Figure 1.--The Lenningrad boy here during the Seige of Lenningrad is greiving for lost friends and relatives. The deaths were in the hundreds of thousands--from German artillery and bombing, from starvation because the Germans had cut off their food supply, and also because of the freezing weather with no fuel. Many of the deaths were due to Stalin's initial refusal to evacuate civilans. Thus the limited food supply was woefully inadequate to feed the City's large population.

The Wehrmacht's Army Group North was the northern prong of Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). Army Group North cut off Lenningrad from the rest of the Soviet Union (September 1941). The city's defenses held out the Germans. Hitler ordered the City be pounded and starved into submission. Lenningrad's 2.9 million civilians and influx of 0.5 million defenders were cut off from the rest of the Soviet Union. The city with its huge population was unprepared for a seige. And Stalin had not allowed civilians, even children, to be evacuated before the Wehrmachr cut off the city. Food and fuel stocks were very limited, sufficent only for about 1-2 months. `This meant it was impossible to adequately feed the city's civilian population. Public transportation ceased to operate. As Winter 1941-42 descended on the City there was no heating, no city water, almost no electricity, and pitifully little food. The Winter proved to be particularly severe. The food rations fell to only 125 grams (about 1/4 of a pound) of bread per day (January 1942). The result was mass mortalities. An estimated 0.2 million Leningraders died at the peak of the winter due to starvation and the cold (January-Febrruary 1942). Even so the defenses held and some war plants continued to operate. The cold winter weather offered one advantage. A roads was built over frozen Lake Ladoga--the famous "Road of Life" ("Doroga zhizni"). This allowed some supplies could be brought in on the ice road, but Stlain refused for several months to evacuate the children. Many were to starve that first Winter. Available food was given primrily to combat troops. The people of the city were put on starvation rations. Refugees without Lenningrad ration cards were left to starve. Several hundred thousand people were eventually evacuated from the City.

Leningrad

Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg, was the capitl capital of the Tsarist Empire. It was named after Peter the Great on the Baltic as Russia's outlet to the West (18th century). It was here the Russian Revolution began (1917). The city was a major industrial center and the Soviet Union's second-largest city after Moscow. Its location on the wesern borders of the Soviet Union made it the most vulnerable of the major Soviet cities. And it was one of the principal targers of Barbarossa. Hitler assured his generals that it would fall 'like a leaf'.

Army Group North (June-December 1941)

The Wehrmacht's Army Group North (AGN) was the northern prong of Operation Barbarossa. It was the weakest of the three German formations. Preparing for Barbarossa, Army Group North was officially redesignated Army Group C (June 22). Doing so earlier would have obviously alerted the Soviets. AGN was commanded by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb who would be tried for war crimes after the War. He closely cooperated with SS Einsatzgruppen A murder squads. He was one of more than 200 senior Wehrmacht officers who on 30 March 1941 attended a speech in which Hitler explained his visioin for an murderous ideological war of annihilation (Vernichtungskrieg (de) in the Soviet Union. [Förster, pp. 496–97.] AGN staged in East Prussia. Its strategic goal was Leningrad, with operational objectives being the territories of the Baltic republics and securing the northern flank of Army Group Center in Northern Russia between Western Dvina River and Daugavpils-Kholm Army Group boundary. AGN smashed into Lithuania and northern Belorussia. AGN in little more than a week had overrun Lithuania and reached Latvia. AGN rapidly moved through the Baltics where they were greeted as liberators after tge Balts had experienced a brutal Soviet occupation (June-August 1941). In only 2 1/2 months AGN forward units were approaching the southern approaches to Leningrad. The Battle for Lenningrad is sometimes seen as a minor part of Barbarossa after the city was cut off. In fact, it was the key to the outcome of Barbarossa. OKW was at first anxious to seize Lenningrad. Victory there would have allowed Army Group North to turn south and join Army Group Center's assault on Moscow, virtually guaranteeing success. Von Leeb until approaching Lenningrad had not experienced a well-organized Red Army defense. This changed when he encountered the defenses of the City and Zhukov's defensive tactics. Von Leeb with his forces depleted by Hitler's orders concentrated his remaining strength for an attack on Tikhvin. The desive battle in the defense of Leningrad was thus fought at Tikhvin (October-December 1941). Tikhvin was a key rail center located about 100 km east of the City.

Evacuations

As Army Group North barraled accross the Baltics with alarming speed (June-July 1941), the Soviets staged an emergency evacuation (June-August 1941). It would prive to be the first of three evacuation efforts. The First Evacuation allowed the Soviets to ship out by rail the manufacturing equipment in about three-quarters of the city's vital industrial plants (86 major factories) as well as hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants, primarily the plant workers and their families--some 0.3 million civilians. This included many children. More than 2 million Leningraders, however, remained and were trapped in the city when Army Group North arrived. This included large numbers of children. And although the evacuation got many civilians out of the city, they were largely replaced by refugees fleeing east in front of the advancing Germahns. Leningrad authorities enlisted all able-bodied persons (men, women, and children) to build additional defensive works, primarily anti-tank ditches and obstacles. The Lerningrad evacuations were impeded, but not stopped when the Germans cut the Leningrad-Moscow rail connection (late July). The final rail connection was severed (August 30). This largely ended the first evacuation because the Soviets had such a primitive road system and trucks were vitally needed by the Red Army. A second smaller evacuation was conducted over Lake Lagoda (September 1941-April 1942). This was done both by boats and the Ice Road when the Lake froze over. As heavy equipment could not be transported by truck, the evacuation mostly got civilians out--some 0.7 million Leningraders. The Third Evacuation also took place over Lake Ladoga (May-October 1942). An additional 0.4 million Lenigraders were gotten out of the city. In all, some 1.4 million were evacuated from the Leningrad. They included essential personnel (many plant workers), women, and children. Additionl evacuations were not organized because the population had by late-1942 been reduced (by death or evacuation) and sufficent supplies could be brought in over the Lake Ladoga Ice Road.

Leningrad Cut Off (September 1941)

The Germanns cut the Moscow-Leningrad railway (Late-July). This impeded the Leningrad evacuations, but did not stop them. Army Group North cut off Lenningrad from the rest of the Soviet Union (September 8). The Germans cut the rail lines south. This meant that Lenningrad was isolated from the rest of the Soviet Union. In fact it was surounded. The Germans were south of the city. Lake Ladodaa was to the east. The Germans cut the last rail connection to Leningrad when they reached the Neva River (August 30). Given the importance of rail transport, this effectively cut off the city. A week later, the last roads into the city were cutt off when the Germans reached Lake Ladoga at Orekhovets (September 8). The Finns allied with the Germans drove south and a German naval blockade in the Baltic closed the port to the west. Thus the city was fully encircled and the German siege began. Lenningrad's 2.9 million civilians (including 0.4 million children) and influx of 0.5 million defenders were cut off from the rest of the Soviet Union. The city with its huge population was totally unprepared for a seige. And Stalin had not allowed civilians, even children, to be evacuated before the Wehrmacht cut off the city.

Defense

The Council of Deputies of the Leningrad administration days after the Gerjman invasion organised "First response groups" of civilians (June 27). Officials informed the civilian population of the danger. Authorities mobilized over a million citizens to construct of fortifications. Several lines of defences were built along the perimeter of the city to support the defense of the city. There was work to the north and south, but mostly in the south. Their accomplishments were legend. In the south facing the Finns one of the fortified lines ran from the mouth of the Luga River to Chudovo, Gatchina, Uritsk, Pulkovo and then through the Neva River. Another line of defence passed through Peterhof to Gatchina, Pulkovo, Kolpino and Koltushy. In the north facing the Germans the defensive line against the Finns, the Karelian Fortified Region, had been established erarlier (1930s). The Soviets erected 190 km (120 miles) of timber barricades, 635 km (395 miles) of wire entanglements, 700 km (430 mi) of anti-tank ditches, 5,000 earth-and-timber emplacements and reinforced concrete weapon emplacements and 25,000 km (16,000 miles) of World War I type open trenches were constructed or excavated by civilians often working with only hand tools. The Germans bottled up the Soviet Baltic Sea Fleet at Lennigrad. The sailors were as a result active in the defense of Leningrad. Tens of thousands of Baltic Fleet sailors fought at land units in naval brigades. During Guns from the cruiser Aurora were removed and taken inland to the Pulkovo Heights to the south of Leningrad. The Soviets managed to stop the Germans in the savage fighting which were took place around Tikhvin. The city's defenses held. This inself was a major achievement. Since the Germans had launched the War with the Blitzkrieg in Poland, the action outside Lenningrad was the first time that a major attacking German Army had been stopped. And this was before the winter weather set in. One factor in the Red Army success was that the Finns attacking from the North when approaching the Lenningrad suburbs stopped at the old (pre-Winter War border) stopped. This allowed the Soviets to move forces facing the Finns south to bolster the forces facing the Germans. The Red Army was bolstered by sailors from the Baltic Sea fleet bottled up in the port.

German Operations--Blokada

Army Group North after progressing at breakneck speed across the Baltiucs was stunned to be stopped by the Red army at Tikhvin. The startled Germans were unsure how to proceed. OKW assessed how to proceed. OKW considered the various options as to how to seize and destroy Leningrad (September 21). The Whermnach's great advantage was mobility. Fighting a srreet battle with the Soviets in a huge city Seizing and occupying the city was rejected 'because it would make us responsible for food supply'. [Reid, p. 132.] It would also have been costly as the Germansould find out aear later in Stalkngrad. OKW decided to lay the city under siege and batter it with both artillery and aerial bombardment. The German drive brought Army Group North within artillery range of the City. The Germans subjected the city to both incessent artillety fire and Luftwaffe bombing. While devestating to the civilians in Lenningrad. It meant that the Germans were expending substantial resources to leveling a huge city whose buldings were of virtually no military importance. This was the same mistake they made in the Blitz London. Thesesame resources could have been deployed for the drive on Mpscow. The Lenningrad population would be left to starve. OKW saw the end result as "Early next year we enter the city (if the Finns do it first we do not object), lead those still alive into inner Russia or into captivity, wipe Leningrad from the face of the earth through demolitions, and hand the area north of the Neva to the Finns." [Reid, p. 133.] We suspect tht OKW was here passing on Hitler's desires. Hitler issued another directive signed by General Alfred Jodl. He instructed Army Group North not to accept surrender (October 7). ["Nuremberg Trial Proceedings] This is the same Jodl who saw himself as an honorable military commander and was surprised that he was arrested as war criminal after the War. Hitler in a Munich speech, publically stated "Leningrad must die of starvation." [Baryshnikov] At this stage of Barbarossa, Hitler thought he had won the War. Statements with horendous connotations like this were being made publically. They were fully in keeping with Generalplan Ost.

The Neva

The Neva River has played a fascinating role in Russian history, including the seige of Moscow. The Neva (Нева́) is located northwestern Russia. It flows from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast including the city of Leningrad.St. Petersburg toward Neva Bay in the Gulf of Finland. It is only 74 km, but as it flows from Lake Ladoga it is a wide river and actually the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge. Only the Volga and Danube discharge more water. The Neva is the only exit for the water flowing into Lake Ladoga. The Neva navigable throughout its length. It is part of the Russian Volga–Baltic Waterway and infamous White Sea – Baltic Canal. Because of its location, numerous historical events have occurred here. The Battle of the Neva was fought here giving Alexander Nevsky his name (1240). Peter the Great founded Saint Petersburg on the Neva (1703). And in modern times played a role in the German Siege of Leningrad. One of the fortified Soviet lines defending the city ran from the mouth of the Luga River to Chudovo, Gatchina, Uritsk, Pulkovo and then through the Neva River. The Germans severed the last rail connection to Leningrad when they reached the Neva River (August 30). Hitler told Finnish Foreign Minister Witting that Leningrad was to be razed to the ground and then given to the Finns (November 27). The River Neva would become the new post-war border between the German Reich and Finland. The city's water system beame inoperable because of all the erial bombing and artillery bombardments. Some times water could be found around a burst pipe. Ice ans snow were not useful because there was little food to melt it and eating smnow just added to tghe ability to stay warm. As aesult, the Neva becametheinly suresource of water, but during the winter, hiles had to ne hacked down to the water.

Conditions in the City

Conditions in Lenningrad rapidly deteriorated affter the city was cut off. German aerial bombs and artillery shells reined down constantly. Lennigraders learned the safest sides of sreeets to walk. Shortages developed quickly, especially food and fuel. Stocks were very limited and large amounts were destroyed when the main food storage warehouse complex was hit by a German aerial attack and set ablaze (September 8). Much of the city's food rserves were went up in the resulgting fire. [Wykes, p. 6] And this as only days into the seige. . Officials calculated that they were left with only sufficent for only for about 1-2 months. `This meant it was impossible to adequately feed the city's civilian population. Fuel stockpiles were also limited. Gas (petrol) had to be turned over to the military, Thus public transportation ceased to operate. As Winter 1941-42 descended on the City there was no heating, no city water, almost no electricity, and pitifully little food. City officials managed to evacuate many industril plants and the workers with their family (June-August), buuthey were replaced by desperate refugees flowing into the city. After the final rail line was cut (August 30), Stalin delayed civilian evacuations oveer Lake Ladoga several weeks. The result was the worst famine ever expedrienced by the residents of a major city (winter 1941-42). Dspite the evacuations 2.5 million people were trapped in Leningrad with frightingly low food and fuel supplies. Only a trickle of supplies got through the German blockade. Rations for the civilian population had to be set at starvation level. The food rations fell to only 125 grams (about 1/4 of a pound) of bread per day (January 1942). Even getting rastions was moisery. People began linin up ar 4:00-5:00 in the morning.

Life during the Seige

Life in Leningrad was distopian combination of the new daily mysery and normality. The seige has been described as a daily struggle between life and death. Food became the major concrern of daily life. Leningraders had to endure hunger as they attempted yo fight off starvation. They had to take desperate measures to survive and save loved ones. It all came as a shock as one Leningraders relates. "We did not expect any hostile actions from Germany. Not too long ago we signed a peace treaty between countries. .... Russian secret services gave enough warnings about German aggressive plans, but our government [meaning Stalin who couild not b ingled out] simply could not believe this. [Dovgiallo] Food and the struggle to obtain it meant life nd death. There were many causes of deth, but most were related to food. Malnutrition mde on sisseoptble to disease. Both children and the elderly were the most vulnerable. Actually many Leningraders report that hunger was so paonful that it made one less afraid of the shelling and bombing. At first Leningraders truged to the cemetary with their deceased loved ones. As the seige contunued, they were less and less cpable of doing so. Bodies had to laid out on the streets with little or no ceremony. Despite the horendous conditions. life in Lenningrad went on. The pricelass artistic treasures of the Hermitage and the suburban palaces of Petrodvorets, Pushkin, and others were hidden in the basements of the Hermitage and St Isaac's Cathedral. Schools continued to operate. Most students were thus able to continued their studies. Examinations were given on dchedule at the end of the school year. Composer Dmitry Shostakovich wrote his Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony and it was performed to packed audiences in the besieged city. Some factories, especially the war industries, continued to operate and delivered arms and amunition to the troops defending the city.

Ice Road--Doroga Zhizni

The cold winter weather offered one advantage. A roads was built over frozen Lake Ladoga--the famous "Road of Life" ("Doroga zhizni"). This allowed some supplies could be brought in on the ice road, but Stlain refused for several months to evacuate the children. Finally several hundred thousand people were evacuated from the city, including many of the children. Some supplied could be ferried into the besieged city during the Spring and Summer because the Soviets also held the easternshore of the Lake, but the small boats had a limited caability. Much larger quantities of supplies could be trucked in over the Ice Road. It was not an easy route. The trucks drove across the frozen lake were under constant German bombardment.

Caualties

The Germans launched Basrbsarossa (June 22, 1941). Army Group North swept through the Baltics toward Lenningrad. The first German artillery shell fell on Leningrad (September 1). Hitler decided not to storm the city. Not only would it result in enormous caualties (as was proven in Stalingrad), but once taken the Germans would have to feed the population. And par of the pursose of Barbarossa was to destroy the Slavic populsation of the East. There was a murder plan--Generalplan Ost developed by the SS. A seige would result in massive civilian casualties, meaning the Germans would be spared the need to kill the population. Hitler assured his generals that once Leningrad had been surrounded and bombarded from the air and by artillery on the ground, the resolve of the city to continue the fight disolve. German bombers dropped propaganda leaflets on the city – warning that the city would starve to death if they did not surrender. The Panzers were just 10 miles from Leningrad (September 8). TYhis began the seige, vutting off Leningrad. Land connections with the rest of the Soviet were open off and on for a few months as fighting raged 100 miles to the east at the Tikhvin rail center. Stalin did not, however, rush supplies into the city. His focus was on Moscow. The Germans punded Leningrad with both artillery and aerial bombardment. This went on for 900 days. Destoying a city, however, proved more difficult thn anticipated. It consumed a huge quntity of ordinance for little military gain. Again as in the Blitz on London, Hitler was expending limited military resources on destroying a city and its people. And the Wehrmacht had to deoloy substantial forces outside the city while the War was being decided elsewhere in the East, first around Moscow and then in the south, Stalingradand the Ukraine. Wars are not won by killing civilians. The people of Leningrad suffered teriibly. The Germans launched a major air assault, the heaviest on the city (Sepotember 19). Some 276 German bombers attacked Leningrad killing 1,000 civilians. Many of those killed were soldiers in hispitls recuperating from battle wounds. The Germans came in six waves. Five hospitals were damaged in the bombing, as well as the city's largest shopping bazaar. Hundreds of civiland had run from the street into the substantial store to take shelter. While this was the best the Luftwaffe could do, 276 bombers was only a fraction of the bombers the Allies would throw at the Germans on a daily bassis by 1943, shoiwing what the Germans had gotten themselves into. And after September, the Luftwaffe woukd never again mount such a large attack. They did cintinue small-scale attacks. Artillery bombardment of Leningrad began (September 1, 1941). And unlike the aerial bombsrdmenyt, it increased in intensity when heavy German guns arrived (1942). The shelling further intensifuied (1943). Several times as many shells and bombs were used as were used in 1942. Even so there was a declining impact. Many shells hit already destroyed buildings.

Seige Broken

The German seige lasted for about 900 days. The Red Army had severely damaged the Wehrmacht in its Offensive before Moscow (December 1941), but not fatally. After the winter fighting in the north, the Germans shifted their offensive south to the Ukraine. Onlt after the Wehrmacht was further weakened by huge losses in the south was the Red Army able to break the seige. The Red Army broke the seige (January 1943). It was, however, not fully lifted for another year (January 27, 1944).

Impact

There is no full accounting of the civilians deaths in Lenningrad during the German seige. Estimates range 0.6-0.8 million people. Most of the dead were intered in mass graves at different cemeteries. The Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery is where about 0.5 million of the dead are buried. As a result, it is one of the most revered memorials in Russia.

Sources

Baryshnikov, N. I. Блокада Ленинграда и Финляндия 1941–44 (Finland and the Siege of Leningrad), (2003).

Dovgiallo, Helen. 900 Days of the Leningrad Siege.

Förster, Jürgen. "Operation Barbarossa as a War of Conquest and Annihilation" in Horst Boog; JürgenFörster, Joachim Hoffmann, Ernst Klink, Rolf-Dieter Müller, and Gerd R. Ueberschär. Germany and the Second World War: Attack on the Soviet Union IV (Oxford and New York: Clarendon Press, 1998).

Hannah, Kristin. Winter Garden: A Novel. While this is a novel, Hannah has has effectively captured the tragic suffering of the civilians trapped in Leningrad during the seige in a way that historians cn not fully reveal.

Reid, Anna. Leningrad: The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941–1944 (Walker and Co.: New York, 2011).

"Nuremberg Trial Proceedings" Vol. 8, Avalon Project at Yale Law School.

Created: 6:16 AM 3/9/2007
Last updated: 6:46 PM 3/29/2022