A page of history that is made up of many personal stories. Today is the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Leningrad. There was still a year left before the withdrawal. Hundreds of thousands of people died in battles with the Nazis and in the city itself, which survived despite hunger, cold and shelling. Vladimir Putin, a Leningrader himself, arrived in the northern capital.
The blockade and after 75 years the wound for the city does not heal. To Piskarevka, to the "road of life", to the Fontanka embankment... Today, people go here with their families to the place where the blockade was broken.
Thousands of townspeople and residents of the Leningrad region lit candles, silently listened to the metronome - the blockade air raid signal.
The blockade affected almost every Leningrad family. Not bypassed and Putin. One and a half year old Vitya, the elder brother of the president, died in one of the most terrible winters. Vladimir Putin found out about his burial place only a few years ago. And now every year he brings flowers to the grave with the only inscription "1942".
Piskarevka is the largest cemetery of World War II. According to various estimates, from 600 thousand to one and a half million people rest in 186 mass graves. The vast majority died of starvation. Veterans, students, people whose relatives are buried here often come here. Vladimir Putin, together with them, laid flowers at the Motherland monument.
The second memorial associated with the blockade is located in the Leningrad region. Nevsky Piglet is a tiny bridgehead that our soldiers held for almost all the days of the blockade. Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin also fought in the intelligence group. The president's father was wounded here. There are still tons of iron in this land, hundreds of nameless soldiers. And those who have not yet been found, it seems, are all going on the attack.
“The remains of our soldiers are still being found. And what made a special impression on me now - with weapons in their hands, turned towards the enemy: they did not retreat anywhere, death caught them with weapons in their hands in battle, when they went forward, they attacked. It is this attitude to the Motherland, to the Fatherland that is in the nature of our people. And this is what we must fix for many, many years to come for all future generations,” the President said.
Four years ago, the search engines decided to recreate the leading edge of the Nevsky Piglet. Then the historical exposition occupied a small hall and was supposed to be temporary. But almost 20,000 people visited it. In 2014, Vladimir Putin also visited there. He left an entry in the Book of Honored Guests and expressed the hope that the exposition will expand and become permanent.
And today, a completely new building with an already updated large panorama was opened in the Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad Museum-Reserve. The first visitors were the most severe critics - veterans.
Vladimir Molev is one of the few surviving participants in the breakthrough of the blockade. On January 12, 1943, he also climbed an icy cliff. Tanks were burning and sinking, but there were still living comrades nearby. These sculptures have a portrait resemblance - the authors recreated faces from photographs. The stories of these real people were told to the President.
“The first soldier we identified was Felimon Yakimovich Sokolov, originally from Belarus. Unfortunately, his house burned down, and the house books were not preserved either. Three years later, thanks to social networks, I managed to find relatives. A photo of Valentin Trotskevich was found in the archives,” said the author of the panorama, the commander of the Shlisselburg search detachment, Dmitry Poshtarenko.
As it turned out, the president remembers well the previous four-year-old exhibition. New expressive means and large-scale changes appreciated.
The president shared his impression of what he saw with the veterans: “We talk a lot and in sufficient detail, we often talk about the feat of Leningrad, about the feat of Leningraders, about the heroism of the defenders of the city, and it seemed that everyone knew everything well. Meanwhile, I am deeply convinced that we should use every occasion to remind about it - so that we ourselves never forget about it, so that the whole world remembers it, and so that nothing like this has ever happened in the fate of our country, and in the world as a whole.”
Modern technologies, authentic combat items, and a video installation of a night battle create the effect of complete immersion in events. Nevsky Piglet is one of the most heroic and at the same time tragic pages of military history. On a piece of land only two kilometers long, a real fiery tornado fell daily, but there was no order to retreat - then losses were not considered.
“Believe me, fighting here - we had to fight on the Kursk Bulge - is much worse than there. You see, there you can see the battlefield, you can see where to go, but here they sat in the swamps in winter, spring and autumn. In brutal conditions. And they fought with dignity,” said Vyacheslav Panfilov, veteran of the Great Patriotic War.
The president and veterans were also shown an excerpt from the new film. It is also about the Nevsky Piglet. How would a modern, rather cynical young guy behave if he got into the thick of that fight?
“In my opinion, it was done very talentedly, expressively, intelligibly, it hits right, it seems to me, where you wanted to go - right to the heart, to the soul. And this is the great value of this kind of work, thank you very much,” the President said.
In an informal conversation with veterans, Vladimir Putin once again emphasized that self-sacrifice, love for the motherland, devotion to friendship have always been a hallmark of our people and they were especially pronounced during difficult periods in the country's history. And there were many. The President assured that the work to perpetuate the memory of the national feat will certainly be continued.
St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, now again St. Petersburg - this city, and now considered the second capital of Russia, from the moment of its foundation in 1703, had a special significance in the fate of our state. Initially, it was a "window to Europe", then the "cradle of the revolution", even having lost the status of the capital and received his name after Lenin's death, the city remained a symbol of statehood. And surrendering it to the enemy meant the beginning of a global defeat. During the Great Patriotic War, the city, which was in the blockade of the Nazi invaders, held out to the last. He held on and survived. Poems and songs are dedicated to the courage and heroism of the defenders of Leningrad. The city kept not only on the front line, but also on the inhabitants themselves, who, under the conditions of the blockade, survived on crumbs of bread, but at the same time produced weapons and ammunition for the front. Then, in the harsh years of 1942-43, the country knew that Leningrad was holding out, which means that we will survive. On January 18, 1943, the blockade was broken - the city was given a message from the mainland. There was still a whole year left before the full liberation.
“During the war, our family’s house in the village of Ust-Izhora stood 5 kilometers from the front line, where the heroic defenders of Leningrad held the line,” says military historian Alexander Zimovsky. - The house has been preserved to this day, and back in the late 60s, many fragments from German mines and shells were found in the gardens. One of my relatives fought in the 72nd separate division of armored trains, they acted against the Germans in the area of the Ligovo railway station (which was on the front line from "their" side of the front). Therefore, the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad for me is not just a calendar date. This is an incredibly emotionally rich layer of world, Soviet and Russian military history.”In Soviet times, all children born in Leningrad received a personal birth certificate, on which it was written: "Born in Leningrad." This, of course, is the merit of those people who survived the blockade, those who participated in the most difficult battles, including those associated with the liberation of the city.
“Hitler was maniacally obsessed with Leningrad, or rather with its destruction,” Alexander Zimovsky continues. “In 1942, he removed Field Marshal Manstein’s 11th field army from the south and transferred it to Leningrad. Chief of the General Staff Halder objects, because he believes that Stalingrad is more important, and after a few weeks Hitler removes him from all posts.
Manstein arrives for reconnaissance on the line of contact between the Nazi and Soviet troops. It was in the Kolpino area. And at a distance of direct visibility, without any binoculars, he observes the smoking chimneys of the Izhora plant. After the capture of Sevastopol, he planned to start the assault on Leningrad on September 1, but after a few days the troops under his command were drawn into the most difficult defensive battles. There was another attempt by the Red Army to break through the blockade of Leningrad. She was not successful, but the idea to take Leningrad by storm was finally buried. From that moment on, not a single genius of German military planning, until the end of the war, set himself the task of simultaneously attacking two or more sectors of the Eastern Front. Front-line soldiers from Leningrad joked evilly: “In 1941, they failed to break the blockade, but the Germans were distracted from Moscow. In 1942, they did not break through, but Leningrad was saved from the assault. The mood was such that it was no longer possible to delay breaking through the blockade. And there simply could not be failure: there is a limit for a person; both residents and defenders of the city, it was crossed more than once. The Germans began to strengthen their defensive structures, as well. It was Operation Iskra. 
As always happened at the turning points of the war, Stalin instructed Zhukov to lead Iskra. In general, all military leaders-memoirists agree that no more than 15 people were devoted to the plan of the operation before it began. Even in correspondence with Churchill, Stalin did not allow himself a single hint about the most powerful deblocking strike planned near Leningrad. On January 12, at 0930 hours, two thousand Soviet guns hit the front line of the Nazis. For two hours and twenty minutes, the Soviet artillery of the Leningrad Front fired continuously on the left bank of the Neva. Then the soldiers of four divisions of the first echelon went on the attack on the Neva ice. The infantry was supported by light tanks and armored vehicles. 
On January 16, Stalin called Govorov (commander of the Leningrad Front) inquired about the progress of the operation and instructed to take Shlisselburg no later than by the end of the next day. On January 18, soldiers of the 86th Rifle Division (aka the 4th Leningrad Rifle Division of the People's Militia) raised the Red Banner over Shlisselburg. 6 days after the start of Operation Iskra, the operation ended. The blockade ring was broken, now a ten-kilometer corridor led to Leningrad, completely controlled by the Red Army. It was the second year of the war. A little more than 12 months remained before the complete lifting of the blockade. 
The operation to break the blockade of Leningrad began on January 12, 1943. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command began the operation with a massive air strike and artillery escort. The main fighting took place in the area of the Nevsky "piglet", where the offensive did not develop very well. The 45th Guards Division, supported by a tank battalion, managed to advance no more than half a kilometer. When crossing the Neva, all tanks were lost. The attack was thwarted. The troops were transferred to the line in the Maryino region, with the task of advancing on Shlisselburg from the south, which led to the success of the operation. The official date for breaking the blockade of Leningrad is January 18, 1943, but fierce fighting on the sections of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts continued throughout the whole month. Then it was possible to restore the railway connection with the besieged city, but it took another year of fierce fighting in this direction before the complete unblocking of Leningrad. The hero city, which for more than two years was in a military blockade of the German, Finnish and Italian armies, today recalls the first day of the blockade of Leningrad. On September 8, 1941, Leningrad was cut off from the rest of the country, and the inhabitants of the city bravely defended their homes from the invaders.
872 days of the siege of Leningrad entered the history of the Second World War as the most tragic events that are worthy of memory and respect. The courage and courage of the defenders of Leningrad, the suffering and patience of the inhabitants of the city - all this will remain an example and a lesson for new generations for many years to come.
10 interesting, and at the same time terrifying facts about the life of besieged Leningrad, read in the editorial material.
1. "Blue Division"
The German, Italian and Finnish military officially took part in the blockade of Leningrad. But there was another group, which was referred to as the "Blue Division". It was generally accepted that this division consisted of Spanish volunteers, since Spain did not officially declare war on the USSR.
However, in fact, the "Blue Division", which became part of a big crime against the Leningraders, consisted of regular soldiers of the Spanish army. During the battles for Leningrad, the "Blue Division" for the Soviet military was considered the weak link of the aggressors. Due to the rudeness of their own officers and poor food, the fighters of the Blue Division often went over to the side of the Soviet army, historians say.
2. "Road of Life" and "Alleyway of Death"
The residents of besieged Leningrad managed to save themselves from starvation in the first winter thanks to the "Road of Life". In the winter period of 1941-1942, when the water on Lake Ladoga froze, a connection was established with the "Great Land", through which food was brought into the city and the population was evacuated. Through the "Road of Life" 550 thousand Leningraders were evacuated.
In January 1943, Soviet soldiers broke through the blockade of the invaders for the first time, and a railway was built on the liberated site, which was called the "Road of Victory". In one section, the "Road of Victory" came close to enemy territories, and trains did not always reach their destination. This section of the military called the "Alleyway of death."
3. Harsh winter
The first winter of besieged Leningrad was the most severe that the inhabitants had ever seen. From December to May, inclusive, in Leningrad the average air temperature was 18 degrees below zero, the minimum mark was fixed at 31 degrees. Snow in the city sometimes reached 52 cm.
In such harsh conditions, the inhabitants of the city kept warm by any means. Houses were heated by potbelly stoves, everything that burned was used as fuel: books, paintings, furniture. The central heating in the city did not work, the sewerage and water pipes were turned off, work at factories and plants stopped.
4. Cats-heroes
In modern St. Petersburg, a small monument to a cat has been erected, few people know, but this monument is dedicated to the heroes who twice saved the inhabitants of Leningrad from starvation. The first rescue came in the first year of the blockade. Hungry residents ate all domestic animals, including cats, which saved them from starvation.
But in the future, the absence of cats in the city led to a wholesale invasion of rodents. The city's food supplies were threatened. After the blockade was broken in January 1943, one of the first train sets had four wagons with smoky cats. It is this breed that catches pests best. The supplies of the city's exhausted inhabitants were saved.
5. 150 thousand shells
During the years of the blockade, Leningrad was subjected to an incalculable number of air strikes and shelling, which were carried out several times a day. In total, during the blockade, 150 thousand shells were fired at Leningrad and more than 107 thousand incendiary and high-explosive bombs were dropped.
1,500 loudspeakers were installed on the streets of the city to alert citizens about enemy air raids. The sound of a metronome was the signal for airstrikes: its fast rhythm meant the beginning of an air attack, its slow rhythm meant a retreat, and on the streets they wrote "Citizens! During shelling, this side of the street is most dangerous."
The sound of a metronome and an inscription warning of shelling preserved on one of the houses became symbols of the blockade and the resilience of the inhabitants of Leningrad, which was not conquered by the Nazis.
6. Three waves of evacuation
During the war years, the Soviet military managed to carry out three waves of evacuation of the local population from the besieged and hungry city. For all the time, it was possible to withdraw 1.5 million people, which at that time accounted for almost half of the entire city.
The first evacuation began in the first days of the war - June 29, 1941. The first wave of evacuation was distinguished by the unwillingness of residents to leave the city, in total a little more than 400 thousand people were taken out. The second wave of evacuation - September 1941-April 1942. The main evacuation route for the already besieged city was the "Road of Life", in total more than 600 thousand people were evacuated during the second wave. And the third wave of evacuation - May-October 1942, a little less than 400 thousand people were evacuated.
7. Minimum ration
Hunger became the main problem of the besieged Leningrad. The beginning of the food crisis is considered to be September 10, 1941, when the Nazi aircraft destroyed the Badaev food warehouses.
The peak of the famine in Leningrad fell on November 20-December 25, 1941. The norms for issuing bread for soldiers on the front line of defense were reduced to 500 grams per day, for workers in hot shops - up to 375 grams, for workers in other industries and engineers - up to 250 grams, for employees, dependents and children - up to 125 grams.
Bread in the blockade was prepared from a mixture of rye and oatmeal, cake and unfiltered malt. It was completely black in color and had a bitter taste.
8. Case of scientists
During the first two years of the siege of Leningrad, from 200 to 300 employees of Leningrad higher educational institutions and members of their families were convicted in the city. Leningrad Department of the NKVD in 1941-1942. arrested scientists for "anti-Soviet, counter-revolutionary, traitorous activities."
As a result, 32 highly qualified specialists were sentenced to death. Four scientists were shot, the rest of the death penalty was replaced with various terms of labor camps, many died in prisons and camps. In 1954-55, the convicts were rehabilitated, and a criminal case was initiated against the NKVD officers.
9. Duration of blockade
The blockade of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War lasted 872 days (September 8, 1941 - January 27, 1944). But the first breakthrough of the blockade was carried out in 1943. On January 17, during Operation Iskra, the Soviet troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts managed to liberate Shlisselburg, creating a narrow land corridor between the besieged city and the rest of the country.
After the blockade was lifted, Leningrad was under siege for another six months. The German and Finnish military remained in Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. After the offensive operation of the Soviet troops in July-August 1944, the Nazis managed to push back from Leningrad.
10. Victims
At the Nuremberg trials, the Soviet side announced 630 thousand dead during the siege of Leningrad, however, this figure is still in doubt among historians. The actual death toll could be as high as 1.5 million.
In addition to the number of deaths, the causes of death are also horrifying - only 3% of all deaths in besieged Leningrad are accounted for by shelling and air strikes by the fascist military. 97% of deaths in Leningrad from September 1941 to January 1944 were due to famine. Dead bodies lying on the streets of the city were perceived by passers-by as an everyday occurrence.
On January 27, the Russian Federation celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of lifting the blockade of the city of Leningrad. The date is marked on the basis of the federal law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia" dated March 13, 1995.
The offensive of the Nazi troops on Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the capture of which the German command attached great strategic and political importance, began on July 10, 1941.
In August, heavy fighting was already on the outskirts of the city. On August 30, German troops cut the railroads connecting Leningrad with the country. On September 8, the Nazis managed to block the city from land. According to Hitler's plan, Leningrad was to be wiped off the face of the earth. Having failed in their attempts to break through the defenses of the Soviet troops inside the blockade ring, the Germans decided to starve the city out. According to all the calculations of the German command, the population of Leningrad had to die of hunger and cold.
September 8, the day the blockade began, the first massive bombardment of Leningrad took place. About 200 fires broke out, one of them destroyed the Badaev food warehouses.
In September-October, enemy aircraft made several raids a day. The purpose of the enemy was not only to interfere with the activities of important enterprises, but also to create panic among the population. Especially intense shelling was carried out at the beginning and end of the working day. Many died during shelling and bombing, many buildings were destroyed.
The conviction that the enemy would not succeed in capturing Leningrad held back the pace of evacuation. More than two and a half million inhabitants, including 400,000 children, turned out to be in the besieged city. There were few food supplies, so food surrogates had to be used. Since the beginning of the introduction of the rationing system, the norms for issuing food to the population of Leningrad have been repeatedly reduced.
Autumn-winter 1941-1942 - the worst time of the blockade. Early winter brought cold with it - there was no heating, there was no hot water, and Leningraders began to burn furniture, books, and dismantled wooden buildings for firewood. The transport stopped. Thousands of people died from malnutrition and cold. But Leningraders continued to work - administrative offices, printing houses, polyclinics, kindergartens, theaters, a public library worked, scientists continued to work. 13-14-year-old teenagers worked, replacing their fathers who had gone to the front.
In the autumn on Ladoga, due to storms, the movement of ships was complicated, but tugboats with barges made their way around the ice fields until December 1941, some food was delivered by aircraft. Hard ice on Ladoga was not established for a long time, the norms for issuing bread were again reduced.
On November 22, the movement of vehicles along the ice road began. This transport highway was called "Road of Life". In January 1942, traffic on the winter road was already constant. The Germans bombed and shelled the road, but they failed to stop the movement.
By January 27, 1944, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts broke the defenses of the 18th German army, defeated its main forces and advanced 60 km in depth. Seeing a real threat of encirclement, the Germans retreated. Krasnoye Selo, Pushkin, Pavlovsk were liberated from the enemy. January 27 was the day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade. On this day, fireworks were given in Leningrad.
The blockade of Leningrad lasted 900 days and became the bloodiest blockade in the history of mankind. The historical significance of the defense of Leningrad is enormous. Soviet soldiers, having stopped the enemy hordes near Leningrad, turned it into a powerful bastion of the entire Soviet-German front in the northwest. By fettering significant forces of the fascist troops for 900 days, Leningrad thereby provided significant assistance to the development of operations on all other sectors of the vast front. In the victories near Moscow and Stalingrad, near Kursk and on the Dnieper - a significant share of the defenders of Leningrad.
The motherland highly appreciated the feat of the defenders of the city. Over 350 thousand soldiers, officers and generals of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 of them were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was awarded to about 1.5 million people.
For courage, steadfastness and unprecedented heroism in the days of the hard struggle against the Nazi invaders, the city of Leningrad was awarded the Order of Lenin on January 20, 1945, and on May 8, 1965 received the honorary title of "Hero City".
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Know the Soviet people that you are the descendants of fearless warriors!
Know, Soviet people, that the blood of great heroes flows in you,
Those who gave their lives for their Motherland, without thinking about the benefits!
Know and honor the Soviet people the exploits of grandfathers and fathers!
Documentary film "Ladoga" -1943 About the battle for Leningrad:
By the beginning of 1943, the situation in Leningrad, surrounded by German troops, remained extremely difficult. The troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet were isolated from the rest of the Red Army. Attempts to de-blockade Leningrad in 1942 - the Lyuban and Sinyavin offensive operations - did not bring success. The shortest route between the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts - between the southern coast of Lake Ladoga and the village of Mga (the so-called Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge, 12-16 km), was still occupied by units of the 18th German army.
Shells and bombs continued to explode on the streets and squares of the second capital of the USSR, people died, buildings collapsed. The city was under constant threat of air raids and artillery fire. The lack of land communication with the territory under the control of the Soviet troops caused great difficulties in the supply of fuel, raw materials for factories, and did not allow meeting the needs of the troops and the civilian population for food and essentials.
However, the position of Leningraders in the winter of 1942-1943. it was still somewhat better than the previous winter. Electricity was supplied to the city through a cable laid under water, and fuel was supplied through an underwater pipeline. The city was supplied with the necessary products and goods on the ice of the lake - the Road of Life. In addition, in addition to the highway, an iron branch was also built right on the ice of Lake Ladoga.
Major General Nikolai Pavlovich Simonyak, commander of the 136th Infantry Division, at an observation post. The photo was taken during the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra).
By the end of 1942, the Leningrad Front under the command of Leonid Govorov included: 67th Army - Commander Lieutenant General Mikhail Dukhanov, 55th Army - Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 23rd Army - Major General Alexander Cherepanov, 42nd Army in the army - Lieutenant General Ivan Nikolaev, the Primorsky Operational Group and the 13th Air Army - Colonel General of Aviation Stepan Rybalchenko. The main forces of the LF - the 42nd, 55th and 67th armies, defended themselves at the turn of Uritsk, Pushkin, south of Kolpino, Porogi, the right bank of the Neva to Lake Ladoga. The 67th Army operated in a 30 km strip along the right bank of the Neva from Poroga to Lake Ladoga, having a small foothold on the left bank of the river, in the area of Moscow Dubrovka. The 55th Rifle Brigade of this army defended the road from the south, which passed through the ice of Lake Ladoga. The 23rd Army defended the northern approaches to Leningrad, located on the Karelian Isthmus.
Formations of the 23rd Army were often transferred to other, more dangerous directions. The 42nd Army defended the Pulkovo line. The Primorsky Operational Group (POG) was located on the Oranienbaum bridgehead.
The actions of the LF were supported by the Red Banner Baltic Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Vladimir Tributs, which was based at the mouth of the Neva River and in Kronstadt. He covered the coastal flanks of the front, supported the ground forces with his aircraft and naval artillery fire. In addition, the fleet held a number of islands in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, which covered the western approaches to the city. Leningrad was also supported by the Ladoga military flotilla. The air defense of Leningrad was carried out by the Leningrad Air Defense Army, which interacted with aviation and anti-aircraft artillery of the front and fleet. The military road on the ice of the lake and the transshipment bases on its shores were covered from the attacks of the Luftwaffe by the formations of a separate Ladoga air defense region.
By the beginning of 1943, the Volkhov Front under the command of General of the Army Kirill Meretsky included: the 2nd shock army, the 4th, 8th, 52nd, 54th, 59th armies and the 14th air army. But they took a direct part in the operation: the 2nd shock army - under the command of Lieutenant General Vladimir Romanovsky, the 54th Army - Lieutenant General Alexander Sukhomlin, the 8th Army - Lieutenant General Philip Starikov, the 14th Air Army - General Aviation Lieutenant Ivan Zhuravlev. They operated in a 300 km strip from Lake Ladoga to Lake Ilmen. On the right flank from Lake Ladoga to the Kirov railway, units of the 2nd shock and 8th armies were located.
The German command, after the failure of attempts to take the city in 1942, was forced to stop the fruitless offensive and order the troops to go on the defensive. The Red Army was opposed by the 18th German Army under the command of Georg Liederman, which was part of Army Group North. It consisted of 4 army corps and up to 26 divisions. The German troops were supported by the 1st Air Fleet of Aviation Colonel General Alfred Keller. In addition, on the northwestern approaches to the city, opposite the 23rd Soviet Army, there were 4 Finnish divisions from the Karelian Isthmus Task Force.
The tank landing of the Red Army is moving towards a breakthrough!
A unique film about the siege of Leningrad. Chronicle of those years:
Red Army soldiers take position and prepare for battle - breaking through the blockade of Leningrad
German defense
The Germans had the most powerful defense and dense grouping of troops in the most dangerous direction - the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge (its depth did not exceed 15 km). Here, between the city of Mga and Lake Ladoga, 5 German divisions were stationed - the main forces of the 26th and part of the divisions of the 54th Army Corps. They included about 60 thousand people, 700 guns and mortars, about 50 tanks and self-propelled guns. Each village was turned into a stronghold prepared for all-round defense, the positions were covered with minefields, wire fences and fortified with pillboxes. There were two lines of defense in total: the first included the constructions of the 8th GRES, the 1st and 2nd Gorodoks and the houses of the city of Shlisselburg - from Leningrad, Lipka, Workers' settlements No. 4, 8, 7, Gontovaya Lipka - from the Volkhov Front , the second included work settlements No. 1 and No. 5, Podgornaya and Sinyavino stations, work settlement No. 6, and Mikhailovsky settlement. The defensive lines were saturated with nodes of resistance, had a developed network of trenches, shelters, dugouts, and means of fire destruction. As a result, the entire ledge resembled one fortified area.
The situation for the attacking side was aggravated by the wooded and swampy terrain in the area. In addition, there was a large area of Sinyavino peat extraction, which was cut by deep ditches. The territory was impassable for armored vehicles and heavy artillery, and they were needed to destroy enemy fortifications. To overcome such a defense, powerful means of suppression and destruction were required, as well as a huge effort of the forces and means of the attacking side.
On January 2, 1943, in order to break the blockade of Leningrad, the Iskra strategic offensive operation began.
Girl from the besieged city-People of the legend (USSR 1985):
Plan and prepare for the operation. Shock groups of the Soviet army
Back in November 1942, the LF command submitted to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief their proposals for preparing a new offensive near Leningrad. It was planned to carry out two operations in December 1942 - February 1943. During the "Schlisselburg operation" it was proposed by the forces of the LF, together with the troops of the Volkhov Front, to break through the blockade of the city and build a railway along Lake Ladoga. During the "Uritsa operation" they were going to break through a land corridor to the Oranienbaum bridgehead. The headquarters approved the first part of the operation - breaking through the blockade of Leningrad (directive No. 170696 of December 2, 1942). The operation received the code name "Iskra", the troops were to be in full combat readiness by January 1, 1943.
The operation plan was set out in more detail in Directive No. 170703 of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of December 8. The troops of the LF and VF received the task of breaking the German grouping in the area of Lipka, Gaitolovo, Moscow Dubrovka, Shlisselburg and, thus, lifting the complete blockade of Leningrad. By the end of January 1943, the Red Army was to reach the line of the Moika River - Mikhailovsky - Tortolovo. The directive also announced the conduct of the "Mginsk operation" in February with the aim of defeating the German group in the Mga region and ensuring a strong railway link between Leningrad and the country. The coordination of the actions of the fronts was entrusted to Marshal Kliment Voroshilov.
Almost a month was allotted for the preparation of the operation. Much attention was paid to the interaction between the troops of the two fronts. In the rear, training fields and special camps were created for practicing offensive actions of formations in wooded and swampy areas and storming the enemy's echeloned defense. Formations of the 67th Army practiced methods of forcing the Neva on the ice and establishing a crossing for tanks and artillery. In the LF, on the instructions of Govorov, artillery groups were formed: long-range, special purpose, counter-mortar and a separate group of guards mortar units. By the beginning of the operation, thanks to the efforts of intelligence, the command was able to get a pretty good idea of \u200b\u200bthe German defense. In December, a thaw occurred, so the ice on the Neva was weak, and the swampy terrain was difficult to access, therefore, at the suggestion of the commander of the LF, the Headquarters postponed the start of the operation to January 12, 1943. In early January, the State Defense Committee sent Georgy Zhukov to the Volkhov Front to reinforce it.
To carry out the operation, strike groups were formed as part of the LF and VF fronts, which were reinforced with armored, artillery and engineering formations, including those from the Stavka reserve. On the Volkhov front, the basis of the shock group was the 2nd shock army of Romanovsky. In its composition, including the army reserve, there were 12 rifle divisions, 4 tank, 1 rifle and 3 ski brigades, a breakthrough tank guards regiment, 4 separate tank battalions: 165 thousand people, 2100-2200 guns and mortars, 225 tanks. From the air, the army was supported by about 400 aircraft. The army received the task of penetrating the enemy's defenses on a 12 km section from the village of Lipki on the shores of Lake Ladoga and to Gaitolovo, reaching the line of Workers' settlements No. In addition, the troops of the 8th Army: 2 rifle divisions, a marine brigade, a separate tank regiment and 2 separate tank battalions, delivered an auxiliary strike in the direction of Tortolovo, the village of Mikhailovsky. The offensive of the 2nd shock and 8th army was supported by about 2885 guns and mortars.
On the part of the LF, the main role was to be played by Dukhanov's 67th Army. It consisted of 7 rifle divisions (one Guards), 6 rifle, 3 tank and 2 ski brigades, 2 separate tank battalions. The offensive was supported by the artillery of the army, the front, the Baltic Fleet (88 guns with a caliber of 130-406 mm) - about 1900 barrels, the 13th Air Army and naval aviation - about 450 aircraft and about 200 tanks. Parts of the 67th Army were to cross the Neva on the 12 km section between the Nevsky Piglet and Shlisselburg, concentrating the main efforts in the direction of Maryino, Sinyavino. The troops of the LF, having broken through the German defenses in the Moscow Dubrovka, Shlisselburg sector, were supposed to connect with the formations of the VF at the turn of Workers' settlements No. 2, 5 and 6, and then develop the offensive to the southeast and reach the line on the Moika River.
Both shock groups numbered about 300 thousand people, about 4900 guns and mortars, about 600 tanks and more than 800 aircraft.
Sappers of the Volkhov Front, Red Army soldier A.G. Zubakin and Sergeant M.V. Kamensky (right) making passes in a wire fence in the Sinyavino area. The photo was taken during the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra).
Blockade Leningrad. 7th symphony by Shestakovich:
Beginning of the offensive. January 12, 1943
On the morning of January 12, 1943, the troops of the two fronts simultaneously launched an offensive. Previously, at night, aviation 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 9:30 in the morning, the artillery of the two fronts began artillery preparation: in the offensive zone of the 2nd shock army, it lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, and in the sector of the 67th army - 2 hours and 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 11:50, 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 tanks 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 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 in the area 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, the 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 area of \u200b\u200bthe "Nevsky Piglet" 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 (went on the offensive at 11:15) and the 8th armies (at 11:30), 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 Kruglaya 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.
Leningrad in the fight (USSR, 1942):
Leningrad Front- commander: lieutenant general (since January 15, 1943 - colonel general) L.A. Govorov
Volkhov Front- commander: general of the army K.A. Meretskov.
Fights 13 - 17 January
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, the battles took on a protracted and fierce character.
In the offensive zone of the 67th Army on the left flank, the 86th Rifle Division and a battalion of armored vehicles, with support from the north of the 34th Ski Brigade and the 55th Rifle 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.
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, Lipke, 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 significant 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...
As a result of the January battles of 1943, it was possible to clear the southern coast of Lake Ladoga from the enemy. Between Lake Ladoga and the front line formed corridor 8-11 km wide, through which within 17 days railroads and roads were built.
The blockade was completely lifted January 27, 1944 as a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation.
The blockade of Leningrad lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. During this time, 107 thousand air bombs were dropped on the northern capital, about 150 thousand shells were fired. According to various sources, from 400 thousand to 1 million people died during the years of the blockade. In particular, the number of 632 thousand people appeared at the Nuremberg trials. Only 3% of them died from bombing and shelling, the remaining 97% died of starvation.
The light cruiser "Kirov" salutes in honor of the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad!
Leningrad. Firework. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad (January 27, 1944):
