Figure 1.--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. More than 2 million Lenningraders remained in the city, including hundreds of thousand children. And refugees were constantly flowing into the city in an effort to escape the advancing Germans. Here are children at the entrance to a shelter probably about December 1941. By this time Hitler had decided to pound the city into oblivion ansd starve the population. Маленькие жители блокадного Лениграда у бомбоубежища

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 Germans. 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 Evacuation was smaller and 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 evacuees included many children. One author writes, "... mothers put their children on trains, with their names pinned to their coats, with no real idea where those trains were going and when they would see their children again, if ever. .... It’s also true that Leningrad became a city of women during the siege—men, except for the very young and the very old—were off to fight the Germans." [Hannah] 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.

Barbarossa (June 1941)

German Führer Adold Hitler ammased a huge force to achieve one of his primary goals in addition to killing the Jewsish people, oblterating not only the Soviet Union as a political structure, but the Soviet people as well. Three powerful army groups were assembled to destroy the Red Army which Hitler was convinced could be achieved in a shaot summer campaign. The British and Americabsarned Stalin. His own inteligence servives tried ti do so as ell, but they were taking their lives in their hbd in doing so, as Stalin ws so comvinced that Jitler would not strike East. . And small Einstazgruppen followed in their wake to kill Jews. After destroying the Red Army anbd elkiminting the Jews, he could do with the Soviet people as he saw fit. Army Group North smashed into the Baltics from East Prussia (June 1941). Their ultimate goal was to take Lenningrad, a major industrial center and the Soviet Union's second-largest city after Moacow. Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg, was the capital of the Russian Empire. It ws also the most exposed of the Barbarossa objectives, close to the German frontier and because of the Winrer War, fsing a histile Finlabd to the North. Hitler wanted Lenningrad as a major Soviet powercenter. He was unninterested in the industry. His plan was to demolish all Soviet cities as part of the ruthless Generalplan Ost to destroy the Soiviet people. Army Group North was joined by Finnish forces that advanced against Leningrad down the Karelian Isthmus to regain land seized by the Soviets in the Winter War (1939-40), onw of many Soviet aggressions carried out under the terms of the NAZI-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Within in only a few weeks, Arny Group North sped through the Baltics, destroyed emense Red army formations, and approached Lenningrad.

Preparations

Soviet authorities meaning primarily Stalin before Barbarossa failed to stockpile food in cities and failed to arrange timely evacuations. This reflected Stalin's mindset. He was focused on how to gain territory and benefit from the War that he and Hitler had launched. Evacuation was a diificult matter for city officials throughout the wesrern Sobiet Union. If they acted too soon, they might be accused of defearism and arrested by the NKVD. If they acted too late the Germans would be enrering the city before evacuation commenced. This was a huge problem at the onset of Barbarossa as the Germans advanced so rapidly. It was a special problem for Leningrad officials because it was here that Stalin launced the Great Terror and he continued to be very distrustful of the minicipal and Party officils in the city. And inded he ordered the NKVD municipal government arrested after the War for acting without his authority. The action was designed to ensure that Stalin would not be blamed for the disaster that befell Leningrad.

First Evacuation (June-August 1941)

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 prove to be the first of three evacuation efforts. The First Evacuation in Leningrad 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. Apparently some unaccompanied children were wvacuated. One author tells us how mothers said goodbye to their children "with their names pinned to their coats, with no real idea where those trains were going and when they would see their children again, if ever. ...." Some of those trains fell into German hands or were bombed. It’s also true that Leningrad became a city of women during the siege -- men, except for the very young and the very old—were off to fight the Germans." [Hannah] Except for Lenningrad factories, there was no real evacuation plan organized for civilians. This was a matter of priorities as well fear on the part of the city officials of being labeled defeatists. The chaos of war was a further problem. More than 2 million Leningraders, however, remained and were trapped in the city when Army Group North arrived at the outskiers. And although the evacuation got many civilians out of the city, they were largely replaced by refugees fleeing east in front of the advancing Germans. Leningrad authorities enlisted all able-bodied persons (men, women, and children) to build additional defensive works, primarily anti-tank ditches and obstacles.

Cut Off (August-November 1941)

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. Rebuffed by Lenningrad's strong defenses, the Germans deiced to lay seige to the city and blast it to smitereens by aerial bombardment ns artillery. This was acceptablke because his plan was to demolish all Soviet cities. German artillery salvos and bombing raids came several times a day as the Germans began the seige. Arny Group North to complete the isolation of Lenningrad launched a major offensive to the east (October 1941). This severed the remaining highway and rail lines south of the city. The Germans, however were to dislodge the Soviets from positions along the easter shore of Lake Ldoga. Finnish forces north of the city advanced south down the Karelian Isthmus. They were thus able to besieged Leningrad from the north. This mean that Lenningrad was almost toyally isolted (early-November). The only was in an out and means to supply the city was Lake Ladoga. And the Ladoga lifeline was vulnerable to Luftwaffe raids. The siege of Leningrad, also known as the 900-Day Siege though it lasted a grueling 872 days, resulted in the deaths of some one million of the city's civilians and Red Army defenders.

Second Evacuation (September 1941-April 1942)

A Second Evacuation was smaller and conducted over Lake Lagoda, but got more children out (September 1941-April 1942). This was done both by boats and the Ice Road after the Lake froze over. The primary objective was to sustain the defence of the city. To do so, the Red Army had to organize a route for supplying Leningrad. The route organized was crossing the southern part of Lake Ladoga and the corridor of land beteen the city and the Lake. which the Lenningrad defenders maintained comtrol over. Watercraft crossed the Lake during the warmer months. And then after a supply interuption as the weather changed, trucks could be driven over the thick ice which formed in winter. The route thus become known as the Ice Road or lso the Road of Life (Дорога жизни). The route was protected by Ladoga Flotilla during the summer. And the Leningrad PVO Corps and route security troops during the winter months. Vital food and military supplies were thus transported to the village of Osinovets on the western shore of the Lake. A small suburban railway connected Osinovets to Lenningrad. It as used to transported supplies the 45 km to Lenningrad and to transport the evacuees to Osinovets. [Reid, p. 201.] This time with the consequences all to clear, evacuations of civilians were organized. The ice became thick enough for the ice road to begin to operate (November 20). There were all kinds of dangers aling the road. Trucks could become stuck in the snow and drifts. German bombardment also damaged the ice cover. Despite the dangers, Lenningraders coul not have held out and continued to resist the Germns with out the Ice Road. As heavy equipment could not be transported by truck, the evacuation mostly got civilians out--some 0.7 million Leningraders. Trucks carried supplies into Leningrad with supplies, but not enough to meet the needs of an entire city. Cities like Lenningrad were supplied by rail. Thousands of residents, mostly children and the elderly, were evacuated across the lake, but many more remained in the city. The Lenningrad authorities as Winter set in reduced the daily bread ration for civilians to 125 grams--and this included sawdust as an ingredient. This amounted to only one thick slice. Starvation begn with the wunter weather (December). It proved to be one of the coldest winter in decades. Temperatures fell -40°F. People worked through the winter in makeshift armament factories, including buildings without roofs because of the bombardment. They continued to produce weapons that kept the Germans outside the city. Many in the population, however, succumbed to starvation, the bitter cold, and the relentless German artillery and air attacks.

Third Evacuation (May-October 1942)

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.

Sources

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 can not fully reveal.

Hannah, Kristin. "Behind The Book: Researching Winter Garden".

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

Created: 4:24 PM 6/5/2013
Last updated: 10:23 AM 2/4/2015