turned to Stalin:
In connection with the complete liberation of the city of Leningrad from the enemy blockade and from enemy artillery shelling, we ask you to allow:
1. Issue and publish on this occasion an order to the troops of the front.
2. In honor of the victory won, fireworks in Leningrad on January 27 this year at 20.00 hours with twenty-four artillery salvos from three hundred and twenty-four guns.
Stalin granted the request of the command of the Leningrad Front and on January 27 a salute was fired in Leningrad to commemorate final release 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, and not by Stalin. None of the commanders of the fronts during the Great Patriotic War was awarded such a privilege. And on January 27, the order of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front was read on the radio, which said about the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade.
Leningraders rejoiced: the terrible blockade that claimed thousands of lives was a thing of the past.
Operation results
By the end of January 1944, the troops of the Leningrad Front, in cooperation with the troops of the Volkhov Front, inflicted a heavy defeat on the 18th German Army, advanced 70-100 kilometers, liberated a number of settlements(including Krasnoe Selo, Ropsha, Krasnogvardeysk, Pushkin, Slutsk) and created the prerequisites for a further offensive. Although the Leningrad-Novgorod operation continued, the main task of the entire strategic offensive was completed - Leningrad was completely liberated from the blockade.
Briefly about the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad
The Soviet troops were faced with the task of defeating the German Army Group North (16 A and 18 A), completely lifting the blockade of Leningrad and liberating the Leningrad Region from the fascist invaders. As a result of the operation, Soviet troops inflicted a heavy defeat on the Nazi German Army Group North and pushed it back 220-280 km, destroying 3 and defeating 23 enemy divisions. Leningrad was completely delivered from the siege, almost completely liberated Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region, the beginning of the liberation of the Estonian SSR.
January 27 - day of military glory
Days of military glory of Russia (Days of glory of Russian weapons) - memorable days Russia in commemoration of the victories of the Russian troops, which played a decisive role in the history of Russia. One of these days is the “Day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from fascist blockade". The list of these days was established in February 1995 by the law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia" (today there are 17 days of military glory).
The original name of the Day of Military Glory is the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad (1944). However, in 2013 it was decided to correct this name, since at the end of January 1944 the Soviet troops, who had previously released several sections in the Leningrad direction, completely lifted the blockade.
The importance of lifting the blockade
Photo - echo of the blockade
1 of 16
Poetry
September 8, the usual day of the week. G. Stanislavskaya
(September 8, 1941, the blockade of Leningrad began)
September 8, the usual day of the week,
The beginning of autumn, beautiful and bright,
September breeze and doves flew
And the forest beckoned people with gifts,
And silence, and freshness of breath.
The usual early morning...
So it was before or after,
But this year, trouble knocked on the house.
In that 41st memorable year
Beauty was bound with an iron hoop,
Ruthless, destructive grasp,
Who turned the life of Leningraders into hell, -
BLOCKADE. We, the living, do not understand
What did the child feel, fading away,
Carrying a dead mother on a sled
And biting lips from impotence ...
Sirens sound, metronome sound
The memory of the children of the blockade worries,
They fell without an account of hellish torments,
Labor for the front without front speeches, +
They fell out, but people did not give up,
The city did not give up, adults and children!
Their memory, living, bow
And tell me - let them remember! - to our children.
Dedicated to all the blockade survivors of the city of Leningrad ... S.V. Titov
Thin fingers, transparent fingers,
Cloudy lens of the pupil.
The night danced snowy waltzes,
The candle flickered dimly.
Stars fell like shells
Burning through the world.
You survived this blockade
You and your ghostly guest.
Stale cracker - in half,
flask of cold water,
Piles of ruins, cold and ice.
How to survive until Wednesday?
The stop is two kilometers away;
The streets are full of corpses
Dead faces, streaks of wind,
The echo of war...
The city thawed, consecrated in the spring,
You warmed up a little.
Branches spread old maples,
And the bridges creaked.
Dust is on the dresser, there are shadows in the room.
Where is your ghostly guest?
Maybe he left? Or maybe a vision
You happened to meet...
Video
At what cost was the victory in the Great Patriotic War given to our veterans? How does today's generation "remember" its history? Why would our children give Leningrad to the enemy if they were in the place of our veteran heroes?
This film shows parallels between two eras - the Soviet period and the modern one. Veterans talk about the severity of wartime. Meanwhile, modern children, meanwhile, are sitting in a history lesson and do not even try to imagine how hard it was for our people in the Great Patriotic War. What can change their attitude to the history of their homeland? Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, as well as figures of culture, science and politics will try to answer this and many other questions in the film.
Documentary film "History Lesson". 2010
Film by K. Nabutov "Siege of Leningrad". Part 1
The authors of the film balanced the dry language of numbers and documents human stories, because each survivor of these terrible months has his own blockade. Ordinary Leningraders, who became prisoners of a hungry city, tell their stories.
In the film, there was a place for a look “from the other side”. German veterans - some ask for forgiveness from Leningraders, but there are those who are still confident in their then rightness ...
January 18 is a special date for Russians and especially for Petersburgers. On this day back in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
Despite the fact that the city remained besieged for another year, with the breaking of the blockade, the situation on the entire Leningrad front improved significantly.
Preparation
Scouts of the Leningrad Front
Almost a month was allotted for the preparation of the operation, during which the troops launched a comprehensive preparation for the upcoming offensive. Particular attention was paid to the organization of interaction between strike groups, for which the command and staffs of the two fronts coordinated their plans, established lines of demarcation and worked out interactions, holding a series of military games based on the real situation.
Operation Spark
According to the plans of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Soviet troops, with blows from two fronts - Leningrad from the west and Volkhov from the east - were supposed to defeat the enemy grouping holding the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge.
The command of the fronts was entrusted to Lieutenant General L.A. Govorov and Army General K.A. Meretskov. The interaction was coordinated by representatives of the Stavka - General of the Army G.K. Zhukov and Marshal K.E. Voroshilov. On January 12, 1943, after artillery preparation, which began at 09:30 and lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front delivered a powerful blow from west to east.
Soviet soldiers on the attack near Leningrad during the beginning of the blockadeThe offensive was supported by the 2nd shock and 8th armies of the Volkhov Front, ships, coastal artillery and aviation. 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 command of the fascist German troops, trying to keep Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5 at any cost, transferred their units from other sectors of the front.
The enemy grouping several times unsuccessfully tried to break through to the south to their main forces. And 6 days later, on January 18, on the outskirts of the Workers' settlement No. 1 near Shlisselburg, units of the 123rd Infantry Brigade of the Leningrad Front joined with units of the 372nd Division of the Volkhov Front. On the same day, Shlisselburg and the entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga were completely liberated.
By January 18, 1943, about 800 thousand people remained in the city. Around midnight, a message was broadcast on the radio about the breaking of the blockade. The townspeople began to take to the streets, shouting and rejoicing. All Leningrad was decorated with flags. There was hope that the native city would be liberated. And although the blockade ring was completely removed only, and as a result of breaking the blockade ring, only a narrow corridor was recaptured - a strip of peat swamp, the significance of this day for the future fate of Leningrad can hardly be overestimated.
During the offensive operation of the Soviet troops, after fierce battles, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts united in the area of Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5. Shlisselburg was liberated on the same day. The entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga has been cleared of the enemy. A corridor 8-11 kilometers wide, cut along the coast, restored the land connection between Leningrad and the country. For seventeen days, automobile and railway (the so-called "Victory Road") roads were laid along the coast.
Reite, red flags,
Over the free Neva,
Hello full of courage
Battle Leningrad!
The blockade of Leningrad lasted almost 900 days. It was finally removed in the winter of 1944, after the successful First Stalinist strike, which opened the account for a series of offensive operations Red Army.
Museum Diorama "Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad"
A few kilometers from the Nevsky Piglet, on the left-bank ramp of the Ladoga Bridge, there is a museum-diorama "Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad", opened in May 1985. In front of the diorama are tanks raised from the bottom of the Neva and restored. The exposition is slowly expanding, the white KV-1 appeared on the site this year, on the anniversary of the lifting of the blockade. According to the museum aunts, two witnesses of those battles survived at this place - two old lime trees crippled by shells. All other trees around were planted after the war. Here is one of them - right by the bridge, with a broken top.
The main exposition of the museum - a diorama - is dedicated to the operation "Iskra" in January 1943. Its size is impressive - 40x8 meters. Which shows the battles of the operation.
The pictorial canvas measuring 40 x 8 m tells about the seven-day battles of the Iskra operation in January 1943. observation deck a grandiose panorama of the battle opens. A close-up shows the crossing of the Neva by units of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front under the command of General L.V. Govorov. From the east, towards the Leningraders, the troops of the Volkhov Front under the command of General K. A. Meretskov are making their way. On January 12, 1943, with a counterattack, the troops of our two fronts broke through the Nazi defenses on the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge, defeated the enemy grouping, and on January 18, 1943, met in the 1st and 5th Workers' settlements. In the liberated territory in the breakthrough zone, in 18 days, a Railway Polyany-Shlisselburg with a bridge across the Neva. Called by the people "Road Victory", it made it possible to accumulate forces for the complete liberation of the Leningrad land from the Nazi invaders in January 1944.
Reconstruction of the breakthrough of the blockade
On the recreated battlefield, a complete picture of the fighting: tanks, aircraft and infantry. For the sake of a memorable date, reenactors from all over Russia, as well as from Poland, Estonia and even Brazil, came to St. Petersburg.
For reconstruction, almost the same place was chosen where the battles took place in 1943. The reenactors used exact copies of historical military equipment, including T-60 tanks. The most important moment of the operation was the reunification of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, as a result of which the Nazi troops themselves found themselves in the ring.
Poems dedicated to breaking the blockade
Reite, red flags!
(January 18, 1943) A. Prokofiev
Here the brothers met
The sky became alley.
Is there a stronger hug
Is there a brighter joy?
Knows a beautiful city
What's on the formidable path
Better than our brotherhood
We can't find it anywhere.
Here the storm raged
Here poured for love
Noble, scarlet
And sacred blood.
Reite, red flags,
Over the free Neva,
Hello full of courage
Battle Leningrad!
Three Minute Feast (Breakthrough of the blockade) Sergei Narovchatov
Three more volleys on the bastards!
And at eleven forty
We burst in first of the Volkhovites
To the burning First Village.
From the other end, past the shaky walls,
Crucified by fire in the wind,
People eh, fascists eh through the dark darkness
In smoky camouflage gowns.
To battle! But a spark of unexpected meetings
A word flashed in the distance.
All brighter and wider Russian speech
It flares up towards us!
And where the defeated pillbox froze -
At least put a monument over them, -
St. Petersburg Volkhovets shakes hands,
They kiss. Don't separate!
It was worth not cherishing life,
Risking again and again
So that not we, so others could survive
Until this big day.
And right on the street flasks with straps
We tear off and in the bright morning
For our victory, for the memory of it
At the holiday we drink three minutes.
We kiss again. Time does not wait.
Having built battle formations,
Forever inseparable, together on a hike
Until the last breath and shot.
I knew the holidays of summer and winter -
Only touch the memory.
On the mines of the golden Kolyma
I drank blue fire.
I honored the customs of Kabarda,
I remember the festivities of the Urals,
From all over Ferghana I drank on "you"
At the construction site of the Grand Canal.
I went towards cheerful speeches,
Wherever you wander around the world,
But I have not met a better festival,
Than a three-minute it.
Photo blockade breakthrough
Photo Breaking the blockade of Leningrad
1 of 17
The blockade of Leningrad lasted exactly 871 days. This is the longest and most terrible siege of the city in the history of mankind. Almost 900 days of pain and suffering, courage and selflessness. After many years after breaking the blockade of Leningrad many historians, and even ordinary people, wondered if it was possible to avoid this nightmare? Escape, apparently not. For Hitler, Leningrad was a "tidbit" - after all, the Baltic Fleet and the road to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk are located here, from where help from the allies came from during the war, and if the city had surrendered, it would have been destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth. Was it possible to mitigate the situation and prepare for it in advance? The issue is controversial and deserves a separate study.
The first days of the siege of Leningrad
On September 8, 1941, during the offensive of the fascist army, the city of Shlisselburg was captured, thus the blockade ring was closed. In the early days, few believed in the seriousness of the situation, but many residents of the city began to thoroughly prepare for the siege: in just a few hours, all savings were withdrawn from the savings banks, the shops were empty, everything that was possible was bought up. Not everyone managed to evacuate when systematic shelling began, but they began immediately, in September, the evacuation routes were already cut off. There is an opinion that it was the fire that occurred on the first day blockade of Leningrad in the Badaev warehouses - in the storage of the city's strategic reserves - provoked a terrible famine during the blockade days. However, recently declassified documents give slightly different information: it turns out that there was no such thing as a "strategic reserve", since in the conditions of the outbreak of war to create a large reserve for such a huge city as Leningrad was (and at that time about 3 million people) was not possible, so the city ate imported food, and the existing stocks would only be enough for a week. Literally from the first days of the blockade, ration cards were introduced, schools were closed, military censorship was introduced: any attachments to letters were prohibited, and messages containing decadent moods were confiscated.
Siege of Leningrad - pain and death
Memories of the blockade of Leningrad people who survived it, their letters and diaries reveal a terrible picture to us. A terrible famine struck the city. Money and jewelry depreciated. The evacuation began in the autumn of 1941, but only in January 1942 did it become possible to withdraw a large number of people, mostly women and children, through the Road of Life. There were huge queues at the bakeries, where daily rations were given out. Beyond hunger besieged Leningrad Other disasters also attacked: very frosty winters, sometimes the thermometer dropped to -40 degrees. Fuel ran out and water pipes froze - the city was left without electricity and drinking water. Another problem for the besieged city in the first blockade winter was rats. They not only destroyed food supplies, but also spread all kinds of infections. People were dying, and they did not have time to bury them, the corpses lay right on the streets. There were cases of cannibalism and robbery.
Life of besieged Leningrad
Simultaneously Leningraders they tried with all their might 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 in such conditions. Theaters and museums restored their activities. It was necessary - to prove to the enemy, and, most importantly, to ourselves: Leningrad blockade will not kill the city, it continues to live! One of clear examples amazing selflessness and love for the motherland, life, 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 "Leningrad". 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.
Road of Life - the pulse of the besieged city
From the first days of the blockade, the Road of Life - pulse began its dangerous and heroic work besieged LeningradA. 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 arrived in the city along this route, and until late autumn, until storms made navigation impossible, barges went along the Road of Life. Each of their flights was a feat - enemy aircraft constantly made their bandit raids, weather conditions were often not in the hands of sailors either - barges continued their flights even late autumn, until the very appearance of ice, when navigation is already basically impossible. On November 20, the first horse and sledge convoy descended onto the ice of Lake Ladoga. A little later, trucks went along the ice Road of Life. The ice was very thin, despite the fact that the truck was carrying only 2-3 bags of food, the ice broke through and it was not uncommon for the trucks to sink. At the risk of their lives, the drivers continued their deadly journeys until the very spring. 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".
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 - a special piercing note of the besieged city. In the first winter blockade 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".
Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad
In 1943, a turning point occurred in the war, and at the end of the year, Soviet troops were preparing to liberate the city. On January 14, 1944, during the general offensive of the Soviet troops, the final operation began on lifting the blockade of Leningrad. The task was to inflict a crushing blow on the enemy south of Lake Ladoga and restore the land routes connecting the city with the country. Leningrad and Volkhov fronts by January 27, 1944, with the help of Kronstadt artillery, carried out breaking the blockade of Leningrad. The Nazis began to retreat. Soon the cities of Pushkin, Gatchina and Chudovo were liberated. The blockade was completely lifted.
Tragic and great page Russian history that claimed more than 2 million lives. While 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! Siege of Leningrad briefly, but Vera Inberg succinctly described, her lines are a hymn to the great city and at the same time a requiem to the departed.