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Leningrad, 1941-1943

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Leningrad, 1941-1943 LENINGRAD THE 900-DAY SIEGE LENINgrAD, 1941-1943 Hitler hated Leningrad. It was the birthplace of Bolshevism. More than any other Russian city, he wanted it destroyed. Here, Steve Roberts tells the story of the Second World War’s greatest and most terrible siege through the experiences of ten participants – two German, six Russian, and two Finnish. lamy Images A Photo: 14 MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY 014-020_MHM39_Leningradv2_SC.indd 14 December 2013 31/10/2013 16:49 Below The city’s inhabitants clear away ruins and extinguish fires after Nazi bombardments at the siege of Leningrad, 1943. Above Operation Barbarossa and the German attack on Leningrad. The map shows the NAZIS tightening of the German vice around Leningrad. Ritter failed. He allowed his exhausted and von Leeb over-extended forces to adopt defensive Hitler chose positions. He had lost 190,000 men killed von Leeb for or wounded to get this far, and 500 guns command of and 700 tanks had been lost. Soviet Army Group casualties were even heavier. North’s assault With a siege under way, von Leeb on Leningrad because he was credited showed his callousness by issuing orders with having broken the supposedly for his artillery to fire on any fleeing impregnable Maginot Line. Hitler wanted civilians. This was to spare his infantry the same done to the Stalin Line in Russia having to deal with Russian citizens – the main obstacle before Leningrad. at close quarters. ‘It is the task of the A great believer in speed, von Leeb artillery to deal with such a situation advanced 900km, breached the Stalin and as far away from our own lines as Line, and surrounded Leningrad possible, preferably by firing on the within three months. ‘Don’t stop civilians at an early stage.’ This was for anything. Never let the enemy in accordance with Hitler’s edict that consolidate, once he has been thrown Leningrad would not be allowed to back,’ he told his soldiers. surrender and that anyone trying to Von Leeb then requested escape would be shot. reinforcements, as debate raged as to On the Eastern Front, the close of whether Leningrad or Moscow was the 1941 was a turning-point. Leningrad was primary objective. On 5 September 1941 encircled but not taken and the Germans Hitler decreed that if Leningrad were not had also pulled up short of Moscow. With captured in ten days, troops would be the onset of winter, there was no choice redeployed to Moscow. This was a crucial other than to dig in. Hitler was furious. moment for the city: the Germans would After an angry meeting with him on never again have sufficient firepower to 13 January 1942, von Leeb asked to be launch an all-out assault. relieved of command. But by 24 September, with his troops After the war von Leeb got off lightly: © WIPL, otherwise unless stated only 15km from the Winter Palace, it he was sentenced to only three years in photos: was clear that von Leeb’s assault had prison at Nuremberg. All www.military-history.org MILITARYHISTORYMONTHLY 15 014-020_MHM39_Leningradv2_SC.indd 15 31/10/2013 16:50 LENINGRAD Left The Commissar Order in action. The Nazis ordered that all captured Communist Party officials were to be summarily shot. Below Russia’s vast distances and the speed of the German advance in the summer and autumn of 1941 left the invaders exhausted and over-extended. CommUNists Kliment Voroshilov On the 11 July 1941 Voroshilov took over command of the North- Western Front, becoming responsible for Leningrad’s defence. His approach was flawed from the start, since he insisted on defending the Luga Line in an effort to stop the German advance as far from the city as possible. Other options were not considered. Within a week Voroshilov had hundreds of thousands of civilians, Georg von mostly women and teenagers, working Küchler on this defensive line, which was already On 17 January within German artillery range. 1942 von Leeb Voroshilov then made a fateful decision. was replaced A rail convoy of food was heading towards by Georg von the city, but, perhaps concerned about Küchler, a solid negative impressions, Voroshilov turned and methodical commander, but also a it away. The effect was to condemn fervent Nazi and hater of Communists. hundreds of thousands to death. The error He launched the Luftwaffe’s biggest was compounded when Voroshilov failed air raid on 5 April against the Baltic to act on warnings to disperse existing Fleet, which was supporting the city with food stocks throughout the city: Luftwaffe heavy artillery fire, but was also frozen-up bombs then destroyed the Badaev food in the Baltic ice and very vulnerable. A warehouses. Stalin summoned Voroshilov battleship, three cruisers, and a destroyer to Moscow for a ‘carpeting’ – which he was were put out of action. lucky to survive. Von Küchler reiterated the invading Voroshilov gambled on defending army’s infamous Commissar Order a line south-west of the city, but the which declared that all Communist Germans outflanked this as they poured Party officials were to be shot. He also On 30 November 1943 von Küchler in from the south. His response was to circulated the Reichenau Order, which stated that the civilian population in the order the formation of Home Guard stated that ‘feeding native inhabitants occupied zone east of the Panther Line was battalions on 20 August, including from army kitchens is a misguided to be evacuated and he was not fussed how women and teenagers ‘armed with humanitarian act’. it was done. ‘No consideration will be given hunting guns, home-made explosives, On the ground Soviet counter-attacks to preserving the unity of families. No and sabres and daggers from aimed at battering German supply-lines horse-drawn transport will be provided.’ Leningrad’s museums’. It was like trying only resulted in the destruction of the 2nd In spite of being in command for two to stop a tank with a peashooter. Shock Army. On 30 June a delighted Hitler years, von Küchler was unable to take the By the end of August, Stalin was promoted von Küchler to field marshal. city. In 1944 he was approached about sufficiently concerned to send in agents As the time approached for the joining the July plot to assassinate Hitler, to spy on his commander’s operations. Russians to throw the Germans back but declined. It was the same month that The Russian dictator was left in no doubt from Leningrad, von Küchler became von Küchler’s Panther Line was broken. about the chaos. Crucial matters such as aware of the massive enemy build-up. But After the war von Küchler was sentenced artillery defence and the evacuation of he was powerless to prevent it. He prepared to 20 years for maltreatment of Soviet civilians and industry had been neglected. to fall back to positions 150 miles to the partisans, but was released after eight on There was no doubting Voroshilov’s west, known as the Panther Line. compassionate grounds. foolhardiness. On the 8 September he had 16 MILITARYHISTORYMONTHLY December 2013 014-020_MHM39_Leningradv2_SC.indd 16 31/10/2013 16:51 TIMELINE The siege of Leningrad Elena found walking the city ever more 1940 difficult. ‘I would stop and want to rest, but I knew it was too dangerous. If I did, 19 December Risto Ryti becomes President of Finland I might never get up.’ She fainted several 1941 times a day with starvation sickness. When Elena felt she might give up, she 6 June The Commissar Order turned to self-portraiture as a way of 22 June Germany invades the Soviet Union galvanising herself. By February 1942, cannibalism was 29 June Construction of Luga Line fortifications ever-present. ‘It had become dangerous begins, together with evacuation of to make a journey through the city,’ women and children Elena said. ‘It was becoming increasingly 11 July Voroshilov appointed commander difficult to trust others.’ She continued of North-Western Front, taking over to sketch, including gaunt figures in the Leningrad’s defences library. ‘Some of them died in their places, with a book propped up in front of them.’ 14 July Reinhardt’s Panzers establish a Above A Russian armoured train heads for the front With the threat of infection, a bridgehead on the far side of the Luga in the early days of the campaign. clear-up of the streets was ordered in River, opening the gates to Leningrad March. ‘Anyone who was able to walk 19 July First attack on Leningrad by Army Group signed orders to scuttle the Baltic Fleet, or even crawl got outside and began North stopped 100km south of city including all its valuable guns. On his last working.’ For Elena this collective effort 27 July Hitler visits Army Group North and day in command, 11 September, he turned was the turning-point for the city. orders von Leeb to take Leningrad up at the front-line waving a pistol about, For years Elena was forced to hide her by December encouraging his men to fight. On the sketchbook from the NKVD, the Stalinist same day he was summarily dismissed. secret police, her work being viewed as too 31 July Finns attack the Soviet 23rd Army On Stalin’s death in 1953 Voroshilov ‘pessimistic’. In 1991, however, she received at Karelian Isthmus would become Chairman of the an invitation from a leading gallery to 8 August Von Leeb begins attack on Luga Line Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. exhibit her work. The gallery was in Berlin. 15/16 August Manstein turns the Soviet position at Elena Martilla Georgy Lake Ilmen, allowing a German advance Young Elena Zhukov on Leningrad from the south-east Martilla, a On 11 18 August Lychkovo train massacre: the Luftwaffe talented portrait September bombs a trainload of child evacuees artist, swapped Zhukov was from Leningrad easel for other flown in on tools as she Stalin’s orders 21 August Hitler orders the encirclement of helped on the city’s defences and in its to take over the defence of the city.
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