On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the complete lifting of the siege of Leningrad, the Russian Ministry of Defense opened a historical and educational section on its website, “Leningrad survived and won!”, which contains unique archival documents. They contain descriptions of military operations, orders and combat reports of Red Army soldiers, maps with plans of the Soviet command and award lists for the city’s defenders.

Let us recall that the blockade of Leningrad by Nazi troops began on September 8, 1941, when the Wehrmacht captured Shlisselburg. After this, the city was supplied only by air and Lake Ladoga. Despite heroic efforts to supply Leningrad with food and weapons, the inhabitants and the Red Army garrison suffered from food and ammunition shortages.

The blockade lasted 872 days. All this time the city was constantly under fire. More than 500 thousand people became victims of hunger and bombing.

Operation Iskra, carried out in January 1943, is considered the first serious success of the Red Army. At the cost of heavy losses, Soviet soldiers were able to drive the enemy out of several populated areas, thus creating a land corridor for supplying Leningrad.

  • Offensive on the Volkhov Front

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

However, it took more than a year for complete liberation: during the Leningrad-Novgorod operation (January 14 - March 1, 1944), the Nazis were thrown back 220-280 km from the city.

“The Leningrad-Novgorod operation became one of ten so-called “Stalinist strikes,” which are a series of sequentially carried out strategic offensive operations in 1944, connected by a single plan,” reports the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"Northern Wall"

In the section “Leningrad survived and won!” A document was published containing a brief description of the operation to lift the siege of Leningrad. It says that the Red Army offensive began with a breakthrough of the Wehrmacht's unusually powerful defense system in depth, known as the Northern Wall. This system was a defense with a large number of wood-earth and reinforced concrete structures. The depth of the invaders' defense reached 260 km.

“The strengthening of the enemy’s defense was facilitated by the terrain of the Leningrad region and the topography of the enemy’s occupied lines. Most of the territory of the Leningrad region consists of continuous swampy forested areas, movement through which is possible only on roads,” the document says.

In addition, the advance of the Red Army was hampered by ridges of heights in front of the Leningrad Front. The features of the relief allowed the Germans to actually dominate the bridgehead, which was occupied by Soviet troops. The density of enemy firing points per 1 km of defense reached 12-15 units.

Aviation played a great role in the destruction of enemy fortifications. The report on the combat work of the 13th Air Army for January 1944 states that the Soviet command paid close attention to the accuracy of bombing and issues of interaction between pilots and ground forces.

“Since the German defense in the breakthrough areas was a well-developed system of trenches with long-term powerful structures and resistance centers, aviation was required to exclusively accurately defeat the listed objects, as well as a clear organization of interaction at the point of impact and time with ground troops, artillery and tanks.” , the document says.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, one of the most difficult tasks of the preparatory measures to break through the Wehrmacht’s defenses was the creation of strike groups near Leningrad. In particular, the Soviet command needed to concentrate a sufficient number of troops on the Oranienbaum bridgehead, where the 2nd Shock Army was stationed.

  • Baltic Fleet Action Map

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

To transport people, equipment and other cargo, ships of the Baltic Fleet (BF) were used, sailing from the Leningrad berths and the port of Lisiy Nos to Oranienbaum. During transportation, masking measures were strictly observed.  

“The loading took place in the complete absence of lighting. Loaded barges and ships were moved away from the piers, new, still empty ships were put in their place, and work continued almost without interruption... All ships that arrived at the port, and sometimes up to ten of them came at night, had to be unloaded before dawn leave the port, otherwise risking being exposed to enemy artillery fire,” says the report on the Baltic Fleet’s operation to support the offensive of Soviet troops in the period from January 14 to January 21, 1944.

In total, from December 22, 1943 to January 3, 1944, Baltic Fleet sailors secretly transported more than 53 thousand soldiers, 1,294 wagons of various cargo, and over 1.3 thousand guns and mortars to the Oranienbaum bridgehead.

  • Report to the Military Council of the Leningrad Front

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The BF report and other documents devoted to this logistics operation emphasize that it was carried out completely unnoticed by the enemy. Thus, the final report No. 1 of the artillery headquarters of the Leningrad Front for January 1944 speaks of the brilliant work of Soviet soldiers in transferring and concentrating artillery in breakthrough areas.

According to the document, 85% of the artillery pieces were allocated to the 42nd Army. This formation had to overcome the most difficult section of the enemy’s defense, moving towards the troops on the Oranienbaum bridgehead.

“In front of the front of the 42nd Army, the enemy had a powerful line of engineering and defensive structures and a strong artillery and mortar grouping - hence (for this reason. -

RT

) 3/4 of the entire howitzer and 3/5 of the entire cannon were concentrated on the front of the 42nd Army front artillery,” noted in the final report No. 1.

"Rapid advancement"

The operation to finally lift the blockade of Leningrad began with actions to encircle the Peterhof-Strelninsky group of the Wehrmacht. On January 14, 1944, troops on the Oranienbaum bridgehead made passages through minefields and carried out powerful artillery preparation. The next day, units of the 42nd Army advanced from the Pulkovo line.

“The offensive of the 2nd Shock Army after breaking the first defensive line was characterized by rapid advance using flanking maneuvers. The offensive of the 42nd Army, due to the powerful defense in depth of the enemy, had the character of stubbornly gnawing through the first and subsequent lines and storming individual firing points and strongholds,” says the description of the military operations of the Leningrad Front troops to destroy the Peterhof-Strelninsky enemy group.

  • Description of the military operations of the troops of the Leningrad Front to destroy the Peterhof-Strelninsky group of the Wehrmacht

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The encirclement of a concentration of enemy troops was carried out on January 19, 1944. By the end of January, the Red Army pushed the Nazis back from the city 60-100 km. Thus ended the first stage of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation.

Advancement was greatly hampered by thaws, fogs and snowstorms. However, despite difficult weather conditions, attack aircraft successfully accompanied tanks and infantry. The captured Germans were also amazed at the rapid pace of the Red Army's advance.

“It’s amazing how the Russian infantry could move directly behind the explosions of their artillery shells. This requires great skill. Russian infantry is a great force, Russian artillery is a terrible force. When the Russian infantry appeared, many soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered,” says the testimony of the German soldier Kurt Tuss, published in the bulletin of the 7th department of the political department of the Volkhov Front.

In the section “Leningrad survived and won!” Several award sheets have been posted for heroes of the complete liberation of the city from the Nazi threat. At the very beginning of the offensive, the Red Army soldier Ivan Kulikov performed a sacrificial feat.

  • Award list of Ivan Kulikov

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Soviet soldier was one of the first to break into enemy trenches and personally destroy 18 fascists. Later, on January 18, 1944, at the Black River, the path of Kulikov’s company was blocked by a German bunker. But the unit did not have the means to destroy it, so Guard Private Kulikov closed the embrasure of the enemy fortification with his body.

“Comrade Kulikov, with a skillful detour, rushed forward to the bunker, began to fire point-blank at the embrasure and with his body closed the bunker embrasure, thereby ensuring the success of the company,” says the award sheet for awarding the private the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Sergeant Timofey Fedorov also showed military valor in battles against the invaders. At the cost of his life, the Red Army soldier immobilized the German self-propelled artillery gun "Ferdinand".

  • Award list of Timofey Fedorov

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

“Sergeant Fedorov, sacrificing his life, personally crawled to within throwing distance of “Ferdinand” and rushed into a duel against “Ferdinand.” Having planted a mine on the road and prepared a bunch of grenades, taking advantage of the opportunity, he threw it onto the track and chained the Ferdinand to one place. Sergeant Fedorov himself died from the explosion,” according to the sergeant’s award sheet.

In a commentary to RT, the scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), Mikhail Myagkov, said that the battle for Leningrad became an example of perseverance, heroism, courage, and the unshakable spirit of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. According to the expert, the Red Army was able to defeat the enemy’s colossal army.

“In the ranks of Hitler’s troops stationed near Leningrad there were Swedish, Norwegian, Belgian, French SS men, and there was the Spanish “Blue Division”. It was virtually the entire EU under the Nazi swastika of that time. They all dreamed of conquering the city on the Neva. But Leningrad is not Paris. He did not surrender to the mercy of the winner, he stood and won,” Myagkov said.

As the expert stated, during the offensive the Red Army was able to break through the most powerful defensive lines of the Wehrmacht.

“The enemy consistently strengthened the defenses near Leningrad and brought a large number of people, equipment and weapons to the city. However, the Red Army was able to break through the enemy defenses and drove the Germans back to the Baltic states. The lifting of the blockade was an epochal event in the history of our country and the whole world. In honor of the liberation of Leningrad on January 27, 1944, a fireworks display was given in the city. This is the only case during the Second World War when the fireworks were not in Moscow,” Myagkov said.

In a conversation with RT, the executive secretary of the Association of Historians of the Union State, Dmitry Surzhik, noted that the residents of Leningrad and the soldiers of the Red Army paid a huge price defending and liberating their native land.

“The Battle of Leningrad is, first of all, a story of countless human tragedies, a story of self-sacrifice and military valor. The residents and garrison of Leningrad went through the most difficult trials, which we and future generations have no right to forget,” the expert concluded.