Day of lifting the siege of Leningrad. Day of lifting the blockade of Leningrad (1944). Help How many years have passed since the blockade was lifted?

The siege of Leningrad lasted exactly 871 days. This is the longest and most terrible siege of the city in the entire history of mankind. Almost 900 days of pain and suffering, courage and dedication. After many years after breaking the siege of Leningrad Many historians, and even ordinary people, wondered: could this nightmare have been avoided? Avoid - apparently not. For Hitler, Leningrad was a “tidbit” - after all, here is the Baltic Fleet and the road to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, from where help came from the allies during the war, and if the city had surrendered, it would have been destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth. Could the situation have been mitigated and prepared for in advance? The issue is controversial and worthy of separate research.

The first days of the siege of Leningrad

On September 8, 1941, in continuation of the offensive of the fascist army, the city of Shlisselburg was captured, thus closing the blockade ring. In the first days, few people believed in the seriousness of the situation, but many residents of the city began to thoroughly prepare for the siege: literally in a few hours all savings were withdrawn from the savings banks, the shops were empty, everything possible was bought up. Not everyone was able to evacuate when systematic shelling began, but it began immediately, in September, the routes for evacuation were already cut off. There is an opinion that it was the fire that occurred on the first day siege of Leningrad in the Badaev warehouses - in the repository of the city's strategic reserves - provoked a terrible famine during the blockade days. However, recently declassified documents provide slightly different information: it turns out that there was no “strategic reserve” as such, since in the conditions of the outbreak of war it was impossible to create a large reserve for such a huge city as Leningrad was (and about 3 people lived in it at that time). million people) was not possible, so the city fed on imported products, and existing supplies would only last for a week. Literally from the first days of the blockade, ration cards were introduced, schools were closed, military censorship was introduced: any attachments to letters were prohibited, and messages containing decadent sentiments were confiscated.

Siege of Leningrad - pain and death

Memories of the people's siege of Leningrad who survived it, their letters and diaries reveal to us a terrible picture. A terrible famine struck the city. Money and jewelry have lost value. The evacuation began in the fall of 1941, but only in January 1942 did it become possible to withdraw a large number of people, mainly women and children, through the Road of Life. There were huge queues at the bakeries where daily rations were distributed. Besides hunger besieged Leningrad Other disasters also attacked: very frosty winters, sometimes the thermometer dropped to -40 degrees. The fuel ran out and the water pipes froze - the city was left without electricity and drinking water. Rats became another problem for the besieged city in the first winter of the siege. They not only destroyed food supplies, but also spread all kinds of infections. People died and there was no time to bury them; the corpses lay right on the streets. Cases of cannibalism and robbery appeared.

Life of besieged Leningrad

Simultaneously Leningraders They tried with all their might to survive and not let their hometown die. Moreover, Leningrad helped the army by producing military products - the factories continued to operate in such conditions. Theaters and museums resumed their activities. It was necessary to prove to the enemy, and, most importantly, to ourselves: Leningrad blockade will not kill the city, it continues to live! One of the striking examples of amazing dedication and love for the Motherland, life, and hometown is the story of the creation of one piece of music. During the blockade, the famous symphony of D. Shostakovich, later called “Leningrad”, was written. Or rather, the composer began writing it in Leningrad, and finished it in evacuation. When the score was ready, it was delivered to the besieged city. By that time, the symphony orchestra had already resumed its activities in Leningrad. On the day of the concert, so that enemy raids could not disrupt it, our artillery did not allow a single fascist plane to approach the city! Throughout the blockade days, the Leningrad radio worked, which was for all Leningraders not only a life-giving spring of information, but also simply a symbol of ongoing life.

The Road of Life is the pulse of a besieged city

From the first days of the blockade, the Road of Life began its dangerous and heroic work - pulse besieged LeningradA. In summer there is a water route, and in winter there is an ice route connecting Leningrad with the “mainland” along Lake Ladoga. On September 12, 1941, the first barges with food arrived in the city along this route, and until late autumn, until storms made navigation impossible, barges walked along the Road of Life. Each of their flights was a feat - enemy aircraft constantly carried out their bandit raids, weather conditions were often not in the sailors’ hands either - the barges continued their flights even in late autumn, until the ice appeared, when navigation was in principle impossible. On November 20, the first horse-drawn sleigh train descended onto the ice of Lake Ladoga. A little later, trucks started driving along the ice Road of Life. The ice was very thin, despite the fact that the truck was carrying only 2-3 bags of food, the ice broke, and there were frequent cases when trucks sank. At the risk of their lives, the drivers continued their deadly flights until spring. Military Highway No. 101, as this route was called, made it possible to increase bread rations and evacuate a large number of people. The Germans constantly sought to break this thread connecting the besieged city with the country, but thanks to the courage and fortitude of Leningraders, the Road of Life lived on its own and gave life to the great city.
The significance of the Ladoga highway is enormous; it has saved thousands of lives. Now on the shore of Lake Ladoga there is the Road of Life Museum.

Children's contribution to the liberation of Leningrad from the siege. Ensemble of A.E.Obrant

At all times, there is no greater grief than a suffering child. Siege children are a special topic. Having matured early, not childishly serious and wise, they did their best, along with adults, to bring victory closer. Children are heroes, each fate of which is a bitter echo of those terrible days. Children's dance ensemble A.E. Obranta is a special piercing note of the besieged city. In the first winter siege of Leningrad many children were evacuated, but despite this, for various reasons, many more children remained in the city. The Palace of Pioneers, located in the famous Anichkov Palace, went under martial law with the beginning of the war. It must be said that 3 years before the start of the war, a Song and Dance Ensemble was created on the basis of the Palace of Pioneers. At the end of the first blockade winter, the remaining teachers tried to find their students in the besieged city, and from the children remaining in the city, choreographer A.E. Obrant created a dance group. It’s scary to even imagine and compare the terrible days of the siege and pre-war dances! But nevertheless, the ensemble was born. First, the guys had to be restored from exhaustion, only then they were able to start rehearsals. However, already in March 1942 the first performance of the group took place. The soldiers, who had seen a lot, could not hold back their tears looking at these courageous children. Remember How long did the siege of Leningrad last? So, during this considerable time, the ensemble gave about 3,000 concerts. Wherever the guys had to perform: often the concerts had to end in a bomb shelter, since several times during the evening the performances were interrupted by air raid alarms; it happened that young dancers performed several kilometers from the front line, and in order not to attract the enemy with unnecessary noise, they danced without music, and the floors were covered with hay. Strong in spirit, they supported and inspired our soldiers; the contribution of this team to the liberation of the city can hardly be overestimated. Later the guys were awarded medals "For the Defense of Leningrad".

Breaking the blockade of Leningrad

In 1943, a turning point occurred in the war, and at the end of the year, Soviet troops were preparing to liberate the city. On January 14, 1944, during the general offensive of the Soviet troops, the final operation began to lifting the blockade of Leningrad. The task was to deliver a crushing blow to the enemy south of Lake Ladoga and restore the land routes connecting the city with the country. By January 27, 1944, the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, with the help of Kronstadt artillery, carried out breaking the siege of Leningrad. The Nazis began to retreat. Soon the cities of Pushkin, Gatchina and Chudovo were liberated. The blockade was completely lifted.

A tragic and great page in Russian history that claimed more than 2 million human lives. As long as the memory of these terrible days lives in the hearts of people, finds a response in talented works of art, and is passed from hand to hand to descendants, this will not happen again! Siege of Leningrad briefly, but Vera Inberg succinctly described her lines as a hymn to the great city and at the same time a requiem for the departed.

St. PETERSBURG, January 27 ─ RIA Novosti. Commemorative events dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the siege during the Great Patriotic War will be held on Saturday in the Northern capital.

In the morning, flowers will be laid at the memorial plaque “Citizens! During shelling, this side of the street is the most dangerous” on Nevsky Prospekt, 14. At 11.00 at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of Leningraders and defenders of the city were buried during the siege, a solemn funeral laying ceremony will begin wreaths and flowers. Also, wreath and flower laying ceremonies will take place at the Serafimovskoye, Smolenskoye and Bogoslovskoye cemeteries, the Nevsky military cemetery "Cranes", at the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad on Victory Square, at the Triumphal Arch of Victory on the Military Glory Square in Krasnoe Selo, at the Krasnaya Sloboda memorial.

In memory of the days of the siege, from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 19.00 to 22.00 torches will be lit on the Rostral columns on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

A youth patriotic event “Muse of the Blockade” will take place near the memorial sign to Olga Berggolts on Italianskaya Street. Throughout the day, poems about the siege, excerpts from stories about the war by Leningrad writers, and excerpts from the siege diaries performed by the city’s youth, poets, actors, and government officials will be heard from the stage. In the open area, the atmosphere of besieged Leningrad will be recreated, memorabilia and models of weapons will be presented.

On Saturday afternoon there will be a concert in the large Oktyabrsky concert hall, dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.

A large-scale cultural and historical zone will open on the Champ de Mars. The exhibition areas will be divided into thematic zones: anti-tank defense of Leningrad, the fight of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army against enemy artillery, local air defense of Leningrad. There will also be a platform dedicated to women defenders of the Leningrad sky and an interactive exhibition of trophies. Everyone will be able to see the reception and training point for recruits, a field medical center, a military field communication point with authentic exhibits of soldiers’ life during the war. A field kitchen with hot soldier’s porridge will be organized here for guests and spectators. In the evening, a theatrical historical performance will take place here: a presentation of the life of besieged Leningrad on the eve of complete liberation on January 27, 1944.

In the evening, a youth memorial event “900 days and nights” will take place in the courtyard of the State Academic Chapel. The atmosphere of life in besieged Leningrad will be recreated here - artillery pieces and anti-tank barriers will be displayed. A stage will also be installed in the courtyard from which young St. Petersburg residents will read poems about the war.

On this day, two concerts will be held in the chapel hall: the soloists, choir and Symphony Orchestra of the chapel under the direction of People's Artist of the USSR Vladislav Chernushenko will perform songs by Georgy Sviridov, Valery Gavrilin, Isaac Dunaevsky and Gennady Gladkov. The second concert, especially for blockade survivors, was prepared by the House of Folk Art and Leisure.

In the evening, a concert dedicated to the Day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the siege will also take place in St. Isaac's Cathedral. The St. Petersburg Concert Choir, conducted by Vladimir Begletsov, will perform songs from the war years, songs dedicated to the war, songs about peace and the homeland. A special block will be composed of works by Vladimir Vysotsky, who would have turned 80 on January 25 (he did not return from the battle, “Who said that the earth died...”, “Save our souls” and other tragic ballads). The poetic outline of the concert will be composed of poems by Anna Akhmatova, Olga Berggolts and Boris Pasternak performed by Honored Artist of Russia Vitaly Gordienko.

In the evening, St. Petersburg students will launch 900 white and 900 black balloons into the sky, symbolizing the 900 days and nights of the siege, and will honor the heroic feat with a minute of silence.

In honor of the significant date, at 21.00 a festive artillery salute will be given from four points: the beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress, Victory Park, the Park of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg and Piskarevsky Park.

The siege of Leningrad, which began on September 8, 1941, lasted almost 900 days. The only route, the “Road of Life,” along which food was delivered to the city, was laid along the ice of Lake Ladoga. The blockade was broken on January 18, 1943, but Leningraders had to wait another whole year before it was completely lifted ─ January 27, 1944. During the years of the blockade, according to various sources, from 400 thousand to 1.5 million people died. So, at the Nuremberg trials the number of 632 thousand people appeared. Only 3% of them died from bombing and shelling, the rest died of starvation.

Soon after the start of the Great Patriotic War, Leningrad found itself in the grip of enemy fronts. The German Army Group North (commanded by Field Marshal W. Leeb) was approaching it from the southwest; The Finnish army (commander Marshal K. Mannerheim) targeted the city from the north-west. According to the Barbarossa plan, the capture of Leningrad was supposed to precede the capture of Moscow. Hitler believed that the fall of the northern capital of the USSR would bring not only a military gain - the Russians would lose the city, which is the cradle of the revolution and has a special symbolic meaning for the Soviet state. The Battle of Leningrad, the longest of the war, lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944.

In July-August 1941, German divisions were suspended in battles on the Luga line, but on September 8 the enemy reached Shlisselburg and Leningrad, which was home to about 3 million people before the war, was surrounded. To the number of those caught in the blockade, we must add approximately 300 thousand more refugees who arrived in the city from the Baltic states and neighboring regions at the beginning of the war. From that day on, communication with Leningrad became possible only by Lake Ladoga and by air. Almost every day Leningraders experienced the horror of artillery shelling or bombing. As a result of the fires, residential buildings were destroyed, people and food supplies were killed, incl. Badaevsky warehouses.

At the beginning of September 1941, General of the Army G.K. was recalled from Yelnya. Zhukov and told him: “You will have to fly to Leningrad and take command of the front and the Baltic Fleet from Voroshilov.” Zhukov's arrival and the measures he took strengthened the city's defenses, but it was not possible to break the blockade.

The Nazis' plans for Leningrad

The blockade organized by the Nazis was aimed specifically at the extinction and destruction of Leningrad. On September 22, 1941, a special directive noted: “The Fuhrer decided to wipe out the city of Leningrad from the face of the earth. It is planned to surround the city with a tight ring and, through shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombing from the air, raze it to the ground... In this war, waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving at least part of the population.” On October 7, Hitler gave another order - not to accept refugees from Leningrad and to push them back into enemy territory. Therefore, any speculation - including those spread today in the media - that the city could have been saved if it had been surrendered to the mercy of the Germans should be classified either as ignorance or a deliberate distortion of historical truth.

Food situation in the besieged city

Before the war, the metropolis of Leningrad was supplied, as they say, “on wheels”; the city did not have large food reserves. Therefore, the blockade threatened a terrible tragedy - famine. On September 2, we had to strengthen the food saving regime. From November 20, 1941, the lowest norms for the distribution of bread on cards were established: workers and technical workers - 250 g, employees, dependents and children - 125 g. Soldiers of the first line units and sailors - 500 g. Mass death of the population began. In December, 53 thousand people died, in January 1942 - about 100 thousand, in February - more than 100 thousand. The preserved pages of the diary of little Tanya Savicheva do not leave anyone indifferent: “Grandmother died on January 25. ... “Uncle Alyosha on May 10... Mom on May 13 at 7.30 in the morning... Everyone died. Tanya is the only one left." Today, in the works of historians, the numbers of dead Leningraders vary from 800 thousand to 1.5 million people. Recently, data on 1.2 million people has increasingly appeared. Grief came to every family. During the battle for Leningrad, more people died than England and the United States lost during the entire war.

"The road of life"

The salvation for the besieged was the “Road of Life” - a route laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga, along which, from November 21, food and ammunition were delivered to the city and the civilian population was evacuated on the way back. During the period of operation of the “Road of Life” - until March 1943 - 1,615 thousand tons of various cargo were delivered to the city by ice (and in the summer on various ships). At the same time, more than 1.3 million Leningraders and wounded soldiers were evacuated from the city on the Neva. To transport petroleum products along the bottom of Lake Ladoga, a pipeline was laid.

Feat of Leningrad

However, the city did not give up. Its residents and leadership then did everything possible to live and continue to fight. Despite the fact that the city was under severe blockade conditions, its industry continued to supply the troops of the Leningrad Front with the necessary weapons and equipment. Exhausted by hunger and seriously ill, workers carried out urgent tasks, repairing ships, tanks and artillery. Employees of the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing preserved the most valuable collection of grain crops. In the winter of 1941, 28 employees of the institute died of starvation, but not a single box of grain was touched.

Leningrad dealt significant blows to the enemy and did not allow the Germans and Finns to act with impunity. In April 1942, Soviet anti-aircraft gunners and aircraft thwarted the German command's operation "Aisstoss" - an attempt to destroy from the air the ships of the Baltic Fleet stationed on the Neva. Counteraction to enemy artillery was constantly improved. The Leningrad Military Council organized a counter-battery fight, which resulted in a significant reduction in the intensity of shelling of the city. In 1943, the number of artillery shells that fell on Leningrad decreased by approximately 7 times.

The unprecedented self-sacrifice of ordinary Leningraders helped them not only defend their beloved city. It showed the whole world where the limits of Nazi Germany and its allies were.

Actions by the leadership of the city on the Neva

Although Leningrad (as in other regions of the USSR during the war) had its own scoundrels among the authorities, the party and military leadership of Leningrad basically remained at the height of the situation. It behaved adequately to the tragic situation and did not at all “get fat,” as some modern researchers claim. In November 1941, the secretary of the city party committee, Zhdanov, established a strictly fixed, reduced food consumption rate for himself and all members of the military council of the Leningrad Front. Moreover, the leadership of the city on the Neva did everything to prevent the consequences of a severe famine. By decision of the Leningrad authorities, additional food was organized for exhausted people in special hospitals and canteens. In Leningrad, 85 orphanages were organized, accepting tens of thousands of children left without parents. In January 1942, a medical hospital for scientists and creative workers began operating at the Astoria Hotel. Since March 1942, the Leningrad City Council allowed residents to plant personal vegetable gardens in their yards and parks. The land for dill, parsley, and vegetables was plowed even near St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Attempts to break the blockade

Despite all the mistakes, miscalculations, and voluntaristic decisions, the Soviet command took maximum measures to break the siege of Leningrad as quickly as possible. Four attempts were made to break the enemy ring. The first - in September 1941; the second - in October 1941; the third - at the beginning of 1942, during a general counter-offensive, which only partially achieved its goals; the fourth - in August-September 1942. The siege of Leningrad was not broken then, but Soviet sacrifices in offensive operations of this period were not in vain. In the summer and autumn of 1942, the enemy failed to transfer any large reserves from near Leningrad to the southern flank of the Eastern Front. Moreover, Hitler sent the command and troops of Manstein’s 11th Army to take the city, which otherwise could have been used in the Caucasus and near Stalingrad. The Sinyavinsk operation of 1942 on the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts was ahead of the German attack. Manstein's divisions intended for the offensive were forced to immediately engage in defensive battles against the attacking Soviet units.

"Nevsky Piglet"

The heaviest battles in 1941-1942. took place on the “Nevsky Piglet” - a narrow strip of land on the left bank of the Neva, 2-4 km wide along the front and only 500-800 meters deep. This bridgehead, which the Soviet command intended to use to break the blockade, was held by Red Army units for about 400 days. A tiny piece of land was at one time almost the only hope for saving the city and became one of the symbols of the heroism of the Soviet soldiers who defended Leningrad. The battles for the Nevsky Piglet claimed, according to some sources, the lives of 50,000 Soviet soldiers.

Operation Spark

And only in January 1943, when the main forces of the Wehrmacht were pulled towards Stalingrad, the blockade was partially broken. The course of the unblocking operation of the Soviet fronts (Operation Iskra) was led by G. Zhukov. On a narrow strip of the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, 8-11 km wide, it was possible to restore land communications with the country. Over the next 17 days, railroads and roads were built along this corridor. January 1943 was a turning point in the Battle of Leningrad.

The final lifting of the siege of Leningrad

The situation in Leningrad improved significantly, but the immediate threat to the city continued to remain. In order to completely eliminate the blockade, it was necessary to push the enemy back beyond the Leningrad region. The idea of ​​such an operation was developed by the Supreme Command Headquarters at the end of 1943. Forces of the Leningrad (General L. Govorov), Volkhov (General K. Meretskov) and 2nd Baltic (General M. Popov) fronts in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega flotillas The Leningrad-Novgorod operation was carried out. Soviet troops went on the offensive on January 14, 1944 and liberated Novgorod on January 20. On January 21, the enemy began to withdraw from the Mga-Tosno area, from the section of the Leningrad-Moscow railway that he had cut.

On January 27, to commemorate the final lifting of the siege of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days, fireworks went off. Army Group North suffered a heavy defeat. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod war, Soviet troops reached the borders of Latvia and Estonia.

The importance of the defense of Leningrad

The defense of Leningrad had enormous military-strategic, political and moral significance. Hitler's command lost the opportunity to most effectively maneuver its strategic reserves and transfer troops to other directions. If the city on the Neva had fallen in 1941, then German troops would have united with the Finns, and most of the troops of the German Army Group North could have been deployed south and struck the central regions of the USSR. In this case, Moscow could not have resisted, and the whole war could have gone according to a completely different scenario. In the deadly meat grinder of the Sinyavinsk operation in 1942, Leningraders saved not only themselves with their feat and indestructible fortitude. Having pinned down the German forces, they provided invaluable assistance to Stalingrad and the entire country!

The feat of the defenders of Leningrad, who defended their city under the most difficult trials, inspired the entire army and country, and earned deep respect and gratitude from the states of the anti-Hitler coalition.

In 1942, the Soviet government established the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad,” which was awarded to about 1.5 million defenders of the city. This medal remains in the memory of the people today as one of the most honorable awards of the Great Patriotic War.

DOCUMENTATION:

I. Nazi plans for the future of Leningrad

1. Already on the third day of the war against the Soviet Union, Germany informed the Finnish leadership of its plans to destroy Leningrad. G. Goering told the Finnish envoy in Berlin that the Finns would receive “also St. Petersburg, which, after all, like Moscow, it is better to destroy.”

2. According to a note made by M. Bormann at a meeting on July 16, 1941, “The Finns are claiming the area around Leningrad, the Fuhrer would like to raze Leningrad to the ground and then hand it over to the Finns.”

3. On September 22, 1941, Hitler’s directive stated: “The Fuhrer has decided to wipe out the city of Leningrad from the face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia, the continued existence of this largest settlement is of no interest. It is planned to surround the city with a tight ring and, through shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombing from the air, raze it to the ground. If, as a result of the situation created in the city, requests for surrender are made, they will be rejected, since the problems associated with the stay of the population in the city and its food supply cannot and should not be solved by us. In this war being waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving even part of the population.”

4. Directive of the German naval headquarters on September 29, 1941: “The Fuhrer has decided to wipe out the city of St. Petersburg from the face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia, there is no interest in the continued existence of this settlement. Finland has also stated that it is not interested in the continued existence of a city directly next to the new border.”

5. Back on September 11, 1941, Finnish President Risto Ryti told the German envoy in Helsinki: “If St. Petersburg no longer exists as a large city, then the Neva would be the best border on the Karelian Isthmus... Leningrad must be liquidated as a large city.”

6. From the testimony of A. Jodl at the Nuremberg trials: During the siege of Leningrad, Field Marshal von Leeb, commander of Army Group North, informed the OKW that streams of civilian refugees from Leningrad were seeking refuge in the German trenches and that he had no way to feed and care for them about them. The Fuhrer immediately gave an order (dated October 7, 1941) not to accept refugees and push them back into enemy territory

II. The myth about the “fatten” leadership of Leningrad

There was information in the media that in besieged Leningrad A.A. Zhdanov allegedly gorged himself on delicacies, which usually included peaches or boucher cakes. The issue of photographs with “rum women” baked in the besieged city in December 1941 is also discussed. The diaries of former party workers in Leningrad are also cited, which say that party workers lived almost like in paradise.

In fact: the photo with the “rum women” was taken by journalist A. Mikhailov. He was a famous photojournalist for TASS. It is obvious that Mikhailov, indeed, received an official order in order to reassure the Soviet people living on the mainland. In the same context, one should consider the appearance in the Soviet press in 1942 of information about the State Prize for the director of the Moscow sparkling wine factory A.M. Frolov-Bagreev, as the developer of the technology for mass production of sparkling wines “Soviet Champagne”; holding skiing and football competitions in the besieged city, etc. Such articles, reports, photographs had one main purpose - to show the population that not everything is so bad, that even in the most severe conditions of blockade or siege we can make confectionery and champagne wines! We will celebrate the victory with our champagne and hold competitions! We hold on and we will win!

Facts about the party leaders of Leningrad:

1. As one of the two waitresses on duty at the Military Council of the Front, A. A. Strakhov, recalled, in the second ten days of November 1941, Zhdanov called her and established a strictly fixed, reduced food consumption rate for all members of the military council (commander M. S. Khozin, himself, A A. Kuznetsov, T.F. Shtykov, N.V. Solovyov): “Now it will be like this...”. “...A little buckwheat porridge, sour cabbage soup, which Uncle Kolya (his personal chef) cooked for him, is the height of all pleasure!..”

2. The operator of the central communications center located in Smolny, M. Kh. Neishtadt: “To be honest, I didn’t see any banquets... Nobody treated the soldiers, and we weren’t offended... But I don’t remember any excesses there. When Zhdanov arrived, the first thing he did was check the food consumption. Accounting was strict. Therefore, all this talk about “belly holidays” is more speculation than truth. Zhdanov was the first secretary of the regional and city party committees, who exercised all political leadership. I remembered him as a person who was quite scrupulous in everything that related to material issues.”

3. When characterizing the nutrition of the party leadership of Leningrad, certain overexposures are often allowed. We are talking, for example, about Ribkovsky’s often quoted diary, where he describes his stay in a party sanatorium in the spring of 1942, describing the food as very good. It should be remembered that in that source we are talking about March 1942, i.e. the period after the launch of the railway line from Voibokalo to Kabona, which is characterized by the end of the food crisis and the return of nutrition levels to acceptable standards. “Supermortality” at this time occurred only due to the consequences of hunger, to combat which the most exhausted Leningraders were sent to special medical institutions (hospitals), created by decision of the City Party Committee and the Military Council of the Leningrad Front at many enterprises, factories, and clinics in winter 1941/1942.

Before taking a job in the city committee in December, Ribkovsky was unemployed and received the smallest “dependency” ration; as a result, he was severely exhausted, so on March 2, 1942, he was sent for seven days to a medical institution for severely exhausted people. The food in this hospital complied with hospital or sanatorium standards in force at that time.

In his diary, Ribkovsky also honestly writes:

“Comrades say that district hospitals are in no way inferior to the City Committee hospital, and at some enterprises there are hospitals that make our hospital pale in comparison.”

4. By decision of the bureau of the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Leningrad City Executive Committee, additional therapeutic nutrition was organized at increased standards not only in special hospitals, but also in 105 city canteens. The hospitals operated from January 1 to May 1, 1942 and served 60 thousand people. Canteens were also established outside enterprises. From April 25 to July 1, 1942, 234 thousand people used them. In January 1942, a hospital for scientists and creative workers began operating at the Astoria Hotel. In the dining room of the House of Scientists, from 200 to 300 people ate in the winter months.

FACTS FROM THE LIFE OF A BLOCKED CITY

During the battle for Leningrad, more people died than England and the United States lost during the entire war.

The attitude of the authorities towards religion has changed. During the blockade, three churches were opened in the city: Prince Vladimir Cathedral, Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedral. In 1942, Easter was very early (March 22, old style). On this day, Easter matins were held in Leningrad churches to the roar of exploding shells and breaking glass.

Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) emphasized in his Easter message that April 5, 1942 marked the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice, in which he defeated the German army.

In the city, despite the blockade, cultural and intellectual life continued. In March, the Musical Comedy of Leningrad gave “Silva”. In the summer of 1942, some educational institutions, theaters and cinemas were opened; There were even several jazz concerts.

During the first concert after the break on August 9, 1942, at the Philharmonic, the orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee under the direction of Karl Eliasberg performed for the first time the famous Leningrad Heroic Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, which became the musical symbol of the blockade.

No major epidemics occurred during the blockade, despite the fact that hygiene in the city was, of course, far below normal levels due to the almost complete absence of running water, sewerage and heating. Of course, the harsh winter of 1941-1942 helped prevent epidemics. At the same time, researchers also point to effective preventive measures taken by the authorities and medical services.

In December 1941, 53 thousand people died in Leningrad, in January 1942 - more than 100 thousand, in February - more than 100 thousand, in March 1942 - about 100,000 people, in May - 50,000 people , in July - 25,000 people, in September - 7,000 people. (Before the war, the usual mortality rate in the city was about 3,000 people per month).

Enormous damage was caused to historical buildings and monuments of Leningrad. It could have been even larger if very effective measures had not been taken to disguise them. The most valuable monuments, for example, the monument and the monument to Lenin at the Finland Station were hidden under sandbags and plywood shields.

By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of May 1, 1945, Leningrad, along with Stalingrad, Sevastopol and Odessa, was named a hero city for the heroism and courage shown by the city's residents during the siege. For mass heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, shown by the defenders of besieged Leningrad, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 8, 1965, the city was awarded the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero City.

January 27 marks the 72nd anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad. Blockade... Almost 900 days of famine, which killed about a million people, cold, bombing and shelling. And at the same time - a terrible and great national feat, constant attempts to break through the enemy ring, tireless hard work in the front city, amazing human selflessness. The readers of the portal are told about how the blockade was broken, about the service of the priesthood and the feat of the believers of the besieged hero city, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Leningrad State University, veteran of the Great Patriotic War Mikhail Ivanovich Frolov and Associate Professor of St. Petersburg State University, Associate Professor of Sretensky Seminary Deacon Vladimir Vasilik.

The siege of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941, on the day of Saints Adrian and Natalia, on the day. Repeated attempts to break through it were crowned with success on Epiphany Eve - January 18, 1943. A land corridor was cut through to the mainland, through which trains with food went, which seriously eased the city’s situation.

However, the enemy was in close proximity and continued to shell Leningrad. The urgent task was to completely liberate the city from the enemy blockade, and it was accomplished in January 1944.

The offensive of the Soviet troops, which went down in history as the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation, began on January 14, 1944. On this day, after attacks by night bombers from long-range aviation and powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army went on the offensive in the direction of Ropsha from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. On January 15, from the Pulkovo Heights, also after strong artillery preparation, the 42nd Army went on the offensive under the command of Colonel General I.I. Maslenkova.

On January 14, after powerful artillery preparation, the troops of the 59th Army of the Volkhov Front went on the offensive. The enemy defenses were broken through, and on January 20 the troops liberated Novgorod. The remnants of the Novgorod German group were destroyed. A number of formations and units were awarded the name Novgorod for this operation.

By the end of January 1944, troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts pushed the enemy back from Leningrad and along the entire front by 65–100 kilometers and reached the defensive line along the Luga River, liberating the cities of Krasnogvardeisk (Gatchina), Pushkin, Slutsk (Pavlovsk), Tosno, Lyuban, Wonderful, Mga.

The troops of the 2nd Baltic Front, which went on the offensive on January 12–14, 1944, liberated the city of Novosokolniki on January 29 and firmly pinned down the 16th German Army and did not allow the German command to strengthen the 18th Army at its expense.

On January 27, 1944, the Military Council of the Leningrad Front broadcast on the radio the long-awaited and joyful news of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the enemy blockade. It was a historic day for Leningrad: the barbaric artillery shelling of the enemy came to an end, the city ceased to be a front.

“Citizens of Leningrad! Courageous and persistent Leningraders! “Together with the troops of the Leningrad Front, you defended our hometown,” the address said. “With your heroic work and steely endurance, overcoming all the difficulties and torments of the blockade, you forged a weapon of victory over the enemy, giving all your strength for victory.”

Leningraders not only waited for this day. They did everything possible to help the front, increasing the production of military equipment and ammunition, bringing the day of lifting the hated blockade closer. Despite the most difficult conditions of the blockade, the pangs of hunger and cold, workers of the Leningrad industry from the beginning of the war until the end of 1943 gave the front 836 new and 1346 repaired tanks, 150 heavy naval guns, more than 4.5 thousand units of land artillery of various calibers, over 12 thousand heavy and light machine guns, more than 200 thousand machine guns, millions of artillery shells and mines, fuses of various types, a large number of walkie-talkies, field telephones, various types of instruments and apparatus. Leningrad shipbuilders completed and built 407 and repaired about 850 ships of various classes. The front city and the arsenal city achieved victory together.

And here we cannot help but say about spiritual weapons - about the prayer of the Orthodox residents of the city for the Victory, about the spiritual life of the besieged clergy and laity. In Leningrad, by the time the blockade began, there were 10 Orthodox churches, mostly cemetery ones, and about 30 clergy. Their average age is 50 years. And yet, they fulfilled their pastoral duty with dignity. Most of them refused to leave, and those who were evacuated (such as Vladyka Simeon (Bychkov)) had previously reached an extreme state of exhaustion.

“I have no right to weaken... I must go, raise the spirit in people, console them in grief, strengthen them, encourage them.”

Divine services in cathedrals and cemetery churches were performed under artillery fire and bombing; for the most part, neither the clergy nor the believers went to shelters, only the air defense posts on duty took their places. Almost worse than the bombs were the cold and hunger. The services were held in bitter cold, and the singers sang in warm clothes. Because of the famine, by the spring of 1942, of the six clergy of the Transfiguration Cathedral, only two remained alive - Protopresbyter P. Fruktovsky and Deacon Lev Egorovsky. And yet, the surviving priests, mostly elderly, despite all the difficulties and trials, continued to serve. This is how Militsa Vladimirovna Dubrovitskaya recalls about her father, Archpriest Vladimir Dubrovitsky, who served in the Prince Vladimir Cathedral: “Throughout the war there was not a day when my father did not go to work. Sometimes he would sway from hunger, I would cry, begging him to stay at home, I was afraid that he would fall and freeze somewhere in a snowdrift, and he would answer: “I have no right to weaken, daughter. We must go, lift people’s spirits, console them in grief, strengthen them, encourage them.” Let us add that Militsa Vladimirovna worked throughout the war in concert front-line brigades, at times on the front line, and the second daughter of Vladimir’s father, Larisa, fought at the front.

“The picture that opened to my eyes stunned me: the temple was surrounded by piles of bodies...”

The consequence of the selfless service of the clergy in besieged Leningrad was an increase in the religiosity of the people. During the terrible winter of the siege, priests performed funeral services for 100–200 people a day. In 1944, funeral services were performed for 48% of the dead. These were terrible services, when often, without any coffins, in front of the priests (and often in front of Vladyka Alexy) lay not even corpses, but parts of human bodies. This is how the rector of the St. Nicholas Bolsheokhtinskaya Church, Archpriest Nikolai Lomakin, testified about such terrible funerals, giving testimony at the Nuremberg trials on February 27, 1946 (the only one on behalf of the Church): “Due to the incredible conditions of the blockade... the number of funerals for the deceased reached an incredible figure - up to several thousand in day. I especially now want to tell the tribunal what I observed on February 7, 1942. A month before this incident, exhausted by hunger and the need to walk long distances from home to the temple and back, I fell ill. My two assistants performed the duties of a priest for me. On February 7, on the day of Parents' Saturday, on the eve of Lent, I came to the temple for the first time since my illness, and the picture that opened to my eyes stunned me: the temple was surrounded by piles of bodies, partially even blocking the entrance to the temple. These piles ranged from 30 to 100 people. They were not only at the entrance, but also around the temple. I witnessed how people, exhausted by hunger, wanting to deliver the dead to the cemetery for burial, could not do this and, exhausted, fell near the ashes of the dead and died immediately. I had to see these pictures very often.”

The clergy took part in digging trenches and organizing air defense, including in besieged Leningrad. Here is just one example: a certificate issued on October 17, 1943 to Archimandrite Vladimir (Kobets) by the Vasileostrovsky district housing administration stated: “He is a member of the self-defense group at home, actively participates in all activities of the defense of Leningrad, is on duty, and participates in extinguishing incendiary bombs.” And this is not all about the contribution of Vladimir’s father to the defense of the city. For him, the main thing was God's service, which supported the faith in victory of so many. This is how he himself recalled it: “I had to serve almost every day, I risked my life under fire, but still tried not to leave the service and to console the suffering people who came to pray to the Lord God... They often brought me on a sleigh to the temple, I did not I could go." At the age of 60, Father Vladimir went to church on Sundays at the Lisiy Nos station; he had to get there under shelling and walk 25 km.

A special and not fully studied page is the participation of the clergy in hostilities.

No one knows how many clergy were on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, how many died. By the early 1940s, many priests were left without parishes and flocks. Like other defenders of the Fatherland, ministers of the Leningrad Metropolitanate took part in the hostilities.

Archpriest Nikolai Sergeevich Alekseev from July 1941 to 1943 was in units of the Soviet Army on the Finnish Front as a private. In 1943 he resumed his priestly service in the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Protodeacon Staropolsky was mobilized into the active Red Army on June 22, 1941. He fought on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War, was awarded the medals “For the Defense of Leningrad”, “For the Victory over Germany”, “For the Capture of Berlin”, “For the Liberation of Prague” and the Order of the Red Banner.

Deacon Ivan Ivanovich Dolginsky was drafted into the navy on the second day of the war. He sailed on tugboats converted into minesweepers, fished for fascist mines in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, and defended Kronstadt. He was shell-shocked, but returned to the ship and was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the medal of Admiral Ushakov.

After the liquidation of the enemy blockade, Leningraders left with their troops to fight the enemy. Among these fighters were the cleric of the temple in the name of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky Stefan Kozlov, the priest of the Tikhvin Church in the village of Romanishino, Luga region Georgy Stepanov.

And yet, the most significant and invaluable was the spiritual work of the clergy, who inspired the believing Leningraders to struggle and feat, to fulfill their personal and civic duty. The sermons of Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) of Leningrad and Novgorod were especially significant and famous. In them he gave amazing examples of the selflessness of believers. One of them is a story about a mother who lost her son and thanked God for the fact that their family served the Fatherland in such a way.

Another amazing story by Bishop Alexy is about a blind young man, a parishioner of St. Nicholas Cathedral, who joined the army

Another striking story from the Bishop is about a blind young man, a parishioner of St. Nicholas Cathedral, who joined the army along with five of his blind comrades and joined a group listening to German broadcasts. Thanks to them, it was possible to detect the noise of German planes long before they approached Leningrad.

The clergy supported their words with deeds, feats, and their active faith. A typical example is that of Archpriest Mikhail Slavnitsky, rector of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, then priest of the St. Nicholas Bolsheokhtinskaya Church. In February 1942, his son died at the front. In May 1942 - daughter Natasha. And yet, Father Mikhail did not despair, but constantly told his parishioners, who expressed sympathy for him: “Everything is from God.”

Archpriest John Goremykin not only preached to his parishioners about the need to defend the Fatherland with arms in hand, but personally sent his son Vasily to the active army, although he had a reservation. Having learned about this, General L.A. personally came to him to thank him. Govorov.

The clergy of besieged Leningrad suffered great losses. We have already mentioned the clergy of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Among the clergy of other churches, we should mention Priest Simeon Verzilov (priest of St. Nicholas Cathedral, died in the spring of 1942 in besieged Leningrad), Archpriest Dimitry Georgievsky (priest of the Church of Demetrius of Thessaloniki in Kolomyagi, died on March 2, 1942 from dystrophy in the besieged city), Priest Nikolai Reshetkin ( priest of the Nikolskaya Bolsheokhtinskaya Church, died in 1943 in besieged Leningrad), priest Alexander Sovetov (priest of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, evacuated to Kostroma, where he died on August 14, 1942 from dystrophy and exacerbation of tuberculosis), priest Evgeny Florovsky (priest of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral , then Nikolo-Bogoyavlensky, died on May 26, 1942 in the besieged city from exhaustion).

Considering that the few churches were overcrowded during services, it can be stated that the priests of besieged Leningrad made a significant contribution to supporting the morale of the defenders of the city and its citizens. And if we take into account the seemingly insignificant forces that the Orthodox Church possessed in Leningrad on the eve of the siege, then the feat of the besieged clergy and believers of the city will become even greater.

And I would like to complete this text with a quote from the Easter sermon of 1942 by Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky):

“The enemy is powerless against our truth and our will to win. Our city is in particularly difficult conditions, but we believe that it will be preserved by the protection of the Mother of God and the heavenly intercession of its patron Saint Alexander Nevsky. Christ is Risen!" .

The siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) began on September 8, 1941. The city was surrounded by German, Finnish and Spanish troops, supported by volunteers from Europe, Italy and North Africa. Leningrad was not ready for a long siege - the city did not have sufficient supplies of food and fuel.

Lake Ladoga remained the only route of communication with Leningrad, but the capacity of this transport route, the famous “Road of Life,” was not enough to satisfy the needs of the city.

Terrible times came in Leningrad - people were dying of hunger and dystrophy, there was no hot water, rats were destroying food supplies and spreading infections, transport was at a standstill, and there was not enough medicine for the sick.

Due to frosty winters, water pipes froze and houses were left without water. There was a catastrophic shortage of fuel. There was no time to bury people - and the corpses lay right on the street.

At the very beginning of the blockade, the Badayevsky warehouses, where the city’s food supplies were stored, burned down. Residents of Leningrad, cut off from the rest of the world by German troops, could only count on a modest ration, consisting of practically nothing but bread, which was issued by ration cards. During the 872 days of the siege, more than a million people died, mostly from starvation.

Attempts to break the blockade were made several times.

In the fall of 1941, the 1st and 2nd Sinyavinsky operations were carried out, but both of them ended in failure and heavy losses. Two more operations were carried out in 1942, but they were also unsuccessful.

At the end of 1942, the military council of the Leningrad Front prepared plans for two offensive operations - Shlisselburg and Uritsk. The first was planned to take place in early December, and its tasks included lifting the blockade and building a railway. The Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge, turned by the enemy into a powerful fortified area, closed the blockade ring from land and separated the two Soviet fronts with a 15-kilometer corridor. During the Uritsk operation it was supposed to restore land communications with the Oranienbaum bridgehead, an area on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland.

In the end, it was decided to abandon the Uritsky operation, and the Shlisselburg operation was renamed by Stalin as Operation Iskra - it was scheduled for early January 1943.

“By joint efforts of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, defeat the enemy grouping in the area of ​​Lipka, Gaitolovo, Moscow Dubrovka, Shlisselburg and, thus, break the siege of the mountains. Leningrad, complete the operation by the end of January 1943,”

In the first half of February 1943, it was planned to prepare and carry out an operation to defeat the enemy in the area of ​​​​the village of Mga and clear the Kirov railway.

Preparation for the operation and training of troops lasted almost a month.

“The operation was going to be difficult... The army troops had to overcome a wide water barrier before contacting the enemy, then break through the strong enemy positional defense, which had been created and improved for about 16 months,” recalled the commander of the 67th Army, Mikhail Dukhanov. “In addition, we had to launch a frontal attack, since the conditions of the situation precluded maneuver. Taking into account all these circumstances, when preparing the operation, we paid a lot of attention to training troops to skillfully and quickly cross a wide water barrier in winter conditions and break through the enemy’s strong defenses.”

In total, more than 300 thousand soldiers, almost 5,000 guns and mortars, more than 600 tanks and 809 aircraft were involved in the operation. On the invaders' side - only about 60 thousand soldiers, 700 guns and mortars, about 50 tanks and self-propelled guns, 200 aircraft.

The start of the operation was postponed until January 12 - the rivers had not yet frozen sufficiently.

Troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts launched counter strikes in the direction of the village of Sinyavino. By evening they had advanced three kilometers towards each other from the east and west. By the end of the next day, despite enemy resistance, the distance between the armies was reduced to 5 km, and a day later - to two.

The enemy hastily transferred troops from other sectors of the front to strong points on the flanks of the breakthrough. Fierce fighting took place on the approaches to Shlisselburg. By the evening of January 15, Soviet troops made their way to the outskirts of the city.

By January 18, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were as close as possible to each other. In the villages near Shlisselburg they attacked the enemy over and over again.

On the morning of January 18, troops of the Leningrad Front stormed Workers' Village No. 5. A rifle division of the Volkhov Front made its way there from the east.

The fighters met. The blockade was broken.

The operation ended on January 30 - a corridor 8-11 km wide was formed along the banks of the Neva, which made it possible to restore Leningrad's land connection with the country.

The siege of Leningrad ended on January 27, 1944 - then the Red Army, with the help of Kronstadt artillery, forced the Nazis to retreat. On that day, fireworks rang out in the city, and all residents left their homes to celebrate the end of the siege. The symbol of victory was the lines of the Soviet poetess Vera Inber: “Glory to you, great city, / Which united the front and rear, / Which / Withstood unprecedented difficulties. Fought. Won".

In the Kirov district of the Leningrad region, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the blockade, it is planned to open a panorama museum. In the first hall of the museum you can watch a video chronicle of attempts to break the blockade by Soviet troops and an animated film about the tragic days of the blockade. In the second hall with an area of ​​500 sq. m. there is a three-dimensional panorama that recreates as accurately as possible an episode of the decisive battle of Operation Iskra on January 13 on the Nevsky Patch near the village of Arbuzovo.

The technical opening of the new pavilion will take place on Thursday, January 18, on the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Leningrad. From January 27, the exhibition will be open to visitors.

On January 18, on Fontanka embankment, 21, the “Candle of Memory” event will take place - at 17:00 candles will be lit here in memory of the victims of the siege.