Siege of Leningrad
The 872-day blockade of Leningrad by Germany and Finland, the most destructive siege in history.
The Siege of Leningrad was a military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 to 1944. Leningrad, the country's second largest city, was besieged by Germany and Finland for 872 days, but never captured. The siege was the most destructive in history and possibly the most deadly, causing an estimated 1.5 million deaths, from a prewar population of 3.2 million. It was not classified as a war crime at the time, but since then, some historians have classified it as a genocide due to the intentional destruction of the city and the systematic starvation of its civilian population.
- start_date
- 8 September 1941
- end_date
- 27 January 1944
- duration
- 872 days
- location
- Leningrad, Soviet Union (present-day Saint Petersburg)
- estimated_deaths
- 1.5 million
- prewar_population
- 3.2 million
- type
- Military blockade
Lore & Background
In August 1941, Germany's Army Group North reached the suburbs of Leningrad as Finnish forces moved to encircle the city from the north. Land routes from Leningrad to the rest of the Soviet Union were cut on 8 September 1941, beginning the siege. The Germans decided to bomb the city and starve its inhabitants rather than attempt to capture it; many residents starved during the winter of 1941–1942. Supplies were delivered to the city by air, by ship over Lake Ladoga, or over the Road of Life, a highway built on the lake when it was frozen. A Red Army offensive opened a narrow land corridor to Leningrad on 18 January 1943, but the siege was not fully broken until 27 January 1944. Finnish participation in the siege mainly consisted of a recapture of lands lost in the Winter War.
Reader's Guide
The capture of Leningrad was one of three strategic goals of the German Operation Barbarossa. Army Group North under Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb advanced to Leningrad. Finnish military forces were north of Leningrad, while German forces occupied territories to the south. Both German and Finnish forces had the goal of encircling Leningrad and maintaining the siege perimeter. The Germans planned on lack of food being their chief weapon against the citizens. Leningrad's civilian population was mobilized for construction of fortifications. The last rail connection to Leningrad was cut on 30 August 1941. The siege began on 8 September 1941. The expected surrender did not materialize. The siege was not fully broken until 27 January 1944.
Did You Know?
- The siege lasted 872 days.
- An estimated 1.5 million people died from a prewar population of 3.2 million.
- The Road of Life was a highway built on frozen Lake Ladoga to deliver supplies.
- Hitler intended to utterly destroy Leningrad along with its population.
- Finnish participation mainly consisted of recapturing lands lost in the Winter War.
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