Commander of the Soviet troops of the operation to lift the blockade of Leningrad. Siege of Leningrad: briefly about the events. How long did the blockade last? Liberation of Leningrad. Leningrad-Novgorod operation - "Stalin's first blow"
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.
Training
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 group 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 blockade The 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 its 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 Workers' Village 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 blockade 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 linden 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 painting, 40 x 8 m in size, tells about the seven-day battles of Operation Iskra in January 1943. A grandiose panorama of the battle opens up from the observation deck. 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, the Polyany-Schlisselburg railway with a bridge across the Neva was laid in 18 days. Called by the people "Road Victory", it allowed to accumulate strength for the complete liberation of the Leningrad land from Nazi German 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) Sergey 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
In July 1941, German troops entered the territory of the Leningrad Region. By the end of August, the Nazis occupied the city of Tosno, 50 km from Leningrad. The Red Army fought fierce battles, but the enemy continued to tighten the ring around the Northern capital.
In the current situation, the Supreme Commander armed forces USSR Joseph Stalin sent a telegram to the GKO member Vyacheslav Molotov, who was then in Leningrad:
“We have just been informed that Tosno has been taken by the enemy. If this continues, I'm afraid that Leningrad will be surrendered idiotically stupid, and all the Leningrad divisions are at risk of being captured. What are Popov and Voroshilov doing? They do not even report on the measures they think to take against such a danger. They are busy looking for new lines of retreat, in this they see their task. Where do they get such an abyss of passivity and purely rustic submission to fate? In Leningrad there are now many tanks, aviation, eres (rockets - RT). Why are such important technical means not operating in the Lyuban-Tosno section?.. Don't you think that someone deliberately opens the way for the Germans in this decisive section?.. What, in fact, is Voroshilov busy with and how is his assistance to Leningrad expressed? I am writing about this because I am very alarmed by the incomprehensible inaction of the Leningrad command ... "
Molotov replied to the telegram as follows: “1. Upon arrival in Leningrad, at a meeting with Voroshilov, Zhdanov and members of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front, the secretaries of the regional committee and the city committee, they sharply criticized the mistakes made by Voroshilov and Zhdanov ... 2. During the first day, with the help of the comrades who came with us, we were engaged in clarifying affairs in relation to the artillery and aviation available here, possible assistance from the sailors, especially with naval artillery, issues of evacuation, eviction of 91 thousand Finns and 5 thousand Germans, as well as food supply issues for Leningrad.
According to historians, there are no grounds to accuse Voroshilov of treason. In July and the first half of August 1941, being the commander-in-chief of the troops of the North-Western direction, Voroshilov carried out several successful counterattacks, regularly went to the front. The reasons why one of the first marshals of the USSR suddenly lost control of the situation are still unclear, experts say. On September 11, Voroshilov was removed from command of the North-Western direction and the Leningrad Front. Georgy Zhukov became the new commander.
On September 2, the Germans cut the last railway connecting the city with the "mainland". The dense enemy ring around Leningrad closed on September 8, 1941. Communication with the northern capital could only be maintained through Lake Ladoga and by air.
In the early days, the people of Leningrad were not told anything about the blockade. Moreover, the local command decided not to report the state of siege to the Headquarters either, hoping to break through the blockade within two weeks.
The newspaper "Leningradskaya Pravda" published on September 13 a message from the head of the Sovinformburo Lozovsky: "The statement of the Germans that they managed to cut off all the railways connecting Leningrad with the Soviet Union is an exaggeration common for the German command."
Leningraders learned about the blockade only at the beginning of 1942, when they began to massively evacuate the population from the city along the Road of Life.
Against the enemy
More than 2.5 million inhabitants turned out to be in besieged Leningrad, including 400 thousand children.
Young Leningrader Yura Ryabinkin left memories of the first day of the blockade hell in his notes: “And then the most terrible thing began. Gave alarm. I didn't even pay attention. But then I hear a noise in the yard. I looked out, looked first down, then up and saw ... 12 Junkers. Bombs exploded. One after another, deafening explosions, but the glass did not rattle. It can be seen that the bombs fell far, but they were of extremely large force ... They bombed the harbor, the Kirov plant and, in general, that part of the city. The night has come. In the direction of the Kirov Plant, a sea of \u200b\u200bfire was visible. Little by little the fire subsides. Smoke penetrates everywhere, and even here we feel its pungent smell. It stings a little in my throat. Yes, this is the first real bombing of the city of Leningrad.”
There were not enough food supplies in the city, it was decided to introduce a system of food distribution by cards. Gradually, bread rations became smaller and smaller. From the end of November, the inhabitants of the besieged city received 250 grams of bread on a work card and half as much on an employee and a child.
“Aka handed me my 125g this morning. bread and 200 gr. candy. I have already eaten almost all of the bread, what is 125 grams, this is a small slice, and I need to stretch these sweets for 10 days ... The situation in our city continues to be very tense. We are bombed from planes, fired from guns, but it's still nothing, we are already so used to it that we are simply surprised at ourselves. But the fact that our food situation is deteriorating every day is terrible. We don’t have enough bread,” recalled Lena Mukhina, who was 17 at the time.
In the spring of 1942, scientists from the Leningrad Botanical Institute published a brochure with drawings of forage grasses growing in parks and gardens, as well as a collection of recipes from them. So on the tables of the inhabitants of the besieged city appeared cutlets from clover and wood lice, casserole from goutweed, dandelion salad, soup and nettle cakes.
According to the data of the NKVD Directorate for the Leningrad Region dated December 25, 1941, if before the start of the war less than 3,500 people died in the city every month, then in October the figure increased to 6199 people, in November - up to 9183 people, and 39,073 Leningraders died in 25 days of December . In the following months, at least 3 thousand people died per day. During the 872 days of the blockade, about 1.5 million residents of the city died.
However, despite the monstrous hunger, work and fight the enemy.
“And let the flame flare up from the Iskra”
Soviet troops unsuccessfully tried four times to break the enemy ring. The first two attempts were made in the autumn of 1941, the third - in January 1942, the fourth - in August-September 1942. And only in January 1943, when the main German forces were drawn to Stalingrad, the blockade was broken. This was done during Operation Iskra.
According to legend, during the discussion of the name of the operation, Stalin, remembering previous failed attempts and hoping that during the fifth operation the troops of the two fronts would be able to unite and jointly develop success, said: "And let the Iskra burst into flames."
By the time the operation began, almost 303 thousand people were at the disposal of the 67th and 13th air armies of the Leningrad Front, the 2nd shock army, as well as part of the forces of the 8th army and the 14th air army of the Volkhov Front, about 4, 9 thousand guns and mortars, more than 600 tanks and 809 aircraft. The command of the Leningrad Front was entrusted to Colonel General Leonid Govorov, Volkhovsky - to Army General Kirill Meretskov. Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Klim Voroshilov were responsible for coordinating the actions of the two fronts.
Our troops were opposed by the 18th Army under the command of Field Marshal Georg von Küchler. The Germans had about 60 thousand people, 700 guns and mortars, about 50 tanks and 200 aircraft.
“At 9:30 am, the morning frosty silence was broken by the first salvo of artillery preparation. On the western and eastern sides of the Shlisselburg-Mga corridor of the enemy, thousands of guns and mortars from both fronts simultaneously spoke. For two hours a fiery hurricane raged over enemy positions in the directions of the main and auxiliary attacks of the Soviet troops. The artillery cannonade of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts merged into a single powerful roar, and it was difficult to make out who was firing and from where. Ahead, black fountains of explosions rose, trees swayed and fell, logs of enemy dugouts flew upwards. For every square meter of the breakthrough area, two or three artillery and mortar shells fell, ”Georgy Zhukov wrote in his Memoirs and Reflections.
A well-planned attack paid off. Overcoming the resistance of the enemy, the shock groups of both fronts managed to connect. By January 18, the soldiers of the Leningrad Front broke through the German defenses on the 12-kilometer section of Moscow Dubrovka - Shlisselburg. Having united with the troops of the Volkhov Front, they managed to restore the land connection between Leningrad and the country along a narrow strip of the southern shore of Lake Ladoga.
“January 18 is the day of the great triumph of our two fronts, and after them the entire Red Army, the entire Soviet people ... The 18th division of the Volkhovites in the south and the 372nd division in the north, together with the heroic defenders of Leningrad, broke through the fascist ring. The sparkle of Iskra turned into the final fireworks - a salute with 20 volleys from 224 guns, ”recalled Kirill Meretskov.
During the operation, 34 thousand Soviet soldiers were killed. The Germans lost 23 thousand people.
Late in the evening of January 18, the Soviet Information Bureau informed the country about the breaking of the blockade, and volleys of festive fireworks thundered in the city. Over the next two weeks, engineers built a railway and a highway along the reclaimed corridor. A little more than a year remained before the final breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad.
“The breaking of the blockade of Leningrad is one of the main events that marked a radical turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. This instilled in the soldiers of the Red Army faith in the final victory over fascism. Also, one should not forget that Leningrad is the cradle of the revolution, a city that was of particular importance for the Soviet state, ”the candidate said in an interview with RT historical sciences Vadim Trukhachev, Lecturer at the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the IAI RSUH.
Lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad (1944)
The battle for Leningrad, which lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944, was the longest during the Great Patriotic War. She was crowned with a brilliant victory Soviet weapons, demonstrated the high morale of the Soviet people, became a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people and its Armed Forces.
The general course of the battle for Leningrad
The military-political leadership of Nazi Germany attached paramount importance to the capture of Leningrad. The fall of the city on the Neva would lead to the isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, the Soviet state would lose one of the most important political and economic centers. The German command, released after the capture of Leningrad, intended to launch an attack on Moscow.
In their desire to seize this city at all costs, the Nazi leadership did not stop at using the most inhumane methods of struggle. Hitler repeatedly demanded to raze Leningrad to the ground, exterminate its entire population, suffocate it with hunger, suppress the resistance of the defenders with massive air and artillery strikes.
The battle for Leningrad, which lasted 900 days and nights, included defensive and offensive operations. They were carried out in order to defend the city and defeat the Nazi troops of the Army Group "North" and the Finnish troops between the Onega and Ladoga lakes, as well as on the Karelian Isthmus. At different times, the troops of the Northern, Northwestern, Leningrad, Volkhov, Karelian and 2nd Baltic fronts, long-range aviation and air defense forces of the country, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, the Chudskaya, Ladoga and Onega military flotillas, formations of partisans participated in the battle for Leningrad at different times .
In the battle for Leningrad, the efforts of the troops of the front and the working people of the city and region united. On the outskirts of the city, they created nodes of resistance, built defensive lines. A defense system was created around Leningrad, consisting of several belts. Fortified areas were built on the near approaches to the city, and the internal defense of Leningrad was also created.
According to its military-strategic scope, attracted forces and means, tension, results and military-political consequences, the battle for Leningrad can be divided into the following stages.
1st stage (July 10 - September 30, 1941) - defense on the distant and near approaches to Leningrad. Leningrad strategic defensive operation.
Having overcome the resistance of the Soviet troops in the Baltic states, on July 10 the fascist German troops launched an offensive on the southwestern approaches to Leningrad. Finnish troops went on the offensive from the north.
Hot battles flared up these days on the left flank of the Northwestern Front. The enemy stubbornly made his way to Staraya Russa and Kholm. On July 17, the enemy broke through to the headquarters of the 22nd Rifle Corps in the area of the Dno station. 20 warriors, headed by the deputy political instructor of the radio company A.K., boldly entered the fray with him. Mary. For several hours they repulsed enemy attacks and prevented him from capturing the headquarters. A.K. Mary was wounded several times, but did not leave the battlefield. For his heroism, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On August 8-10, defensive battles began on the near approaches to Leningrad. Despite the heroic resistance of the Soviet troops, the enemy broke through on the left flank of the Luga defense line and occupied Novgorod on August 19, Chudovo on August 20, cut the highway and the Moscow-Leningrad railway. By the end of September, in the Olonets and Petrozavodsk directions, Soviet troops, with the support of the ships of the Ladoga military flotilla, stopped the enemy at the turn of the Svir River. On July 31, the enemy launched an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. At the end of August, Finnish troops reached the line of the old state border. There was a real threat of encirclement of Leningrad.
At the end of August, the enemy resumed his offensive along the Moscow-Leningrad highway, on August 30 he went to the Neva and cut the railways connecting Leningrad with the country. Having captured Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) on September 8, German troops cut off Leningrad from land. An almost 900-day blockade of the city began, communication with which was now maintained only through Lake Ladoga and by air. The next day, September 9, the enemy launched a new offensive against Leningrad from the area west of Krasnogvardeisk, but as a result of the stubborn resistance of the troops of the Leningrad Front, the enemy’s offensive, which suffered heavy losses, gradually weakened, and by the end of September the front on the nearest approaches to the city stabilized. The enemy's plan to capture Leningrad on the move failed, and this led to the disruption of the enemy's intentions to turn the main forces of Army Group North to attack Moscow.
An important role in the defense of Leningrad from the sea was played by the heroic defense of the Moonsund Islands, the Hanko Peninsula and the naval base of Tallinn, the Oranienbaum bridgehead and Kronstadt. Their defenders showed exceptional courage and heroism. So, for example, in the battles in the area of the Harku farm, the Nazis captured a seriously wounded reconnaissance sailor from the ship "Minsk" E.A. Nikonov. The Nazis wanted to get information from him about the number of our troops, but the courageous sailor refused to answer. The Nazi executioners gouged out his eyes, tied him to a tree and burned him alive. E.A. Nikonov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He is forever listed in the lists of the ship.
2nd stage (October 1941 - January 12, 1943) - defensive military operations of the Soviet troops. Blockade of the city of Leningrad.
Soviet troops repeatedly attempted to lift the blockade of the city. In 1941, they carried out the Tikhvin defensive and offensive operations, in 1942 - the Lyuban and Sinyavino operations.
The Nazi command, having failed to realize its plans to capture Leningrad from the south, in mid-October 1941, attacked Tikhvin in order to reach the river. Svir, connect with the Finnish troops and carry out a complete blockade of Leningrad. On November 8, the enemy captured Tikhvin, cutting off the last railway, along which goods were delivered to Lake Ladoga, transported by water to the besieged city. In mid-November, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive and on December 9 captured Tikhvin, pushing the enemy back across the river. Volkhov.
The current situation forced the German command to reconsider the tactics of the struggle for Leningrad. Unable to take the city by storm, it decided to achieve its goal by a long blockade, accompanied by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment. As early as September 21, 1941, a report “On the Siege of Leningrad” was prepared at Hitler’s headquarters. It spoke of the need to raze Leningrad to the ground during the blockade, to leave the city for the winter without food, to wait for surrender. And those who will remain alive by spring will be driven out of the city, and the city itself will be destroyed.
The city defense committee, party and Soviet bodies did everything possible to save the population from starvation. Assistance to Leningrad was carried out along the transport highway across Lake Ladoga, called the Road of Life. It made it possible to increase food supplies in the city, to slightly increase the food standards for supplying the population, and to deliver ammunition.
During the periods of navigation, transportation was carried out by the Ladoga Flotilla and the North-Western River Shipping Company.
To supply oil products to the city from May 5 to June 16, 1942, a pipeline was laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga, and in the fall of 1942 an energy cable was laid.
From the sea, Leningrad was covered by the Baltic Fleet. He actively participated in the defensive and offensive operations of the troops of the Leningrad Front with the forces of his aviation, naval and coastal artillery, marines, and also provided military transportation along the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. On the territory occupied by the enemy of the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions, partisans launched an active struggle.
In January - April 1942, the strike groups of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, advancing towards each other, fought stubborn battles in the Luban, and in August - October in the Sinyavino directions in order to break through the blockade of the city. However, due to the lack of forces and means, the operations were not successful, but all the same, serious damage was inflicted on the enemy in manpower and military equipment. His powers were shackled.
3rd stage (1943) - the fighting of the Soviet troops, breaking through the blockade of Leningrad.
In January 1943, in order to break the blockade of the city near Leningrad, the Iskra strategic offensive operation was carried out. On January 12, 1943, formations of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front (commanded by Colonel General L.A. Govorov), the 2nd shock and part of the forces of the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front (commanded by General of the Army K.A. Meretskov) with the support of 13- The 1st and 14th air armies, long-range aviation, artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet delivered counter strikes on a narrow ledge between Shlisselburg and Sinyavin. On January 18, they joined in the areas of workers' settlements No. 5 and No. 1. A corridor 8-11 km wide was formed south of Lake Ladoga. A 36-kilometer railway was built along the southern coast of Ladoga in 18 days. Trains went to Leningrad along it.
Breaking the blockade was a turning point in the battle for the city on the Neva. And although it still remained a front-line city, the plan of its capture by the Nazis was finally thwarted. Significantly improved its food supply, the strategic situation near Leningrad.
Soviet soldiers in these battles accomplished many heroic, immortal deeds. So, the signalman of the 270th regiment of the 136th rifle division D.S. Molodtsov, advancing along with the shooters, volunteered to crawl up to the enemy bunker, covering the approaches to the enemy battery. In carrying out this task, at the cost of his own life, he enabled the regiment to capture a heavy enemy battery. Molodtsov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The mortarmen brothers Shumov Alexander, Vasily, Luka, Ivan, Auxenty fought courageously. All of them have been awarded medals.
The heroic feat was accomplished by the pilot, Senior Lieutenant I.S. Panteleev. His aircraft, assisting ground forces in suppressing targets, was hit and caught fire. The selfless pilot sent his burning car to the enemy's battery, bombed it, and then threw the plane in flames at the German convoy.
In the summer and autumn battles of 1943, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts actively thwarted the enemy’s attempts to restore the complete blockade of Leningrad, conducting many private operations. They contributed to the improvement of the positions of the Soviet troops. At the same time, the combat activity of our troops pinned down about 30 enemy divisions. This did not allow the enemy to transfer at least one of them to the south, where, in particular near Kursk, the Nazis were defeated.
4th stage (January - February 1944) - the offensive of the Soviet troops in the north-western direction, the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad.
During this stage, the Soviet troops carried out the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation, in which the troops of the Leningrad Front carried out the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky, and the Volkhov Front - the Novgorod-Luga offensive operation.
On January 14, 1944, Soviet troops went on the offensive from the Oranienbaum bridgehead to Ropsha, and on January 15, from Leningrad to Krasnoe Selo. On January 20, the advancing troops united in the Ropsha area and liquidated the encircled enemy grouping. At the same time, on January 14, Soviet troops went on the offensive in the Novgorod region, on January 16 - in the Luban direction, and on January 20 liberated Novgorod. By the end of January, the cities of Pushkin, Krasnogvardeysk, Tosno, Luban, Chudovo were liberated.
January 27, 1944 will forever remain in the memory of Leningraders, of all our people. The blockade of Leningrad was completely eliminated.
The date of January 27 is immortalized in Russian Federation as the Day of military glory of Russia - the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad (1944).
By February 15, as a result of fierce fighting, the enemy defenses in the Luga area were overcome. After that, the Volkhov Front was disbanded, and the troops of the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic Fronts, continuing to pursue the enemy, reached the border of the Latvian SSR by the end of March 1. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, a heavy defeat was inflicted on Army Group North, almost the entire Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region were liberated, Soviet troops entered the Estonian SSR, and favorable conditions were created for defeating the enemy in the Baltic.
In the summer of 1944, the troops of the Leningrad and Karelian fronts, with the participation of the Baltic Fleet, the Ladoga and Onega military flotillas, defeated the enemy grouping on the northern wing of the Soviet-German front, which predetermined Finland's withdrawal from the war, the security of Leningrad was fully ensured, and most of the Karelian-Finnish SSR was liberated.
The historical significance of the victory in the battle for Leningrad
The Great Patriotic War knows many outstanding battles and battles on the way to the world-historical Victory over German fascism and its allies. A special place among them and in general in world military history belongs to the staunch and heroic 900-day defense of Leningrad.
What is the historical significance of the battle for Leningrad?
Firstly, the defense of besieged Leningrad became a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people. The defenders and residents of the city, being in the blockade, selflessly repulsed the superior forces of the Nazi troops. Despite unprecedented difficulties and hardships, countless victims and losses, they never doubted their victory for a minute, withstood and won, while showing examples of stamina, endurance and patriotism. The history of wars does not know such a feat.
Leningrad, its inhabitants and defenders had to endure unprecedented hardships and suffering during the blockade winter of 1941-1942. The city was deprived of food and fuel supplies. The power supply to residential buildings was interrupted. The water supply failed, 78 km of the sewer network was destroyed. Trams stopped, utility companies stopped working. In the autumn of 1941, food rations were reduced five times. From November 20, workers received 250 grams of bread a day, all the rest - 125 grams. The bread was raw, consisted of 2/5 impurities. Scurvy and dystrophy began.
The Hitlerite command led the barbaric bombing and artillery shelling of Leningrad. During the blockade period, about 150 thousand shells were fired at the city and over 102 thousand incendiary and about 5 thousand high-explosive bombs were dropped. In September-November 1941, an air raid alert was announced 251 times in the city. The average daily duration of artillery shelling in November 1941 reached 9 hours.
The inhabitants of the city paid a high price. During the harsh days of the blockade, 641,803 people died from artillery shelling and bombing, hunger and cold. Many of them are buried in the mass graves of the Piskarevsky cemetery.
Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers laid down their lives in the battle for Leningrad. Irretrievable losses amounted to 979,254 people, sanitary - 1,947,770 people.
Secondly, the battle for Leningrad was of great military and strategic importance. It influenced the course of hostilities in other areas of the Soviet-German front. Large forces of the Nazi troops and the entire Finnish army were drawn into the battles in the Northwest. If in June 1942 there were 34 divisions in the Army Group North, then in October - already 44. Due to the activity of the Soviet troops, the Hitlerite command could not transfer large forces from Leningrad to other sectors of the front (near Moscow, Stalingrad, Severny Kavkaz, Kursk), when large-scale hostilities took place there. With the end of the battle for Leningrad, the significant amount troops of the Leningrad and Karelian fronts, which the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command used in other strategic directions.
Thirdly, during the battle for Leningrad, the Soviet military art was further developed. For the first time in the history of modern warfare, the enemy, who had blocked the largest city for a long time, was defeated here by a blow from outside, combined with a powerful blow from the besieged city. The offensive carried out according to such a plan was comprehensively prepared and successfully completed.
The victory was achieved by the efforts of all types and branches of the troops with the active assistance of the partisans. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command directed and coordinated the actions of the fronts, fleet, air defense army, flotillas and air force. The skilful choice of the main directions of troop operations, the timely setting of combat missions for them, the strengthening of the fronts in accordance with these tasks, and the operational retargeting of troops during operations were of great importance for the successful outcome of the battle.
At the defensive stage of the battle, the area of location of Soviet troops blocked from the land (with Leningrad in the center) was a single system of positions and lines, which expanded the possibilities of maneuvering forces and means to concentrate them on threatened directions. On the Leningrad Front in September 1941, one of the first in the war was carried out effective artillery counter-preparation against the enemy, who was preparing to storm the city.
The breakthrough of the blockade was carried out by delivering counter strikes by groupings of two fronts. In the course of offensive operations, Soviet military art was enriched by the experience of overcoming heavily fortified enemy defenses in wooded and swampy areas. The tactics of offensive operations by small rifle and tank subunits have been considerably developed. Their actions were distinguished by independence in battles for separate points, crossings and through water barriers. Effective counter-battery combat, in which the air forces of the front and navy took part, was an example of skillful opposition to enemy siege artillery under blockade conditions.
Fourthly, the battle for Leningrad was a major military-political event and, in its significance, went far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. She was highly appreciated by our allies. US President F. Roosevelt, in a letter sent to Leningrad, wrote: “On behalf of the people of the United States of America, I present this letter to the city of Leningrad in memory of its valiant warriors and its faithful men, women and children, who, being isolated by the invader from the rest of their people and despite constant bombardment and unheard of suffering from cold, hunger and disease, successfully defended their beloved city for critical period from September 8, 1941 to January 18, 1943 and symbolized by this the fearless spirit of the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and all the peoples of the world resisting the forces of aggression.”
Fifthly, the battle for Leningrad demonstrated the great strength of the moral and political unity of Soviet society, the friendship of the peoples of our Motherland. Representatives of all nationalities of the Soviet Union fought near Leningrad, showing unparalleled courage and mass heroism. It was near Leningrad that a mass sniper movement was born. In February 1942, 10 best snipers of the Leningrad Front were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 130 were awarded orders and medals.
The defense of Leningrad had a nationwide character, expressed in the close cohesion of the troops and the population under the leadership of the city defense committee, which led the political, military and economic life of the city during the blockade. On the initiative of party organizations in July-September 1941, 10 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the city, 7 of which became personnel.
The motherland highly appreciated the feat of the defenders of Leningrad. Many units and formations were converted into guards, awarded orders, received honorary titles of Leningrad. For courage, courage and heroism, over 350 thousand soldiers of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was awarded to about 1.5 million people. On January 26, 1945, Leningrad was awarded the Order of Lenin, and on May 8, 1965, the Hero City of Leningrad was awarded the Gold Star medal.
Sixthly, the victory in the battle for Leningrad was won thanks to the heroic deed of the home front workers. The military automobile road, laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga and called the Road of Life, had no analogues in world history. In the first blockade winter of 1941-1942 alone, more than 360,000 tons of cargo were delivered through it, including about 32,000 tons of ammunition and explosives, about 35,000 tons of fuel and lubricants. About 550 thousand people, about 3.7 thousand wagons of equipment, cultural values and other property were taken out of the city. For the entire period of operation, 1615 thousand tons of cargo were transported along the Road of Life, about 1376 thousand people were evacuated.
Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. In the difficult conditions of the blockade, the working people of the city gave the front weapons, equipment, uniforms, and ammunition. During the period of the blockade, 2,000 tanks, 1,500 aircraft, thousands of guns, many warships were repaired and built, 225,000 machine guns, 12,000 mortars, about 10 million shells and mines were manufactured.
The important role of cultural and educational work during the blockade, in which cultural and artistic figures actively participated, should be especially emphasized. It raised the morale of the blockade, brought up courage, developed a burning hatred for the fascist invaders, inspired them to steadfastly overcome difficulties and dangers, and instilled confidence in victory.
Currently, attempts are still being made to distort, to present in a false light the heroic defense of Leningrad. It is alleged, for example, that his defense allegedly had no military significance. Therefore, the death of many thousands of people was in vain. It was just necessary to hand over the city to the Nazis. And he, they say, would remain intact, like Paris, Brussels, The Hague and other capitals of many European countries. This shameless lie is dictated by the political situation, the deliberate falsification of military history. It is aimed at removing the blame for the death of people from the Nazis.
Almost 66 years have passed since the momentous victory in the battle for Leningrad. But even today the feat of the Leningraders, the soldiers of the army and navy, who defended our northern capital, personifies the military glory of Russia. He serves as an example for current generations of loyalty to patriotic and military duty, courage and courage in defending the freedom and independence of the Fatherland.
Before the lesson on the given topic and during its implementation, it is advisable to visit the museum of the military unit, invite veterans of the Great Patriotic War, home front workers, and Leningrad blockade survivors to speak.
In the opening remarks, it is advisable to emphasize that the Battle of Leningrad is a worthy contribution to the treasury of Russia's military glory, and it will forever be preserved in the military history of our people as a symbol of courage, steadfastness and selfless defense of our Fatherland.
When covering the first issue, it is necessary, using a map, to show the location and balance of forces of the opposing sides in different stages of the battle, to tell in detail about the exploits, to give examples of the courage and heroism of Soviet soldiers.
In the course of considering the second question, it is necessary to objectively show the place and role of the Battle of Leningrad in Russian historiography, and provide statistical data that testify to the price of victory.
Consideration of questions will be much more interesting if the story is accompanied by the display of fragments of documentary and feature films about the Battle of Leningrad, listening to fragments of the famous Seventh Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich, reading excerpts from the works of poetesses Olga Bergolts and Anna Akhmatova.
At the end of the lesson, it is necessary to draw brief conclusions and answer questions from the audience.
1. Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945: Short story. - M., 1984.
2. Military encyclopedia. In 8 vols. T. 1. - M., 1997.
3. Petrov B. The immortal feat of the defenders of Leningrad. // Reference point. - 2004. - No. 1.
4. Strelnikov V. Milestones Great Victory(to the 65th anniversary of the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad). // Reference point. - 2008. - No. 12.
Lieutenant colonel
Dmitry SAMOSVAT.
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Lieutenant Colonel
Alexey KURSHEV
January 18, 1943 Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke through the blockade of Leningrad. The largest political, economic and cultural center of the USSR, after a hard 16-month struggle, again found a land connection with the country.
Start of the offensive
On the morning of January 12, 1943, the troops of the two fronts simultaneously launched an offensive. Previously, at night, the Soviet dealt a powerful blow to the positions of the Wehrmacht in the breakthrough zone, as well as to airfields, command posts, communications and railway junctions in the enemy rear. Tons of metal fell on the Germans, destroying their manpower, destroying defenses and suppressing morale. At 9 o'clock. At 30 minutes, artillery preparation began: in the offensive zone of the 2nd shock army, it lasted 1 hour 45 minutes, and in the sector of the 67th army - 2 hours 20 minutes. 40 minutes before the start of the movement of infantry and armored vehicles, attack aviation, in groups of 6-8 aircraft, attacked previously reconnoitered artillery, mortar positions, strongholds and communication centers.
At 11 o'clock. 50 min. under the cover of the “barrage of fire” and the fire of the 16th fortified area, the divisions of the first echelon of the 67th Army went on the attack. Each of the four divisions - the 45th Guards, 268th, 136th, 86th Rifle Divisions - were reinforced by several artillery and mortar regiments, an anti-tank artillery regiment and one or two engineer battalions. In addition, the offensive was supported by 147 light and armored cars, the weight of which could withstand the ice. The particular complexity of the operation was that the defensive positions of the Wehrmacht went along the steep, icy left bank of the river, which was higher than the right. The German fire weapons were located in tiers and covered all the approaches to the coast with multi-layered fire. In order to break through to the other side, it was necessary to reliably suppress the German firing points, especially in the first line. At the same time, care had to be taken not to damage the ice near the left bank.
The destroyer Baltic "Experienced" is shelling enemy positions in the area of the Nevsky Forest Park. January 1943
Soviet soldiers carry boats to cross the Neva River
Scouts of the Leningrad Front during the battle at the barbed wire
The assault groups were the first to break through to the other side of the Neva. Their fighters selflessly made passages in the barriers. Rifle and tank units crossed the river behind them. After a fierce battle, the enemy defenses were broken north of the 2nd Gorodok (268th rifle division and 86th separate tank battalion) and in the Maryino area (136th division and formations of the 61st tank brigade). By the end of the day, Soviet troops broke the resistance of the 170th German Infantry Division between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg. The 67th Army captured the bridgehead between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg, construction of a crossing for medium and heavy tanks and heavy artillery began (completed on January 14). On the flanks, the situation was more difficult: on the right wing, the 45th Guards Rifle Division in the "Nevsky Piglet" area was able to capture only the first line of German fortifications; on the left wing, the 86th Infantry Division was unable to cross the Neva near Shlisselburg (it was transferred to the bridgehead in the Maryino area in order to strike Shlisselburg from the south).
In the offensive zone of the 2nd shock and 8th armies, the offensive developed with great difficulty. Aviation and artillery were unable to suppress the main enemy firing points, and the swamps were difficult to pass even in winter. The most fierce battles were fought for the points of Lipka, Workers' Settlement No. 8 and Gontovaya Lipka, these strongholds were on the flanks of the breaking forces and continued the battle even in complete encirclement. On the right flank and in the center - the 128th, 372nd and 256th rifle divisions, were able to break through the defenses of the 227th infantry division by the end of the day and advance 2-3 km. The strongholds of Lipka and Workers' Settlement No. 8 could not be taken that day. On the left flank, only the 327th Infantry Division was able to achieve some success, which occupied most of the fortification in the Kruglyaya grove. The attacks of the 376th division and the forces of the 8th army were not successful.
The German command, already on the first day of the battle, was forced to commit operational reserves into battle: formations of the 96th Infantry Division and the 5th Mountain Division sent to the aid of the 170th Division, two regiments of the 61st Infantry Division (Major General Huner's group) were introduced into the center of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge.
On the morning of January 13, the offensive continued. The Soviet command, in order to finally turn the tide in its favor, began to bring into battle the second echelon of the advancing armies. However, the Germans, relying on strongholds and a developed defense system, offered stubborn resistance, constantly counterattacked, trying to restore their lost position. The fighting took on a protracted and fierce character.
In the offensive zone of the 67th Army on the left flank, the 86th Infantry Division and a battalion of armored vehicles, with support from the north of the 34th Ski Brigade and the 55th Infantry Brigade (on the ice of the lake), stormed the approaches to Shlisselburg for several days. By the evening of the 15th, the Red Army reached the outskirts of the city, the German troops in Shlisselburg found themselves in a critical situation, but continued to fight stubbornly.
Soviet soldiers in battle on the outskirts of Shlisselburg
Soldiers of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front move across the territory of the Shlisselburg Fortress
In the center, the 136th Rifle Division and the 61st Tank Brigade developed an offensive in the direction of Workers' Settlement No. 5. To ensure the left flank of the division, the 123rd Rifle Brigade was brought into battle, it was supposed to advance in the direction of Workers' Settlement No. 3. Then, to ensure the right flank, the 123rd Infantry Division and a tank brigade were brought into battle, they advanced in the direction of Workers' Settlement No. 6, Sinyavino. After several days of fighting, the 123rd Rifle Brigade captured Rabochey Settlement No. 3 and reached the outskirts of Settlements No. 1 and No. 2. The 136th Division made its way to Workers Settlement No. 5, but could not immediately take it.
On the right wing of the 67th Army, the attacks of the 45th Guards and 268th Rifle Divisions were still unsuccessful. The Air Force and artillery were unable to eliminate firing points in the 1st, 2nd Gorodok and 8th GRES. In addition, the German troops received reinforcements - formations of the 96th Infantry and 5th Mountain Divisions. The Germans even made fierce counterattacks, using the 502nd heavy tank battalion, which was armed with heavy Tiger I tanks. The Soviet troops, despite the introduction of troops of the second echelon - the 13th rifle division, the 102nd and 142nd rifle brigades into battle, could not turn the tide in this sector in their favor.
In the zone of the 2nd shock army, the offensive continued to develop more slowly than that of the 67th army. German troops, relying on strongholds - Workers' settlements No. 7 and No. 8, Lipka, continued to put up stubborn resistance. On January 13, despite the introduction of part of the forces of the second echelon into the battle, the troops of the 2nd shock army did not achieve serious success in any direction. In the following days, the army command tried to expand the breakthrough in the southern sector from the Kruglaya grove to Gaitolovo, but without visible results. The 256th Rifle Division was able to achieve the greatest success in this direction; on January 14, it occupied Workers' Settlement No. 7, Podgornaya station and reached the approaches to Sinyavino. On the right wing, the 12th ski brigade was sent to help the 128th division, it was supposed to go on the ice of Lake Ladoga to the rear of the Lipka stronghold.
On January 15, in the center of the offensive zone, the 372nd Rifle Division was finally able to take Workers' settlements No. 8 and No. 4, and on the 17th they left the village No. 1. By this day, the 18th Rifle Division and the 98th Tank Brigade of the 2nd UA had already been several days fought a stubborn battle on the outskirts of Workers' Settlement No. 5. Units of the 67th Army attacked it from the west. The moment of joining the two armies was close.
By January 18, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were engaged in a fierce battle in the area of Workers' Village No. 5, and they were separated by only a few kilometers. The German command, realizing that it was no longer necessary to hold the surrounded strongholds, ordered the garrisons of Shlisselburg and Lipka to break through to Sinyavino. In order to facilitate the breakthrough, the forces defending Workers' Settlements No. 1 and No. 5 (Hüner's group) had to hold out as long as possible. In addition, a counterattack was organized from the area of Workers' Settlement No. 5 against the 136th Infantry Division and the 61st Separate Tank Brigade in order to overturn it and facilitate the breakthrough of the encircled troops. However, the blow was repelled, up to 600 Germans were destroyed, up to 500 people were taken prisoner. Soviet soldiers, pursuing the enemy, broke into the village, where at about 12 o'clock in the afternoon the troops of the 2nd shock and 67th armies united. The troops of the two armies also met in the area of Workers' Settlement No. 1 - these were the 123rd separate rifle brigade of the Leningrad Front, headed by the deputy commander for political affairs, Major Melkonyan, and the 372nd rifle division of the Volkhov Front, headed by the head of the 1st department of the division headquarters Major Melnikov. On the same day, Shlisselburg was completely cleared of the Germans, and at the end of the day the southern coast of Lake Ladoga was liberated from the enemy, and its scattered groups were destroyed or captured. Lipki were also released.
“I saw,” recalled G.K. Zhukov, - with what joy the soldiers of the fronts that broke through the blockade rushed towards each other. Ignoring the artillery shelling of the enemy from the side of the Sinyavino Heights, the soldiers fraternally hugged each other tightly. It was a truly painstaking joy!” Thus, on January 18, 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
V. Serov, I. Serebryany, A. Kazantsev. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. 1943
However, it could not be said that the situation had completely stabilized. The common front of the 67th and 2nd shock armies was not yet dense enough, so part of the encircled German troops (about 8 thousand people), abandoning heavy weapons and spreading out, broke through Workers' settlement No. 5 in a southerly direction and by January 20 came out to Sinyavino. The German command withdrew the retreating troops to positions prepared in advance along the line of Towns No. 1 and No. 2 - Workers' Settlement No. 6 - Sinyavino - the western part of the Kruglaya grove. The SS Police Division, the 1st Infantry Division and formations of the 5th Mountain Division were transferred there in advance. Later, the command of the 18th German Army reinforced this direction with units of the 28th Jaeger, 11th, 21st and 212th Infantry Divisions. The command of the 67th Army and the 2nd Shock Army did not rule out the possibility of a counteroffensive by the enemy in order to restore lost positions. Therefore, the troops of the two armies stopped offensive operations and began to consolidate on the achieved lines.
On January 18, as soon as Moscow received news of the breaking of the blockade, the GKO decided to accelerate the construction of a railway line on the vacated strip of land, which was supposed to connect Leningrad with the Volkhov railway junction. The railway from Polyana station to Shlisselburg was to be built in 18 days. At the same time, a temporary railway bridge was built across the Neva. The railway line was called Victory Road. Already on the morning of February 7, Leningraders with great joy met the first train that arrived from the mainland and delivered 800 tons of butter. In addition, car traffic began to function along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga. The Road of Life continued to operate. Two weeks later, food supply norms established for the largest industrial centers of the country began to operate in Leningrad: workers began to receive 700-600 grams of bread a day, employees - 500, children and dependents - 400 grams. Norms of supply of other types of foodstuffs have increased.
True, the Victory Road operated in the most difficult conditions. German artillery shot through the narrow corridor liberated by the Soviet troops, as the path passed 4-5 km from the front line. The trains had to be driven under bombardment and artillery fire. It happened that the fragments hit the machinists, and stokers, and conductors. Repair of tracks was often done by improvised means. With the onset of summer, the trains, contrary to all existing rules, moved along the hub in the water. As a result of shelling and bombing, railway communication was often disrupted. The main cargo flows still went along the Road of Life through Ladoga. In addition, there was a threat that the Germans would be able to restore the situation.
Thus, the largest political, economic and cultural center of the USSR, after a hard 16-month struggle, again found a land connection with the country. The supply of the city with food and essential goods was significantly improved, and industrial enterprises began to receive more raw materials and fuel. As early as February 1943, the generation of electricity in Leningrad increased sharply, and the production of weapons increased noticeably. The restoration of communications made it possible to continuously reinforce the troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet with replenishment, weapons and ammunition. This improved the strategic position of the Soviet troops operating in the northwestern direction.
The meeting of the fighters of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts at the Workers' settlement No. 1 during the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad
The meeting of the fighters of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts near the Workers' settlement No. 5 during the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad
After the troops of the 67th and 2nd shock armies formed a common front and entrenched themselves on new lines, it was decided to continue the operation and reach the Mustolovo-Mikhailovsky line (along the Moika River), and then capture the Kirov railway. On January 20, Zhukov reported to Stalin on the plan of the Mga operation, prepared jointly with Voroshilov, Meretskov and Govorov.
However, the German command had already managed to prepare well for a possible Soviet offensive. The defensive line prepared in advance was defended by the forces of 9 divisions, significantly reinforced by artillery and aircraft. The enemy transferred the 11th and 21st infantry divisions near Sinyavino, exposing the rest of the front to the limit: from Novgorod to Pogost, near Leningrad and Oranienbaum, Lindemann had 14 infantry divisions left. But the risk paid off. In addition, the advancing Soviet armies were deprived of maneuver, and they had to attack enemy positions in the forehead. Connections Soviet armies were already heavily exhausted and bled dry by the previous fierce battles for the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge. It was difficult to count on success in such conditions.
On January 20, after artillery preparation, the army went on the offensive. The 67th Army, with the forces of the 46th, 138th Rifle Divisions and the 152nd Tank Brigade, struck southeast of the 1st and 2nd Gorodoks. The army was supposed to capture Mustolovo and bypass Sinyavino from the west. The 142nd Marine Brigade and the 123rd Rifle Brigade were advancing on Sinyavino. The 123rd Rifle Division, the 102nd Rifle, and the 220th Tank Brigade had the task of breaking the enemy resistance in the area of the 1st and 2nd Gorodok and reaching Arbuzovo. But the Soviet troops met with strong resistance and could not solve the assigned tasks. Successes were insignificant. Komfront Govorov decided to continue the attacks and allocated 4 rifle divisions, 2 rifle and 1 tank brigades from the front reserve. On January 25, the troops again went on the offensive, but, despite the introduction of reinforcements into the battle, they failed to break through the German defenses. Stubborn fighting continued until the end of January, but the 67th Army was never able to break the German order.
Events developed in a similar way in the sector of the 2nd shock army. The troops were forced to advance through swampy terrain, which deprived them of the proper support of artillery and tanks. German troops, relying on strong positions, offered fierce resistance. On January 25, the 2nd Shock Army was able to capture Workers' Settlement No. 6. Until the end of the month, units of the army fought hard battles for the Sinyavino Heights, part of the Round Grove and the Kvadratnaya Grove in the area of Workers' Settlement No. 6. On January 31, the 80th Infantry Division even managed to take Sinyavino , but the German troops knocked her out with a strong counterattack. In other areas, the army did not have much success.
By the end of the month, it became clear that the offensive had failed and that the plan to liberate the Neva and the Kirov railway was not yet being implemented. The plan needed a strong adjustment, the positions of the Germans on the line: 1st and 2nd Gorodok - Sinyavino - Gaitolovo, turned out to be too strong. To exclude possible attempts by the enemy to restore the blockade, the troops of the 67th and 2nd shock armies on January 30 went on the defensive at the turn north and east of the 2nd Gorodok, south of Rabochego Settlement No. 6 and north of Sinyavino, west of Gontovaya Lipka and east of Gaitolovo. The troops of the 67th Army continued to hold a small foothold on the left bank of the Neva in the area of Moscow Dubrovka. The Soviet command begins to prepare a new operation, which will be carried out in February 1943.
Report of the Soviet Information Bureau on the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad
Operation results
Soviet troops created a "corridor" along the shore of Lake Ladoga 8-11 km wide, broke through the long enemy blockade that was choking Leningrad. The event that all Soviet people have been waiting for so long has happened. There was a land connection between the second capital of the USSR and the mainland. The military-strategic plans of the German military-political leadership in relation to Leningrad were frustrated - the city was supposed to be "cleansed" of the inhabitants through a long blockade, hunger. The possibility of a direct connection of German and Finnish troops east of Leningrad was thwarted. The Leningrad and Volkhov fronts received direct communications, which increased their combat capabilities and significantly improved the strategic position of the Red Army in the northwestern direction. Thus, the operation "Iskra" became a turning point in the battle for Leningrad, from that moment the strategic initiative completely passed to the Soviet troops. The threat of storming the city on the Neva was excluded.
It should be noted that the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad was a serious blow to the prestige of the Third Reich in the world. No wonder the military observer of the British Reuters agency noted that "the breakthrough of the German fortified line south of Lake Ladoga is the same blow to A. Hitler's prestige as the crushing defeat of the German troops at Stalingrad."
The American President F. Roosevelt, on behalf of his people, sent a special letter to Leningrad “... in memory of its valiant warriors and its faithful men, women and children, who, being isolated by the invader from the rest of their people and despite constant bombardments and untold suffering from cold, hunger and disease, successfully defended their beloved city during the critical period from September 8, 1941 to January 18, 1943, and thus symbolized the fearless spirit of the peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and all the peoples of the world who resist the forces of aggression.
Soviet soldiers in this battle showed increased military skill, inflicting a defeat on the troops of the 18th German army. For courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazis, 25 soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, about 22 thousand soldiers and commanders were awarded orders and medals. Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin, in an order dated January 25, 1943, for successful military operations to break the blockade of Leningrad, expressed gratitude to the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, congratulated them on the victory over the enemy. For the courage and heroism of the personnel, the 136th (commander Major General N.P. Simonyak) and 327th (commander Colonel N.A. Polyakov) rifle divisions were transformed into the 63rd and 64th guards rifle divisions, respectively. The 61st Tank Brigade (commanded by Colonel V.V. Khrustitsky) was transformed into the 30th Guards Tank Brigade, and the 122nd Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The losses under which the operation took place and the strength of the German defense in this sector of the front speak well. Soviet troops lost 115,082 people during the period January 12-30 (Operation Iskra) (of which 33,940 were irretrievable losses). Losses of the Leningrad Front - 41,264 people (12,320 - dead), and the Volkhov - 73,818 people (21,620 - irretrievably). During the same period, 41 tanks were lost (according to other sources, more than 200), 417 guns and mortars, and 41 aircraft. The Germans report the destruction of 847 tanks and 693 aircraft (for the period January 12 - April 4). Soviet sources report that during the period of January 12-30, the Germans lost more than 20 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. Soviet troops 7 enemy divisions.
At the same time, the Soviet troops were unable to complete the operation victoriously. Army Group North was still a serious enemy, and the German command responded in a timely manner to the loss of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge. Soviet strike groups were weakened by fierce fighting for a heavily fortified area and were unable to break into the new German defensive line. The defeat of the Mginsk-Sinyavinsk German grouping had to be postponed until February 1943. Leningrad, after breaking the blockade, was under a state of siege for another year. The city on the Neva was completely liberated from the German blockade only in January 1944 during Operation January Thunder.
Monument "The Broken Ring" of the Green Belt of Glory of the Defenders of Leningrad. The authors of the memorial: the author of the idea of the monument, sculptor K.M. Simun, architect V.G. Filippov, design engineer I.A. Rybin. Opened October 29, 1966
Every year on January 27, our country celebrates the Day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade (1944). This is the Day of Military Glory of Russia, which was established in accordance with the Federal Law "On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia" dated March 13, 1995. On January 27, 1944, the heroic defense of the city on the Neva ended, which lasted for 872 days. The German troops never managed to enter the city, break the resistance and the spirit of its defenders.
The battle for Leningrad became one of the most important battles of the Second World War and the longest during the Great Patriotic War. She became a symbol of courage and dedication of the defenders of the city. Neither terrible hunger, nor cold, nor constant shelling and bombardment could break the will of the defenders and residents of the besieged city. Despite the terrible hardships and trials that befell these people, the people of Leningrad survived and saved their city from the invaders. The unprecedented feat of the inhabitants and defenders of the city has forever remained in the Russian symbol of courage, stamina, greatness of spirit and love for our Motherland.
The stubborn defense of the defenders of Leningrad fettered the large forces of the German army, as well as almost all the forces of the Finnish army. This undoubtedly contributed to the victories of the Red Army in other sectors of the Soviet-German front. At the same time, even while under blockade, the enterprises of Leningrad did not stop the production of military products, which were used not only in the defense of the city itself, but were also exported to the "mainland", where they were also used against the invaders.
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, one of the strategic directions according to the plans of the Nazi command was Leningrad. Leningrad was included in the list of the most important objects of the Soviet Union that needed to be captured. The attack on the city was carried out by a separate group of armies "North". The tasks of the army group were to capture the Baltic states, ports and Soviet bases in the Baltic and Leningrad.
Already on July 10, 1941, German troops launched an offensive against Leningrad, the capture of which the Nazis attached great strategic and political importance. On July 12, the advanced units of the Germans reached the Luga defensive line, where their offensive was delayed by Soviet troops for several weeks. The heavy KV-1 and KV-2, which arrived at the front directly from the Kirov plant, actively entered the battle here. Hitler's troops failed to take the city on the move. Hitler was dissatisfied with the developing situation, he personally made a trip to Army Group North in order to prepare a plan to capture the city by September 1941.
The Germans were able to resume the attack on Leningrad only after the regrouping of troops on August 8, 1941 from the bridgehead captured at Bolshoy Sabsk. A few days later, the Luga defensive line was broken through. On August 15, German troops entered Novgorod, and on August 20 they captured Chudovo. At the end of August, fighting was already going on near the approaches to the city. On August 30, the Germans captured the village and station of Mga, thereby cutting off the railway communication between Leningrad and the country. On September 8, the Nazi troops captured the city of Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost), taking control of the source of the Neva and completely blocking Leningrad from land. From that day began the blockade of the city, which lasted 872 days. On September 8, 1941, all rail, road and river communications were severed. Communication with the besieged city could only be maintained by air and waters of Lake Ladoga.
As early as September 4, the city was shelled for the first time, German batteries fired from the occupied city of Tosno. On September 8, on the first day of the blockade, the first massive German bomber raid on the city was made. About 200 fires broke out in the city, one of which destroyed the large Badaevsky food warehouses, which only worsened the position of the defenders and the population of Leningrad. In September-October 1941, the Germans made several raids on the city a day. The purpose of the bombing was not only to interfere with the work of the city's enterprises, but also to sow panic among the population.
The conviction of the Soviet leadership and people that the enemy would not be able to capture Leningrad held back the pace of the evacuation. More than 2.5 million civilians, including about 400 thousand children, turned out to be in the city blocked by German and Finnish troops. There were no food supplies to feed so many people in the city. Therefore, almost immediately after the encirclement of the city, it was necessary to seriously save food, reducing food consumption rates and actively developing the use of various food surrogates. At different times, blockade bread consisted of 20-50% of cellulose. Since the beginning of the introduction of the rationing system in the city, the norms for issuing food to the population of the city have decreased many times. Already in October 1941, the inhabitants of Leningrad felt a clear shortage of food, and in December a real famine began in the city.
The Germans were well aware of the plight of the defenders of the city, that women, children and the elderly were dying of starvation in Leningrad. But that was precisely their blockade plan. Unable to enter the city with fighting, breaking the resistance of its defenders, they decided to starve the city and destroy it with intense artillery shelling and bombing. The Germans made the main bet on exhaustion, which was supposed to break the spirit of the Leningraders.
In November-December 1941, a worker in Leningrad could receive only 250 grams of bread a day, and employees, children and the elderly - only 125 grams of bread, the famous "one hundred and twenty-five blockade grams with fire and blood in half" (line from the "Leningrad Poem" Olga Bergholz). When on December 25 the grain ration was first increased by 100 grams for workers and 75 grams for other categories of residents, exhausted, emaciated people experienced at least some joy in this hell. This insignificant change in the norms for issuing bread breathed into the Leningraders, albeit very weak, but hope for the best.
It was the autumn and winter of 1941-1942 that were the most terrible time in the history of the siege of Leningrad. Early winter brought a lot of problems and turned out to be very cold. The heating system did not work in the city, there was no hot water. In order to keep warm, the inhabitants burned books, furniture, and dismantled wooden buildings for firewood. Almost all urban transport stopped. Thousands of people died from malnutrition and cold. In January 1942, 107,477 people died in the city, including 5,636 children under the age of one. Despite the terrible trials that fell to their lot, and in addition to the famine, Leningraders that winter suffered from very severe frosts (the average monthly temperature in January 1942 was 10 degrees below the long-term average), they continued to work. Administrative institutions, polyclinics, kindergartens, printing houses, public libraries, theaters worked in the city, Leningrad scientists continued their work. The famous Kirov Plant also worked, although the front line passed from it at a distance of only four kilometers. He did not stop his work for a single day during the blockade. 13-14-year-old teenagers also worked in the city, who got up to the machines to replace their fathers who had gone to the front.
In the autumn on Ladoga, due to storms, navigation was seriously complicated, but tugboats with barges still made their way into the city bypassing the ice fields until December 1941. Some volumes of food could be delivered to the city by plane. Hard ice on Lake Ladoga was not established for a long time. Only on November 22, the movement of cars on a specially built ice road began. This important highway for the whole city was called the "Road of Life". In January 1942, the movement of cars along this road was constant, while the Germans fired and bombed the road, but they could not stop the movement. At the same time in the winter, along the "Road of Life" from the city, the evacuation of the population began. The first to leave Leningrad were women, children, the sick and the elderly. In total, about one million people were evacuated from the city.
As the American political philosopher Michael Walzer later noted: “More civilians died in besieged Leningrad than in the hell of Hamburg, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.” During the years of the blockade, according to various estimates, from 600 thousand to 1.5 million civilians died. The number of 632 thousand people appeared at the Nuremberg Trials. Only 3% of them died from artillery shelling and bombing, 97% became victims of hunger. Most of the Leningrad residents who died during the siege are buried at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery. The area of the cemetery is 26 hectares. Victims of the blockade lie in a long row of graves; approximately 500,000 Leningraders were buried in this cemetery alone.
The Soviet troops managed to break the blockade of Leningrad only in January 1943. This happened on January 18, when the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts met south of Lake Ladoga, breaking through a corridor 8-11 kilometers wide. In just 18 days, a 36-kilometer railway was built along the shore of the lake. Trains again went along it to the besieged city. From February to December 1943, 3104 trains passed through this road to the city. The corridor pierced by land improved the position of the defenders and residents of the besieged city, but there was still a year left before the blockade was completely lifted.
By the beginning of 1944, the German troops created a defense in depth around the city with numerous wood-and-earth and reinforced concrete defensive structures, covered with barbed wire and minefields. In order to completely liberate the city on the Neva from the blockade, the Soviet command concentrated a large group of troops, organizing an offensive by the forces of the Leningrad, Volkhov, Baltic fronts, they were supported by the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, whose naval artillery and sailors seriously helped the defenders of the city throughout the blockade.
On January 14, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts launched the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation, the main goal of which was to defeat Army Group North, liberate the territory of the Leningrad Region and completely remove the blockade from the city. The first blow to the enemy on the morning of January 14 was delivered by units of the 2nd shock army. On January 15, the 42nd Army went on the offensive from the Pulkovo area. Overcoming the stubborn resistance of the Nazis - the 3rd SS Panzer Corps and the 50th Army Corps, the Red Army drove the enemy out of their defensive lines and by January 20 near Ropsha surrounded and destroyed the remnants of the Peterhof-Strelna group of Germans. About a thousand soldiers and officers of the enemy were taken prisoner, more than 250 artillery pieces were captured.
By January 20, the troops of the Volkhov Front liberated Novgorod from the enemy and began to oust the German units from the Mga region. The 2nd Baltic Front managed to capture the Nasva station and captured a section of the Novosokolniki - Dno road, which was the main communications line of the 16th Wehrmacht Army.
On January 21, the troops of the Leningrad Front launched an offensive, the main target of the strike was Krasnogvardeysk. On January 24-26, Soviet troops liberated Pushkin from the Nazis, recaptured the October Railway. The liberation of Krasnogvardeisk on the morning of January 26, 1944 led to the collapse of the continuous line of defense of the Nazi troops. By the end of January, the troops of the Leningrad Front, in close cooperation with the troops of the Volkhov Front, inflicted a heavy defeat on the 18th Wehrmacht Army, advancing 70-100 kilometers. A number of important settlements were liberated, including Krasnoe Selo, Ropsha, Pushkin, Krasnogvardeysk, Slutsk. Good prerequisites were created for further offensive operations. But most importantly, the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted.
As early as January 21, 1944, A. A. Zhdanov and L. A. Govorov, who no longer doubted the success of the further Soviet offensive, personally addressed Stalin with a request, in connection with the complete liberation of the city from the blockade and from enemy shelling, to allow the issuance and publication of the order troops of the front, as well as in honor of the victory won in Leningrad on January 27, a salute with 24 artillery salvos from 324 guns. On the evening of January 27, almost the entire population of the city took to the streets and watched with glee the artillery salute, which heralded a very important historical event in the history of our country.
The motherland appreciated the feat of the defenders of Leningrad. More than 350 thousand soldiers and officers of the Leningrad Front were presented for various orders and medals. 226 defenders of the city became Heroes of the Soviet Union. The medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was awarded to about 1.5 million people. For steadfastness, courage and unprecedented heroism during the days of the blockade, the city was awarded the Order of Lenin on January 20, 1945, and on May 8, 1965 received the honorary title "Hero City of Leningrad".
Based on materials from open sources
