70 years ago - on July 10, 1941, the defense of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) began during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

The battle for Leningrad lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944 and became the longest during the Great Patriotic War. In her in different time troops of the Northern, North-Western, Leningrad, Volkhov, Karelian and 2nd Baltic fronts, long-range aviation formations and Air Defense Forces of the country, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF), Chudskaya, Ladoga and Onega military flotillas, partisan formations, as well as workers Leningrad and region.

For the leadership of Germany, the capture of Leningrad was of great military and political importance. Leningrad was one of the largest political, strategic and economic centers of the Soviet Union. The loss of the city meant the isolation of the northern regions of the USSR, depriving the Baltic Fleet of the possibility of basing in the Baltic Sea.

The German command planned to attack the North Army Group (commanded by Field Marshal von Leeb) as part of the 4th Panzer Group, the 18th and 16th armies from East Prussia in the northeast direction and two Finnish armies (Karelian and South- Eastern) from the southeastern part of Finland in the southern and southeastern directions to destroy the Soviet troops located in the Baltic states, capture Leningrad, acquire the most convenient sea and land communications for supplying their troops and an advantageous starting area for striking in the rear of the Red Army troops covering Moscow .

To organize the interaction of troops, the State Defense Committee of the USSR on July 10, 1941 formed the High Command of the North-Western direction, headed by Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov, subordinating to him the troops of the Northern and North-Western fronts, the Northern and Red Banner Baltic fleets. After the start of the war around Leningrad, the hasty construction of several belts of defensive lines began, and the internal defense of Leningrad was also created. The civilian population provided great assistance to the troops in the construction of defense lines (up to 500 thousand Leningraders worked).

By the beginning of the battle, the troops of the Northern and Northwestern Fronts and the Baltic Fleet had 540 thousand people, 5000 guns and mortars, about 700 tanks (of which 646 were light), 235 combat aircraft and 19 warships of the main classes. The enemy had 810 thousand people, 5300 guns and mortars, 440 tanks, 1200 combat aircraft.

The battle for Leningrad can be divided into several 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, 1941, the fascist German troops launched an offensive on the southwestern approaches to Leningrad from the line of the Velikaya River. Finnish troops went on the offensive from the north.

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 Moscow-Leningrad highway and the railways connecting Leningrad with the country. At the end of August, Finnish troops reached the line of the old state border of the USSR in 1939.

On September 4, the enemy began barbaric shelling of Leningrad and systematic air raids. Having captured Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) on September 8, German troops cut off Leningrad from land. The situation in the city was extremely difficult. If in the north the front in some places passed 45-50 km from the city, then in the south the front line was only a few kilometers from the city limits. An almost 900-day blockade of the city began, communication with which was maintained only through Lake Ladoga and by air.

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.

As a result of the stubborn resistance of the troops of the Leningrad Front, the enemy offensive weakened, and by the end of September the front had stabilized. The enemy's plan to capture Leningrad immediately collapsed, which was of great military and strategic importance. The German command, forced to give the order to go over to the defensive near Leningrad, lost the opportunity to turn the forces of Army Group North to the Moscow direction to reinforce the troops of Army Group Center advancing there.

2nd stage (October 1941 – January 12, 1943)- defensive fighting Soviet troops. Blockade of the city of Leningrad.

On November 8, German troops captured Tikhvin and cut the last railway (Tikhvin - Volkhov), along which goods were delivered to Lake Ladoga, then transported by water to the besieged city.

Soviet troops repeatedly attempted to lift the blockade of the city. In November-December 1941, the Tikhvin defensive and offensive operations were carried out, in 1942 - in January-April - the Luban and in August-October - the Sinyavino operation. They did not have success, however, these active actions of the Soviet troops thwarted the upcoming assault on the city. From the sea, Leningrad was covered by the Baltic Fleet.

The German troops besieging the city subjected it to regular bombardments and shelling from high-powered siege weapons. 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.

The partisans waged an active struggle, diverting significant enemy forces from the front.

3rd stage (1943)- the fighting of the Soviet troops, breaking the blockade of Leningrad.

In January 1943, the Iskra strategic offensive operation was carried out near Leningrad. On January 12, 1943, formations of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front, the 2nd Shock and part of the forces of the 8th Army of the Volkhov Front, with the support of the 13th and 14th Air Armies, long-range aviation, artillery and aviation of the Baltic Fleet, launched counter strikes on a narrow ledge between Shlisselburg and Sinyavin.

On January 18, the troops of the fronts united, and Shlisselburg was liberated. To the south of Lake Ladoga, a corridor 8-11 km wide was formed. A 36 km long railway was built along the southern coast of Ladoga in 18 days. Trains went to Leningrad along it. However, the connection between the city and the country was not fully restored. All the main railways going to Leningrad were cut by the enemy. Attempts to expand land communications (offensive in February - March 1943 on Mgu and Sinyavino) did not reach the goal.

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, cleared the Kirishi bridgehead on the Volkhov River from the enemy, captured the powerful defense center - Sinyavino and improved their operational position. The combat activity of our troops fettered about 30 enemy divisions.

4th stage (January - February 1944)- the offensive of the Soviet troops in the north-western direction, the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad.

The final defeat of the Nazi troops near Leningrad and the complete lifting of the blockade of the city took place at the beginning of 1944. In January - February 1944, Soviet troops carried out a strategic Leningrad-Novgorod operation. On January 14, the troops of the Leningrad Front, interacting with the Baltic Fleet, went on the offensive from the Oranienbaum bridgehead to Ropsha, and on January 15 - from Leningrad to Krasnoe Selo. On January 20, after stubborn fighting, the advancing troops united in the Ropsha area, liquidated the enemy’s Peterhof-Strelna grouping and continued to develop the offensive in the southwestern direction. The command of the Volkhov Front began the Novgorod-Luga operation. On January 20, Novgorod was liberated. By the end of January, the cities of Pushkin, Krasnogvardeisk, Tosno were liberated. . On this day, fireworks were given in Leningrad.

On February 12, Soviet troops, in cooperation with partisans, captured the city of Luga. On February 15, 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, a heavy defeat was inflicted on the Army Group "North", almost the entire Leningrad region and part of the Kalinin region (now Tverskaya) were liberated, favorable conditions to defeat the enemy in the Baltic.

By August 10, 1944, the battle for Leningrad, which was of great political and military-strategic importance, was over. It influenced the course of hostilities in other sectors of the Soviet-German front, pulled back large forces of German troops and the entire Finnish army. The German command could not transfer troops from near Leningrad to other directions when decisive battles were taking place there. The heroic defense of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage of the Soviet people. At the cost of incredible hardships, heroism and self-sacrifice, the soldiers and residents of Leningrad defended the city. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers received government awards, 486 received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 8 of them twice.

On December 22, 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was established, which was awarded to about 1.5 million people.

On January 26, 1945, the city of Leningrad itself was awarded the Order of Lenin. Since May 1, 1945, Leningrad has been a hero city, and on May 8, 1965, the city was awarded the Gold Star medal.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing. Moscow. In 8 volumes -2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

Introduction

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 the world military history belongs to the staunch and heroic defense of Leningrad.

The battle for Leningrad lasted 900 days and nights. 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 survived and won. The history of wars does not know such a feat.

More than 60 years have passed since the significant victory in the battle for Leningrad (from July 1941 to January 1944). 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.

Defense of Leningrad

The battle for Leningrad was the longest during the Great Patriotic War, and lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944. During the 900-day defense of Leningrad, Soviet troops pinned down large forces of the German and the entire Finnish army, contributed to the victories of the Red Army in other sectors of the Soviet-German front. The defense of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people and its Armed Forces. Leningrad residents showed examples of steadfastness, endurance and patriotism. The inhabitants of the city paid a heavy price, whose losses during the blockade amounted to about 1 million people.

During the war, Hitler repeatedly demanded to raze the city to the ground, exterminate its entire population, suffocate it with hunger, and suppress the resistance of the defenders with massive air and artillery strikes. About 150,000 shells, over 102,000 incendiary and about 5,000 high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city.

But his defenders did not flinch. The defense of Leningrad acquired a nationwide character, expressed in the close cohesion of the troops and the population under the leadership of the city defense committee. In July - September 1941, 10 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the city. Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. During the period of the blockade, 2,000 tanks, 1,500 aircraft, a thousand guns, many warships were repaired and produced, 225,000 machine guns, 12,000 mortars, about 10 million shells and mines were manufactured. 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. During the periods of navigation, transportation was carried out by the Ladoga Flotilla and the North-Western River Shipping Company. On November 22, a military motor road laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga began to operate, along which more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were delivered in the winter of 1941/42 alone. Over the entire period of operation, over 1.6 million tons of cargo was transported along the Road of Life, and about 1.4 million people were evacuated. To supply oil products to the city, a pipeline was laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga, and in the fall of 1942, an energy cable. From the sea, Leningrad was covered by the Baltic Fleet. It also provided military transportation in the Gulf of Finland and on Lake Ladoga. On the territory occupied by the enemy of the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions, partisans launched an active struggle. On January 12-30, 1943, an operation was carried out to break the blockade of Leningrad ("Iskra"). The strike groups of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts participated in the operation with the assistance of part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and long-range aviation. The duration of the operation is 19 days. The width of the combat front is 45 km. The depth of advance of the Soviet troops is 60 km. The average daily rate of advance is 3-3.5 km. During the offensive, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke through the blockade of Leningrad, creating a corridor 8-11 km wide, which made it possible to restore land communications between the city and the country. The southern coast of Lake Ladoga was cleared of the enemy. Despite the fact that the further offensive of the Soviet troops did not receive development, the operation to break the blockade was of great strategic importance and was a turning point in the battle for Leningrad. The enemy's plan to starve the defenders and residents of the city was thwarted. The initiative to conduct hostilities in this area passed to the Red Army.

From January 14 to March 1, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and part of the forces of the 2nd Baltic Fronts, in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet, carried out the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation.

As a result, by the end of March 1, Soviet troops reached the border of the Latvian SSR. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, the German Army Group North was severely defeated and the blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted, almost the entire Leningrad and Novgorod regions, as well as the main part of the Kalinin region, were liberated, Soviet troops entered Estonia. Thus, favorable conditions were created for defeating the enemy in the Baltic.

According to the Federal Law "On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia" dated March 13, 1995, January 27 is celebrated in Russian Federation as the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad.

Siege of Leningrad – military blockade by German, Finnish and Spanish (Blue Division) forces involving volunteers from North Africa, Europe and Italian naval forces during World War II of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). It lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (the blockade ring was broken on January 18, 1943) - 872 days.

By the beginning of the blockade, the city did not have enough food and fuel supplies. The only way to communicate with Leningrad was Lake Ladoga, which was within the reach of the artillery and aircraft of the besiegers; the enemy’s united naval flotilla also operated on the lake. The capacity of this transport artery did not meet the needs of the city. As a result, the massive famine that began in Leningrad, aggravated by the especially harsh first blockade winter, problems with heating and transport, led to hundreds of thousands of deaths among residents.

The battle for Leningrad was the longest during the Great Patriotic War, and lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944. During the 900-day defense of Leningrad, Soviet troops pinned down large forces of the German and the entire Finnish army, contributed to the victories of the Red Army in other sectors of the Soviet-German front. The defense of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage and heroism of the Soviet people and its Armed Forces. Leningrad residents showed examples of steadfastness, endurance and patriotism. The inhabitants of the city paid a heavy price, whose losses during the blockade amounted to about 1 million people.

During the war, Hitler repeatedly demanded to raze the city to the ground, exterminate its entire population, suffocate it with hunger, and suppress the resistance of the defenders with massive air and artillery strikes. About 150,000 shells, over 102,000 incendiary and about 5,000 high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city.

But his defenders did not flinch. The defense of Leningrad acquired a nationwide character, expressed in the close cohesion of the troops and the population under the leadership of the city defense committee. In July - September 1941, 10 divisions of the people's militia were formed in the city. Despite the most difficult conditions, the industry of Leningrad did not stop its work. During the period of the blockade, 2,000 tanks, 1,500 aircraft, a thousand guns, many warships were repaired and produced, 225,000 machine guns, 12,000 mortars, about 10 million shells and mines were manufactured. 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. During the periods of navigation, transportation was carried out by the Ladoga Flotilla and the North-Western River Shipping Company. On November 22, a military motor road laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga began to operate, along which more than 360 thousand tons of cargo were delivered in the winter of 1941/42 alone. Over the entire period of operation, over 1.6 million tons of cargo was transported along the Road of Life, and about 1.4 million people were evacuated. To supply oil products to the city, 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. It also provided military transportation in the Gulf of Finland and on Lake Ladoga. On the territory occupied by the enemy of the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions, partisans launched an active struggle. On January 12-30, 1943, an operation was carried out to break the blockade of Leningrad ("Iskra"). The strike groups of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts participated in the operation with the assistance of part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and long-range aviation. The duration of the operation is 19 days. The width of the combat front is 45 km. The depth of advance of the Soviet troops is 60 km. The average daily advance rate is 3-3.5 km. During the offensive, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke through the blockade of Leningrad, creating a corridor 8-11 km wide, which made it possible to restore land communications between the city and the country. The southern coast of Lake Ladoga was cleared of the enemy. Despite the fact that the further offensive of the Soviet troops did not receive development, the operation to break the blockade was of great strategic importance and was a turning point in the battle for Leningrad. The enemy's plan to starve the defenders and residents of the city was thwarted. The initiative to conduct hostilities in this area passed to the Red Army.

From January 14 to March 1, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and part of the forces of the 2nd Baltic Fronts, in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet, carried out the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation.

As a result, by the end of March 1, Soviet troops reached the border of the Latvian SSR. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, the German Army Group North was severely defeated and the blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted, almost the entire Leningrad and Novgorod regions, as well as the main part of the Kalinin region, were liberated, Soviet troops entered Estonia. Thus, favorable conditions were created for defeating the enemy in the Baltic.

According to the Federal Law "On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia" dated March 13, 1995, January 27 is celebrated in the Russian Federation as the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad.



The capture of Leningrad was considered by Hitler as one of the most important military-political goals in the war against the Soviet Union. To implement it, on July 8, 1941, the Wehrmacht high command set the task for Army Group North (Field Marshal W. Leeb) to continue the rapid offensive in the Leningrad direction, to defeat the troops of the North-Western and Northern fronts, to cut off Leningrad from the main territory of the USSR and in cooperation with the Finnish troops to capture it on the move. Main blow the 4th Panzer Group (General E. Goepner) was to be inflicted, which was ordered by the 56th Motorized Corps to cut the Leningrad-Moscow highway near Chudov, and the 41st Motorized Corps to break through to Leningrad from the south through Luga. The 18th Wehrmacht Army was to advance behind the left flank of the 4th Panzer Group. There, she was supposed to cut off and destroy the Soviet troops operating in Estonia from the rest of the forces of the Northwestern Front, while simultaneously capturing Tallinn and the Moosund Islands. At the same time, Finnish troops attacked Leningrad from the north on the Karelian Isthmus. The offensive of Army Group North was supported by the 1st Air Fleet, and the actions of the enemy concentrated in Finland were supported by part of the forces of the 5th Air Fleet and the Finnish Air Force. In total, the grouping of German-Finnish troops aimed at Leningrad consisted of 810 thousand people, 5.3 thousand guns and mortars, 440 tanks and 1.3 thousand combat aircraft.

The troops of the Northern (since August 23, Leningrad), North-Western fronts, the forces of the Baltic Fleet (Vice Admiral V.F. Tributs) and the Chudskaya military flotilla (captain 1st rank N.Yu. Avraamov) participated in the defense of Leningrad. By the beginning of the Leningrad operation, they numbered 517 thousand people, 5 thousand guns and mortars, 700 tanks (of which 646 were light), 235 combat aircraft and 19 ships of the main classes. The general leadership of the operations of the Northern, Northwestern Fronts and the Baltic Fleet from July 10 to August 29 was carried out by the High Command of the North-Western Direction (Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov). To centralize the combat operations of aviation in the Leningrad direction of the Air Force of the Northern and North-Western fronts. The Baltic Fleet and the 7th Air Defense Aviation Corps were subordinate to a single command headed by Major General Aviation AA. Novikov. To strengthen the defense of Leningrad from the sea and control all maritime forces, stationed in the city, created the naval defense of Leningrad and the Lake District. The air defense of Leningrad was assigned to the 2nd Air Defense Corps (Major General of Artillery M.M. Protsvetkin).

On the outskirts of the city, defensive lines were created, in the construction of which hundreds of thousands of residents participated. The defensive line created around the city had several belts. Its distant positions were located in the area of ​​the cities of Luga, Novgorod, Staraya Russa and on the Karelian Isthmus. In addition, fortifications with valances of resistance were created along the line of Peterhof (Petrodvorets), Pulkovo. The total duration of all defensive lines in the Leningrad direction was about 900 km. Leningrad itself was preparing for defense. Many of its residents applied to be sent to the front. In the first week of the war alone, 212,000 such applications were received by the military registration and enlistment offices. At the end of June, the creation of the Leningrad People's Militia Army began. The first three divisions of the people's militia (31 thousand people) by July 14 were transferred to the Luga operational group.

Krasnogvardeisky and Slutsko-Kolpinsky fortified areas were built on the near approaches to the city from the south and southwest.

By the beginning of the Leningrad defensive operation at the turn of Pärnu, Tartu, east of Pskov, Ostrov, the Nazi troops were opposed by the 8th (Lieutenant General F.S. Ivanov), 11th (Lieutenant General V.I. Morozov) and 27th I (Major General N.E. Berzarin) of the Army of the North-Western Front. As a result of the heavy losses suffered during the defensive battles in the Baltic states, the Soviet troops experienced an acute shortage of weapons and manpower. So, of the 23 rifle divisions that were in the front, only seven were fully equipped.

On July 10, German troops launched an offensive against Leningrad. On the distant approaches to the city, heavy battles unfolded along the entire front. In a number of areas, the enemy managed to break through the defenses. The successes of the first three weeks of the war so convinced the German command of the weakness of the Soviet defense that the headquarters of Army Group North had no doubts about a quick advance to Leningrad. But soon the plans of the Wehrmacht were violated. Having broken through to the area of ​​​​the city of Luga. The 41st German motorized corps unexpectedly encountered stubborn resistance.

The Luga Operational Group (Lieutenant General K.P. Pyadyshev, Deputy Commander of the Northern Front) stood in his way, which included: four rifle divisions, three divisions of the people's militia, a mountain rifle brigade, the Leningrad infantry and rifle and machine gun schools. Despite the fact that the Luga direction was the shortest to Leningrad, the commander of the 4th German Panzer Group came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to break through here without significant losses and in a short time. As a result, the main body of the 41st Motorized Corps was turned to the northwest to try their luck in the lower Luga. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no continuous line of defense on the 250-kilometer Luga line, on July 14-15, enemy tank units captured small bridgeheads southeast of the city of Kingisepp. The enemy could not advance further, getting bogged down in the defense of the cadets of the Leningrad Infantry School and the soldiers of the 2nd division of the people's militia (Colonel N.S. Ugryumov).

The 56th motorized corps of E. Manstein, who tried to attack the Luga task force on the left flank, also had a hard time. On July 14, as a result of the successful actions of the 11th Army, the 8th Panzer and part of the forces of the 3rd Motorized Division of the enemy were surrounded. For five days west of Soltsy they had to fight heavy defensive battles. About this episode after the war, E. Manstein left the following entry: "It was impossible to say that the position of the corps at that moment was very enviable ... The next few days were critical ...". Divisions of the 1st Army Corps were thrown to the rescue of the encircled.

In mid-July, the command of the Army Group "North" came to the conclusion that the resistance of the enemy and the lack of their own forces would not allow them to take the city on the move. This task can only be accomplished through the consistent defeat of the Soviet troops. Therefore, on July 19, the offensive against Leningrad from the southwest was suspended. The resulting brief pause was used to the maximum by both opposing sides. While the headquarters of Army Group North was working on a plan to resume the attack on Leningrad, the Soviet leadership strengthened the city's defenses. The German command was fully aware that the sooner it resumed hostilities, the less time the Russians would have to strengthen their defenses. However, the start of the offensive was delayed six times, mainly due to difficulties in supply and regrouping, as well as due to disagreements over how to proceed.

In the meantime, the situation for the Soviet troops in Estonia worsened significantly, where, under the blows of superior enemy forces, a withdrawal began along the entire front of the 8th Army. This allowed the German troops to reach the coast of the Gulf of Finland already in early August in the Kunda area. By August 7, the 8th Army was cut into two parts. Its main forces were driven back by the enemy to the Tallinn area, and a smaller part retreated to the area west of Narva. Despite the losses suffered, the troops of the 8th Army for more than three weeks (August 5-28) continued to staunchly defend Tallinn, the main base of the Baltic Fleet, which was not prepared in advance for defense from land. Up to 25,000 residents of the Estonian capital were involved in defensive work, and a combat worker regiment was formed. 10th Rifle Corps (Major General I.F. Nikolaev) of the 8th Army, subordinate to the command of the Baltic Fleet, detachments marines, a working regiment, supported by naval artillery and fleet aviation, stubbornly repulsed the enemy attacks following one after another. But the forces were unequal. On August 28, the defenders were forced to leave the city. On August 28-30, ships of the Baltic Fleet, subjected to artillery fire and continuous enemy air strikes, with troops on board, made an exceptionally difficult breakthrough through the mined Gulf of Finland from Tallinn to Kronstadt. The fleet managed to keep the main combat core of its forces. Losses in transport and auxiliary vessels, as well as in personnel turned out to be quite serious. The troops that arrived in Kronstadt joined the ranks of the defenders of Leningrad.

To the north of Leningrad on the Karelian Isthmus, the Finnish South-Eastern Army posed a serious threat to our defense. The 23rd Army, which was defending on the Karelian Isthmus (Lieutenant General P.S. Pshennikov, since August 6, Lieutenant General M.N. Gerasimov), after heavy and stubborn battles with superior enemy forces, by the beginning of September was forced to withdraw to the state border line 1939 of the year.

Having assessed the current situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the command of the North-Western direction came to the conclusion that the Novgorod direction, where the enemy had created a powerful group of troops, had become the most dangerous. To defeat it, it was decided to deliver two converging strikes (from the north and east) by the forces of the 11th and 34th (formed) armies, as well as a specially created operational group (4-5 rifle and 1 tank divisions). The offensive was planned for August 3-4. But due to the slow concentration of troops, it only began on 12 August.

On August 8, the 41st Motorized Corps resumed the offensive; on August 10, units of the 56th Motorized Corps went over to active operations. The enemy simultaneously advanced in three directions: Red Guards (Gatchina), Luga and Novgorod. The most powerful blows were delivered from bridgeheads on the river. Meadows on Krasnogvardeisk (Gatchina) and Novgorod. An attempt by the enemy on the move to overcome the Red Guard fortified area and the defense of our troops near Luga was repulsed. However, on the left flank of the Luga line of defense, he managed to achieve a major success. Having broken the resistance of the Soviet troops here, he broke through the defenses and began to develop success in depth. On August 15, German troops captured Novgorod, on August 20 - Chudovo and cut the highway and railway Moscow - Leningrad. It seemed that the Soviet defense was broken, and the longed-for goal - Leningrad - was very close. On August 15, Leeb arrived at Hoepner's headquarters to discuss the details of further actions, and here he was caught by a message that overturned all their joint plans.

On August 12, the troops of the North-Western Front, with the forces of the 11th and 34th armies near Staraya Russa, launched a counterattack on the right flank of Army Group North. Having advanced in three days of attack to a depth of 40-60 kilometers, they created a threat to the rear of the entire Novgorod grouping of the enemy. The task of capturing Leningrad was in jeopardy. This development of the event caused great concern among the German command. Large reinforcements urgently began to be transferred to the 16th Army zone, including the 39th Motorized Corps, which arrived from the Center Army Group advancing on Moscow. As a result, the offensive of the Soviet troops was stopped.

One of the reasons for the failure was the setting of overwhelming tasks for the troops: by the time it went on the offensive, the 11th Army was greatly weakened by previous battles, and the 34th Army was poorly equipped and well-coordinated. Often, the newly formed formations and units were headed by insufficiently trained commanders.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Leningrad region continued to deteriorate. On August 17, the military council of the North-Western direction was instructed: in view of the real threat of encirclement of the city, special attention should be paid to strengthening its defenses on the southern and south-eastern approaches. At the same time, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command took measures to improve the leadership of the troops defending Leningrad by reorganizing the governing bodies. On August 27, the Leningrad Front was created, consisting of: the 8th, 23rd and 48th armies, the Koporskaya, Southern and Slutsk-Klin operational groups, as well as the front's air force. The Baltic Fleet was transferred to the operational subordination of the front. The remaining troops of the former Northern Front (7th and 14th armies and several separate formations) became part of the newly created Karelian Front (Lieutenant General V.A. Frolov). In his operational subordination was the Northern Fleet. On the east bank of the river Volkhov, two new armies were additionally deployed - the 52nd (Lieutenant General N.K. Klykov) and the 54th (Marshal of the Soviet Union G.I. Kulik, since September 26, Lieutenant General M.S. Khozin). The Sluiko-Kolpinsk Operational Group was transformed into the 55th Army (Major General I.G. Lazarev), and the rest of the formations of the Krasnogvardeisky Fortified Region - into the 42nd Army (Major General V.I. Shcherbakov). However, the measures taken did not lead to a noticeable improvement in command and control near Leningrad. Therefore, a new reorganization soon followed. On August 30, the High Command of the North-West Direction was abolished. Commander-in-Chief K.E. On September 5, Voroshilov was appointed to the post of commander of the Lenipral Front.

In late summer, south of Lake Ilmen, heavy fighting unfolded. Under the onslaught of superior enemy forces, the Soviet troops were forced to start a retreat and retreat beyond the river. Lovat. On August 25, the 39th German motorized corps, advancing from the Chudov region, managed to capture Luban. The 48th Army, which was defending here, could not hold back the onslaught of five German divisions and retreated to Kirishi and Pushkin. Three days later the enemy occupied Tosno. A little less than 50 km remained to Leningrad. Since August 30, the most fierce battles unfolded in the area of ​​​​Krasnogvardeysk, where the enemy was stopped. However, having broken through the Mga station and captured the city of Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) on September 8, the enemy reached Lake Ladoga and blocked Leningrad from land. Only the island on which the Shlisselburg Fortress (ancient Oreshek) rises remained in the hands of the Soviet troops. For almost 500 more days, the small garrison of the fortress not only defended itself, but also inflicted considerable damage on the enemy. The attempts of the Germans to overcome the Neva ran into the staunch defense of the Soviet troops and were not successful.

K.E. Voroshilov, hoping to improve the situation on his own, did not inform the Stavka in time about the blockade of Leningrad. I.V. immediately reacted. Stalin - to remove Voroshilov from command of troops in the Leningrad region. On September 10, he was replaced by the commander of the Reserve Front, General of the Army G.K. Zhukov, who conducted the successful Yelnin offensive operation in early September and caused a lot of trouble to the troops of Army Group Center.

To the south of Leningrad, events developed more dramatically. There, in a narrow section from Kolpino to Ropsha, the enemy's blow fell on the formations of the newly created 42nd and 55th armies. The lack of much-needed combat experience and the weak coherence of the formation forced the Soviet command to withdraw troops practically to the far outskirts of Leningrad. On September 12, the Germans entered Krasnoe Selo, from the heights of which the city lay before them at a glance. It seemed that he could not be kept. Active preparations were already underway in Leningrad for the explosion of plants and factories, as well as for the sinking of the ships of the Baltic Fleet.

The new front commander G.K. Zhukov, who had just arrived in Leningrad, took decisive measures to restore the situation. To strengthen the anti-tank defense in the most threatened areas, anti-aircraft guns were advanced, the power of the entire artillery of the Baltic Fleet was concentrated in the band of the 42nd Army (the new commander is Major General I.I. Fedyuninsky), from the city of Uritsk to the Pulkovo Heights. Part of the forces of the 23rd Army from the Karelian Isthmus were urgently transferred there, new rifle brigades were formed and sent to the front from sailors, border guards, cadets and students of military educational institutions. In addition, three divisions of the NKVD troops were sent to the front.

The intensity of the fighting grew. The enemy, regardless of the losses, rushed forward. On September 16, the Germans reached the Gulf of Finland, between the cities of Strelnya and Uritsk. Parts of the 8th Army were cut off from the main forces of the front. To the west of the city, the Oranienbaum bridgehead was formed, which had the most important operational significance. Not having enough not only heavy, but also light weapons, as well as ammunition, the defenders of the bridgehead fought courageously on the last lines in front of Oranienbaum. The enemy failed to eliminate the bridgehead during the entire time of the siege of Leningrad. On September 19, on the orders of Zhukov, the 8th Army attacked Krasnoe Selo from him, in the rear of the enemy advancing from Uritsk to Leningrad. Although this counterattack did not lead to the restoration of defense here, it forced the Germans to regroup part of their forces from the Leningrad direction to Peterhof.

The capture of Pushkin and Pavlovsk on September 17 proved to be the last significant success of the enemy. On that day, General E. Goepner received an order to withdraw the tank group from the battle and transfer it to the Moscow direction. All troops. operating near Leningrad, henceforth passed into the subordination of the command of the 18th Army. Further attempts the enemy to develop an offensive and break into the city, as well as break through the Neva towards the Finnish troops, came across the unshakable courage of the Soviet soldiers. In these battles, the enemy troops suffered heavy losses, but did not achieve any noticeable success.

On September 25, Field Marshal Leeb, commander of Army Group North, was forced to report to Berlin that he could not continue the attack on Leningrad with his remaining forces. A day later, he signed an order in which he ordered subordinate troops to go on active defense, creating conditions for a further offensive with the aim of a closer blockade of Leningrad, as well as connecting with Finnish troops west and east of Lake Ladoga.

An important role in disrupting the enemy's plans to capture Leningrad on the move was played by the counterattacks of the Soviet troops and their active offensive operations on the outer front of the encirclement with the aim of deblocking Leningrad. To repel them, the command of Army Group North was forced to use large forces, which led to a significant weakening of the group advancing directly on Leningrad. At the end of September, the front near Leningrad stabilized. The city on the Neva resisted, repelling a blow that none of the European capitals conquered by the Wehrmacht could resist. The siege of Leningrad, unprecedented in history, began, lasting almost 900 days.

The defense of Leningrad had as its goal not only to keep the city - the largest political and economic center of the country, but also to inflict the maximum possible damage on the enemy, bleed, distract and tie down one of his three strategic groups operating on the Soviet-German front. This goal has been fully achieved. However, it came at a high price. The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to: irretrievable - over 214 thousand people, sanitary - about 131 thousand people.

The Leningrad defensive operation of 1941 was an important contribution to the disruption of Hitler's plan for a blitzkrieg. Soviet troops showed high activity, combining stubborn defense with counterattacks, which kept the enemy in constant tension, exhausted him, forced him to be careful.

On July 10, 1941, the High Command of the North-Western Direction was created, which was headed by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov. After the Red Army suffered greater losses in the war with Finland than the losses of the Wehrmacht during the occupation of half of Europe, on May 8, 1940, Stalin removed Voroshilov from the post of people's commissar of defense. We can say that he kicked him out, because the "red marshal" almost ruined the work of the defense department.

Nevertheless, it was he who was sent to the Leningrad section - as it turned out, there was no one else to send. In addition, in July and August 1941, the Stavka's attention was absorbed by events in the central direction, and in September by the catastrophe near Kiev.

On July 21, Voroshilov, with his power, stopped the echelons going to Leningrad and ordered the main forces of the 1st Panzer Division to be unloaded. Together with two motorized rifle regiments NKVD, they were supposed to counterattack and defeat the Finns. The decision was monstrous in its stupidity - on the scales of the war, Leningrad and Petrozavodsk had completely different weights, and besides, tanks were useless in the Karelian lake forests. Having personally led the unsuccessful attack of the marines at Koporye, Voroshilov was slightly wounded. Stalin, having learned about what had happened, honored his colleague with several strong epithets.

On September 11, Stalin removed Voroshilov and replaced Zhukov, commander of the Leningrad Front. On September 13, Zhukov flew to Leningrad. Having taken command, he began by sending order No. 0046 to the troops, in which he announced to "command, political and ordinary personnel" that anyone who "left the line indicated to him for defense without a written order is subject to immediate execution." Unfortunately, this was almost the only thing he could counter the power of the advancing enemy.

Zhukov did not know pity and inexorably raised and raised troops exhausted by continuous battles in a counterattack against the enemy many times superior to them. Only at the cost of huge sacrifices did he manage, in the end, to slow down the German offensive.

September 15, the Germans came close to Leningrad. Heavy KB tanks were sent directly from the assembly line of the Kirov plant to the front lines. But on September 16, Hitler removed all shock units from the Leningrad direction and threw them near Moscow. After that, Field Marshal Leeb weakened the onslaught and, instead of an assault, proceeded to the siege.

Despite the fact that the troops of the Leningrad Front held the line, the likelihood of a German breakthrough could not be discounted. And so it was decided to mine the city. Still the same Marshal Voroshilov, now Commander-in-Chief

North-Western direction, put forward a strategic initiative - to mine and blow up large Leningrad plants and factories, power plants and highways, bridges, as well as the Baltic Fleet, so that they would not get to the advancing enemy troops. In principle, a similar proposal had already been put forward a couple of decades before - in the years civil war a similar plan was discussed in case Yudenich captured Petrograd. Voroshilov's idea was supported by A. Zhdanov and A. Kuznetsov.

325 thousand kilograms of explosives (tol and dynamite) were placed in the foundation of enterprises and buildings of various
appointments, which, on command, were supposed to fly into the air. A city turned into ruins along with houses and
monuments would cease to exist.

On the same days, the Military Council of the Lenfront adopted a resolution on the implementation of the "Plan of measures for organizing and implementing special measures to disable the most important industrial and other enterprises of Leningrad in the event of a forced withdrawal of our troops." This operation was supposed to simultaneously destroy over several thousand urban facilities, all rolling stock, all stationary power units and installations, cables and railway depots, telegraph and telephone exchanges, water utility installations, and much more.

For 900 days of the blockade, the responsibility should be borne by the party leadership, and first of all, the most incompetent official - the first secretary of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Comrade A.A. Zhdanov, who had nothing to do with the heroic feat of the inhabitants of the city. The first secretary of the blockade "overslept": he drank a lot, ate a lot, did physical education in order to lose weight excess weight, I didn’t go to the front line and didn’t do housework. In fact, the city was on Alexei Kosygin, authorized by the State Defense Committee, who arrived in Leningrad in the fall of 1941, who never emphasized his role in the defense

Leningrad. He established traffic on the Road of Life, eliminated congestion, settled disagreements between civil and military authorities. The delivery of coal, oil, the mobilization of communists to protect food warehouses, the evacuation of specialists, the evacuation of children, the removal of factory equipment - it was he who did all this.

In besieged Leningrad, Kosygin, unlike Zhdanov, was spoken very well. They told an almost Christmas-like, but quite true story about how he picked up a dying boy in the street - a finger slightly moved from the one lying among the stiffened corpses. Kosygin took him out, fed him, sent him to the mainland - and forgot about it forever. Even in his old age he remembered the numbers of food deliveries, the number of tons of fuel delivered to the power plant, to the last comma, and threw the people he helped out of his head. There was nothing special, from his point of view, in this.

After a monstrously hard winter, the spring of 1942 came. The nutrition of the population and troops has improved. As a result of the work of the Road of Life, Leningraders began to receive meat, fats, cereals, but still in limited quantities.