Siege of Leningrad, 1941-1944

[Medvedya]

But the citizens of the city never gave up hope for a moment - I once met some veterans and I asked them; "Did you think you were going to make it when the trams started working again?" and their answer was; "Oh - we always believed we going to make it."

A very, very, special type of people who can think like that.

 

[B-17engineer]

Wow that is real determination

 

[Medvedya]

Here is the Defence of Leningrad Medal - http://www.anythinganywhere.com/commerce/military/ussr-def-len-t1-2.jpg

It was awarded to all soldiers, sailors and civilians involved in the defence of the city, and who fought in the terrible battles in the countryside just outside.

Nevsky Pyatachok - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's only just now that trees are begining to grow around there again, because the earth was so contaminated with explosive.

 

[B-17engineer]

Thats a lot of explosives

 

[Medvedya]

And all the helmets, gas masks, bullets, rifles, mortars - it's all still there. I know someone who once went out camping on the Neva Bridgehead as a kid with a friend of his.

First thing they did was set up a campfire right? Well, they forgot to dig a fire pit first, and unknowingly had their fire right above an unexploded mortar shell just below the earth.

Which went off - killed the friend outright, and the guy I know was lucky to only have a chunk of his leg taken out by it.

He is now a battlefield archeologist with one of the official historical clubs in Pieter.

 

[B-17engineer]

Omg thats really scary....so basically the other friend was a casualty of WWII

 

[JugBR]

ramirez, a question for you:

is right say "siege of leningrad" ? since the city wasnt absolutely under siege by germans, because finish didnt advanced to close the circle around leningrad.

 

[B-17engineer]

The Eastern Front Index


Here's a good site about battles on the eastern front

 

[Medvedya]

ramirez, a question for you:

is right say "siege of leningrad" ? since the city wasnt absolutely under siege by germans, because finish didnt advanced to close the circle around leningrad.

Of course Leningrad was under siege. The Finnish Army was in the Karelian Isthmus in the North, and Petrozavodsk in the North East, Lake Ladoga was due East, the Baltic was to the West, and the Germans had occupied all of the southern coast of Ladoga, including the towns of Schlisselburg and Mga.


http://www.ido.edu.ru/ffec/hist/images/H_4.jpg

Look! Big lake in the way!

 

[parsifal]

I dont think many of us have much concept of the true horror of this battle. I have read stories of the depths that the Russians had to descend, just to stay alive. Stories of eating rats, even cutting up dead people, just to keep starvation at bay. People driven to trying to eat grass and straw.

The efforts of the Russians to keep the "Ice Road" open are also amazing.

The Germans maintain that several weeks after the start of the war, the Germans had the opportunity to take the city by Coup De Main. Not sure about that, but it is the conventional wisdom.

Have a few photos of VVS units in the Leningrad sector, will post them tomorrow.

 

[Medvedya]

I heard a story where some workmen went down into the sewers and they were attacked by the rats, who were as much starving as the rest of the city.

Two of the workmen got out just in time, but the third was caught by the rat swarm....

Possibly one of the nastiest ways to go in my reckoning.

 

[Freebird]

But the citizens of the city never gave up hope for a moment - I once met some veterans and I asked them; "Did you think you were going to make it when the trams started working again?" and their answer was; "Oh - we always believed we going to make it."

A very, very, special type of people who can think like that.

What I've wondered, why didn't they try to evacuate more civilians? Especially the children elderrly, they wouldn't be much use in the defence, and would just use up rations. There must have been lots of space on trucks exiting Leningrad over the ice road, as after delivering their supplies, they would have to return empty. { or perhaps with wounded}

 

[RabidAlien]

Possibly because Stalin saw the general population as just another hinderance to the Nazi advance? Leaving civilians in the city, they would always have to be on the lookout for partisans, spies, saboteurs....not to mention the burden of having to feed the "captured" population. Evacuated, Stalin himself would have to assume the responsibility for feeding, clothing, and sheltering them (to a certain extent....Russia itself would have to look after their welfare). My guess is that Stalin viewed them as expendable, squishy speedbumps to be tossed in front of the Nazi war machine.

 

[Messy1]

I have heard that Hitler was so fanatical about Stalingrad, that he tried to take command and give block by block orders? Anyone have any info on this?

 

[parsifal]

Stalin would not allow an evacuation of the city, because it would make the troops fight harder, or so he believed

 

[Ferdinand Foch]

Wait, Pb and tim, I think your thinking of 900 Days by Harrison Salisbury, not Cornelius Ryan. I have a copy, just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Story of my life.

As for the civilians, that sounds just like something Stalin would do. I cannot even fathom on what the Russian people went through during those 900 days. I think this is something that you have to experience personally in order to fully understand it. Well, here's my two cents.