Leningrad Siege: Stories of Resilience and Survival

1. Russia’s remote contest of multimedia presentations in foreign languages "Russian Day of Military Glory" Выполнили: студенты 1-го курса «Теплоснабжение и теплотехническое оборудование» ГБПОУ РС(Я) «Якутского коммунально-строительного техникума» Анохова Алёна Вячеславовна и ЧычалаевНурбекОсконбекович Руководитель: преподаватель иностранного языка Кузьминцева Юлия Викторовна

2. Leningrad blockade 8 September,1941 – 27 January,1944

3. Leningrad Siege is the military blockade of Leningrad (now - St. Petersburg) by the German, Finnish and Spanish troops with the participation of volunteers from North Africa, Europe and the naval forces of Italy during World War II. It lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (blockade ring was broken in January 18, 1943).

4. «The first bombing of Leningrad» In September 1941, two months after the beginning of World War II, Nazi troops captured Shlisselburg in the Kirovsky district of Leningrad region. The Germans took control the Neva River’s source and blocked the city from the land. Thus began 872-day siege of Leningrad. Having failed to break the defense of the Soviet troops in the blocked ring, the Germans decided to take the city by starvation. For all the German command calculations, Leningrad was to be razed to the ground, and the city's population was to die of hunger and cold. In an effort to implement the plan, the opponent led a barbaric bombing and shelling of Leningrad: 8 September, the day of the blockade, there was first a massive bombardment of the city. It broke out about 200 fires, one of them destroyed Badaevsky food warehouses. The Luftwaffe committed for several attacks a day in September and October. The aim of the opponent was not only to interfere with the activities of important enterprises, but also to create panic among the population. To do this the intense shelling was carried out during the hours of the beginning and the ending of the working day. About 150 thousand missiles and more than 107 thousand incendiary and high-explosive bombs were released on the city during the blockade period. Too many people were killed in the shelling and bombing, many buildings were destroyed.

5. The belief that the enemy would not be able to capture Leningrad, restrained the pace of evacuation. More than two and a half million people including 400,000 children turned out to be blocked in the city.

6. «Each felt himself a fighter » When the blockade ring isolated, residents began to prepare for a siege. Grocery stores emptied, Leningrad’s citizens removed all their savings, the evacuation of the city started. The Germans began to bomb the city: people had to get used to the constant rumble of anti-aircraft guns, the roar of aircraft, bombings. "Children with adults dragged sand to attics, filled iron barrel with water, laid the shovel ... Everyone felt like a fighter. Basements were to become the bomb shelters, "- says a resident of Leningrad Elena Kolesnikova, who was nine years old at the start of the blockade.

7. «The famine in the days of blockade» It was little of food stocks, people had to use food substitutes. Since the beginning of the introduction of the card system the food rations to the Leningrad population declined repeatedly.

8. In November and December 1941, the worker could be got only 250 grams of bread a day; employees, children and the elderly - only 125 grams. In December 25, 1941 was the first bread ration: 100 grams to workers, and to the rest – 75 grams. Emaciated, exhausted people went to the streets to share their joy. This is a slight increase in rations of bread gave the hope to starving people.

9. Autumn and Winter of 1941-1942 was the most terrible time of the blockade. Early winter brought cold: no heating, no hot. Leningrad people began to burn furniture, books, dismantled wooden houses for firewood. There was not transport. and thousands of people died from cold and dystrophy. But Leningrad continued to work - working administrative offices, printing houses, hospitals, kindergartens, theaters, public libraries, scientists continued to work. 13-14-year-olds children worked, replacing the departed on the front fathers.

10. «Tanya Savicheva’s Diary » Tanya Savicheva was a schoolgirl, who from the very beginning of the Leningrad siege began to keep a diary in a notebook. Almost the whole Tanya Savicheva’s died in the period from December 1941 to May 1942. There were nine pages in her diary , six of which were the dates of the death of her loved ones - mother, grandmother, sister, brother and two uncles. Tanya died in the evacuation. Only her elder sister Nina and brother Michael stayed alive, thanks to which the Tanya’s diary survived.

11. Tanya Savicheva’s Diary became one of the symbols of the Great Patriotic War

12. «The road of life» The road of life is the only transportation route along which the besieged Leningrad across the Lake Ladoga was linked with the country. Transportation on the road of life carried out from 12 September 1941 to March 1943. In the navigation period service performed on tugs with barges and ships, and in the winter the cars went along the ice road.

13. In November 22 the movement of vehicles on the road of life began . In January 1942, traffic on the winter road was constant. The Germans bombed and strafed the road, but they were unable to stop the movement. The evacuation of the population began in winter . Women, children, the sick, the elderly were transported firstly. Totally about one million people were evacuated . In the spring of 1942, when it became a little easier, Leningrad began to clear, to clean up the city. Rates of the bread ration was increased. In summer 1942 a pipeline to supply fuel in Leningrad was laid on the bottom of Lake Ladoga; in the autumn the power cable was laid.

14. «Break the Siege of Leningrad» Soviet troops tried to break through the blockade several times, but they could do it only in January 1943. To the south of Lake Ladoga a corridor with the width of 8-11 kilometers was formed . On the southern shore of Lake Ladoga railway with the length of 33 kilometers and the ferry across the Neva were built in 18 days. In February 1943, trains with food, raw materials, munitions went to Leningrad on it.

15. «Full rescue of Leningrad blockade» The Siege of Leningrad was completely ended during Leningrad - Novgorod operation in 1944. As a result of the powerful Soviet offensive, German troops were driven back from Leningrad at a distance of 60-100 km. January 27, 1944 was the day of the complete rescue of Leningrad from the blockade. Salute was given in Leningrad that day .

16. The Siege of Leningrad lasted almost 900 days. It became the bloodiest blockade in the history of mankind: more than 641 thousand inhabitants were killed by hunger and shelling (according to other sources, at least one million people). The feat of the city’s defenders was greatly appreciated: more than 350 thousand soldiers, officers and generals of the Leningrad Front were awarded with orders and medals, 226 of them were awarded with “the Hero of the Soviet Union” title . About 1.5 million people got the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad“ which was established in December 1942.

17. For courage, resilience and unprecedented heroism in the days of hard struggle against the Nazi invaders, Leningrad was awarded with the Order of Lenin in January 20, 1945; in May 8, 1965 it received the honorary title "Hero City". Federal Law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russian" from March 13, 1995 set January, 27 as The Day of military glory of Russia – The Day of breaking the blockade of Leningrad (1944)