75th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad: the history of the fiercest site of the Second World War – 27/01/2019

On January 27, Russia commemorates the 75th anniversary of the end of the siege of Leningrad (the present-day city of St. Petersburg), the most ferocious and deadly siege of the Second World War and one of the longest in the history of mankind.

Germany invaded the Soviet Union by breaking the non-aggression pact signed between Hitler and Stalin and giving a start to what the Soviets called "The Great Patriotic War". One of Hitler's goals was to take Leningrad, cradle of the revolution and symbol of Russian culture, In addition to having a strategic port and owning the main factory producing tanks and German heavy vehicles.

The German offensive was stopped by the Soviets who deployed a complex defense system around the city, camouflaged the most recognizable buildings and placed explosives in the basement to steal Leningrad in case of invasion. Faced with the impossibility of occupying it by force, Hitler ordered to besiege the city, to destroy it by bombing and to let its inhabitants die of hunger and cold.

The blockade lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 and, according to various estimates, It cost the lives of 600,000 to 2 million people. More than 90% of them are starving. How did he beat and how did the city survive those 872 dark days?

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Nazi troops entered the territory of the Leningrad region in July 1941. At the end of August, they occupied the city of Tosno, located 50 kilometers from Leningrad.

Despite the efforts of the Red Army, the Germans continued to tighten the siege around the city and on September 2 they cut the last railway linking Leningrad to the rest of the country. Less than a week later, the city was totally encircled, so that the only two means of communication with the outside were the air and Lake Ladoga. At that time, Leningrad had more than 2.5 million inhabitants, including 400,000 children.

September 12 All the food reserves were counted: they were enough for only a month and a half. In November The real hunger has begun. Due to the lack of food, a rationing system was introduced in the city. Since late November, workers received only 250 grams of bread a day and children, 125 grams. There were frequent cases of fainting due to hunger, people died of exhaustion. All the animals in the city have disappeared and there have even been cases of cannibalism.

The only way to evacuate and refuel the besieged city was the "way of life" crossing Lake Ládoga. Within a few months, they managed to evacuate approximately 660,000 people, mainly Children weakened by lack of food.

However, this winter has been very hard, cold and long. Since autumn, practically there was no electricity or heating and stopped transporting. The citizens have spent their last strength in crossing the streets covered with huge layers of snow. In addition to lack of food, sanitary conditions have also deteriorated considerably. German air strikes destroyed civilian infrastructure, water networks and sewers, People were forced to pour garbage out the windows.

In the spring of 1942, scientists published pamphlets with a list of forage plants and their cooking recipes, and in the Leningrad houses they began to serve clover kibble, dandelion salad and nettle soup. The situation improved somewhat during the second half of the year, when the supply of bread became relatively regular.

Soviet troops made four unsuccessful attempts to break the siege of Leningrad. It was not until January 1943, when the main German forces concentrated on Stalingrad, they realized it thanks to the Chispa operation.

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On January 18, 1943, the Red Army managed to open a corridor 10 km wide, which helped restore the supply of the city. Some 34,000 Soviet soldiers and 23,000 Germans were killed in the operation. However, it would still be necessary to wait more than a year before Leningrad is completely liberated.

The site was completely up on January 27, 1944 when, after two weeks of heavy fighting, Soviet troops broke the Nazi siege and they managed to move the Germans between 60 and 100 kilometers from the city.

The site caused catastrophic losses. If before the war less than 3,500 people per month died in the city in December 1941, the death toll was 39,073 and in the following months some 3,000 people died every 24 hours. During the 872 days that lasted the siege, the total number of deaths, according to some estimates, would have reached two million people.

Among the thousands of stories of the site, you will find the Leningrad symphony. It was composed by Dimitri Shostakovich, is his seventh symphony and is dedicated to the city that, at the time of the composition, lived the siege.

It was played on August 9, 1942 in the besieged city. It was directed by Karl Eliasberg, director of the Leningrad Radio Orchestra and performed by some musicians removed from the front and military fanfares, since only twenty of the hundred members of the orchestra had survived. The speakers were placed on the streets and broadcast by radio. The symphony has become the symbol of Soviet resistance.

RT and agencies.