On January 18, the blockade was broken. Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad: The troops attacked the Nazis "on the forehead", there were no opportunities for maneuvers. Eternal glory to the fallen heroes - the defenders of Leningrad

January 18 is a special date for Russians and especially for Petersburgers. On this day back in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, the blockade of Leningrad was broken. Despite the fact that the city remained besieged for another year, with the breaking of the blockade, the situation on the entire Leningrad front improved significantly.

On January 27, our country celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the complete liberation by the Soviet troops of the city of Leningrad from the blockade of its Nazi troops.

Millions of soldiers and civilians brought the long-awaited victory closer at the cost of their lives, men, women and even children became a single weapon that was directed against fascism. The centers of partisan resistance, plants and factories, collective farms operated in the territories occupied by the enemy, the Germans failed to break the spirit of the defenders of the Motherland.

A striking example of resilience in the history of the Great Patriotic War was the hero city of Leningrad.

In 1941, Hitler's plan was to deliver a sudden, lightning-fast strike against the areas that the Germans had chosen as priorities. Three army groups before the end of autumn were to capture Leningrad, Moscow and Kyiv. Hitler assessed the capture of these settlements as a victory in the war.

Fascist military analysts planned in this way not only to "decapitate" the Soviet troops, but also to break the morale of the divisions retreating to the rear, to undermine the Soviet ideology. Moscow must be captured after victories in the northern and southern directions. Leningrad, according to Hitler, was the city-symbol of the power of the Soviets, the "cradle of the revolution", which is why it was subject to complete destruction along with the civilian population.

Most of the men went to the front or defended the city, so women and teenagers worked in factories and plants. The city's transport system was destroyed in massive shelling, so people went to work on foot for several kilometers, in a state of extreme exhaustion and in the absence of roads cleared of snow.

Not all of them saw the complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade, but their daily feat brought this moment closer. Water was taken from the Neva and burst pipelines, houses were heated with potbelly stoves, burning the remains of furniture in them, they chewed leather belts and wallpaper pasted with paste, but they lived and resisted the enemy.

The children of besieged Leningrad are the most terrible side of any war. Hundreds of thousands of children died in the occupied city, but the rest participated in the approach of victory along with adults. They stood at the machine tools, collecting shells and cartridges for the front line, were on duty at night on the roofs of houses, neutralizing incendiary bombs that the Nazis dropped on the city, raising the spirit of the soldiers holding the defense. The children of besieged Leningrad became adults at the moment when the war came. Many teenagers fought in the regular units of the Soviet army.

On January 12, 1943, after artillery preparation, which began at 09:30 and lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front delivered a powerful blow from west to east. The offensive was supported by the 2nd shock and 8th armies of the Volkhov Front, ships, coastal artillery and aviation. Despite the stubborn resistance of the enemy, by the end of January 13, the distance between the armies was reduced to 5-6 kilometers, and on January 14 - to two kilometers. The command of the fascist German troops, trying to keep Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5 at any cost, transferred their units from other sectors of the front.

And 6 days later, on January 18, on the outskirts of Workers' Village No. 1 near Shlisselburg, units of the 123rd Infantry Brigade of the Leningrad Front joined with units of the 372nd Division of the Volkhov Front. On the same day, Shlisselburg and the entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga were completely liberated.

By January 18, 1943, about 800 thousand people remained in the city. Around midnight, a message was broadcast on the radio about the breaking of the blockade. The townspeople began to take to the streets, shouting and rejoicing. All Leningrad was decorated with flags. There was hope that the native city would be liberated. And although the blockade ring was completely removed only on January 27, 1944, and as a result of breaking the blockade ring, only a narrow corridor was conquered - a strip of peat swamp, the significance of this day for the future fate of Leningrad can hardly be overestimated.

A corridor pierced along the coast from the Volkhov Front to Shlisselburg, 8-11 kilometers wide, restored the land connection between Leningrad and the country.

On the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, the construction of the Shlisselburg-Polyany railway, 36 km long, began. On February 6, trains went to Leningrad along the new "Road of Life". The first, main step towards the liberation of Leningrad was taken.

Senior educator (officer) of the 9th company cadet colonel of the reserve N.V. Korzhov.

THIS IS FASCISM- GREAT LENINGRAD AFTER THE OCCUPATION…

HEROES -DEFENDERS OF LENINGRAD

THE ENEMY WILL BE DESTROYED - VICTORY WILL BE FOR US!

HERE IT IS, A BLOCKAD PIECE OF "BREAD" 125 GRAMS ...

ALL FOR THE FRONT, ALL FOR VICTORY!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE FALLEN HEROES - DEFENDERS OF LENINGRAD!

January 18, especially for Petersburgers, is a special date. On this day back in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, the blockade of Leningrad was broken. Despite the fact that the city remained besieged for another year, with the breaking of the blockade, the situation on the entire Leningrad front improved significantly. According to the plans of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Soviet troops, with blows from two fronts - Leningrad from the west and Volkhov from the east - were supposed to defeat the enemy grouping holding the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge.

The command of the fronts was entrusted to Lieutenant General L.A. Govorov and Army General K.A. Meretskov. The interaction was coordinated by representatives of the Headquarters - General of the Army G.K. Zhukov and Marshal K.E. Voroshilov. On January 12, 1943, after artillery preparation, which began at 09:30 and lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front delivered a powerful blow from west to east.

The offensive was supported by the 2nd shock and 8th armies of the Volkhov Front, ships, coastal artillery and aviation. Despite the stubborn resistance of the enemy, by the end of January 13, the distance between the armies was reduced to 5-6 kilometers, and on January 14 - to two kilometers. The command of the fascist German troops, trying to keep Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5 at any cost, transferred their units from other sectors of the front. The enemy grouping several times unsuccessfully tried to break through to the south to their main forces.

And 6 days later, on January 18, on the outskirts of Workers' Village No. 1 near Shlisselburg, units of the 123rd Infantry Brigade of the Leningrad Front joined with units of the 372nd Division of the Volkhov Front. On the same day, Shlisselburg and the entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga were completely liberated.

Around midnight, a message was broadcast on the radio about the breaking of the blockade. The townspeople began to take to the streets, shouting and rejoicing. All Leningrad was decorated with flags. There was hope that the native city would be liberated. And although the blockade ring was completely removed only on January 27, 1944, and as a result of breaking the blockade ring, only a narrow corridor was conquered - a strip of peat swamp, the significance of this day for the future fate of Leningrad can hardly be overestimated. A corridor pierced along the coast from the Volkhov Front to Shlisselburg, 8-11 kilometers wide, restored the land connection between Leningrad and the country. On the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, the construction of the Shlisselburg-Polyany railway, 36 km long, began. On February 6, trains went to Leningrad along the new "Road of Life". The first, main step towards the liberation of Leningrad was taken.

”, which became a turning point in the entire battle for Leningrad. From January 11 to 18, the authors of the project told in detail the known and forgotten details of the operation, and also informed readers about thematic events held during this period in the region.

January 18, 1943. BREAKTHROUGH!

At 9:30 a.m., after a decisive attack that allowed the 123rd Rifle Brigade to capture Workers' Settlement No. 1, the soldiers of the Leningrad Front saw the figures of the Volkhovites behind the snowy veil.

The advanced group of Leningraders greeted their people with a conventional sign - raising the machine gun with their right hand above the shoulder.

Victory! Review?

Death to fascism!

Blockade broken! The soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts rushed to hug each other. In his memoirs, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov described this moment as follows: “I saw with what joy the soldiers of the fronts that broke through the blockade rushed towards each other. Ignoring the artillery shelling of the enemy from the side of the Sinyavin Heights, the soldiers fraternally hugged each other tightly. It was a truly painstaking joy!”

At the meeting place of the fronts, an act was drawn up, which is now stored in the Central Military Archive.

The second meeting with the Volkhovians took place near Workers' Settlement No. 5, which was attacked by the 136th division. Leningraders shook hands with the soldiers of the 18th Rifle Division of the Volkhov Front already at 11.45.

At this time, units of the 34th Ski Brigade, having beaten off German counterattacks, reached the Staraya Ladoga Canal. By 4 p.m. Shlisselburg was completely liberated from the Nazis.

The city radio broadcast about the breaking of the blockade of Leningrad closer to midnight. The joy of the people knew no bounds. Leningraders took to the streets, rejoiced and thanked the fighters who broke the enemy ring.

On the narrow breakthrough strip, which was from 8 to 11 kilometers, work began to boil. In an extremely short time, a railway line was laid that connected Leningrad with the Volkhov railway junction. It was called Victory Road. A motor road began to function along the shore of Lake Ladoga. The Road of Life continued to work.

On the morning of February 7, Leningraders met the first train that came from the mainland. The breakthrough made it possible to significantly improve the supply of the city with food and essential goods, the industry began to receive raw materials and fuel. Leningrad immediately responded to the front - in February, the production of weapons increased rapidly. This improved the position of the troops fighting in the northwestern direction.

The successful completion of Operation Iskra was a turning point in the entire battle for Leningrad. And although there were still a long 840 days before the final defeat of fascist Germany, the soldiers, military leaders and all people had a stronger faith that the enemy would be defeated! Victory will be ours!

Only according to official reports from the fronts, more than 33 thousand soldiers gave their lives for breaking the blockade. The memory of their heroic deed is kept in the hearts of contemporaries and descendants. We live on the holy land of Leningrad, generously watered with the blood of the Red Army soldiers, who at the cost of their lives won freedom and a peaceful sky for us.

January 18, 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Rubezhny Stone memorial on Nevsky Piglet, as well as examine the new diorama "Breakthrough".

AT Kirovsky district at the memorial complex "Sinyavinsky Heights" at 12.00 a solemn rally "On the verge of immortality" will be held, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad.

AT Kirovsk on Krasnoflotskaya Street, a flower-laying ceremony will take place at the monument to fallen soldiers.

AT Shlisselburg a city rally dedicated to the liberation of Shlisselburg from fascist invaders will be held at the mass grave.

In Vsevolozhsk on the Road of Life, flowers will be laid at the memorials "Oak and Laurel", "The Old Section of the "Road of Life", the Mound of Memory "No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!", "Broken Ring", the monument "Legendary lorry".

secondary school students Boksitogorsky district they will visit the Fraternal Cemetery, where soldiers who died of wounds in hospitals in the region are buried, an obelisk to those killed by fascist air raids, a monument to the ZIS-105 car and the Road of Life stele.

In the town Volkhov(Kommunarov st., Glory Square) at 12.00 a commemorative action “And the saved world remembers!” Dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Leningrad will take place.

In the village Vinnytsia, Podporozhye district in the branch "Veps Center of Folklore" (ul. Sovetskaya, 68) at 14.00 they will conduct a tour on the topic "Such different defenders of Leningrad" with a short film about the siege of Leningrad.

At 11.00 am Priozersk a youth action "Olive Ribbon" will be held at the Fraternal Military Graveyard.

AT Sosnovy Bor the exhibition "Blockade Diaries" (50 Afanasyev Street, City Museum) will open. This is a story about the establishment and lifting of the blockade of Leningrad, the life of Leningraders in the besieged city. The exhibition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough and the 74th anniversary of the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad.

AT Tikhvin in the House of Culture there will be a rally "And the saved world remembers" and the laying of wreaths and flowers at the monument to Leningraders who died of starvation and disease in Tikhvin during the evacuation in 1941-1943, and the monument to Leningrad children who died during the bombing of Tikhvin station on October 14, 1941 .

For the command of the Wehrmacht, the capture of the city on the Neva was not only of great military and strategic importance. In addition to capturing the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland and destroying the Baltic Fleet, far-reaching propaganda goals were also pursued. The fall of the cradle of the Revolution would have caused irreparable moral damage to the entire Soviet people and would have significantly undermined the fighting spirit of the armed forces. The command of the Red Army had an alternative: withdraw the troops and surrender the city without a fight. In this case, the fate of the inhabitants would be even more tragic. Hitler intended to wipe the city off the face of the earth in the literal sense of the word.

Leningrad was finally surrounded by German and Finnish troops on September 8, 1941. The blockade of Leningrad lasted 872 days. In addition to military formations of the army and navy, more than three million people were under siege - Leningraders and refugees from the Baltic states and neighboring regions. Leningrad during the blockade lost more than 600 thousand civilians, of which only three percent died from bombing and shelling, the rest died from exhaustion and disease. More than one and a half million people were evacuated.

Attempts to break the blockade in 1942

Even in the most difficult days of the war, attempts were made to break the encirclement. In January 1942, the Soviet army launched an offensive to connect the besieged city with the ‘‘Greater Land’’ near the village of Lyubtsy. The next attempt was made in August - October in the direction of the village of Sinyavino and Mga station. These operations to break the blockade of Leningrad were unsuccessful. Although the Sinyavino offensive failed, the Wehrmacht's next plans to capture the city were thwarted by this maneuver.

Strategic background

The defeat of the Nazi grouping of troops on the Volga radically changed the alignment of strategic forces in favor of the Soviet army. Under the current conditions, the High Command decided to carry out an operation to unblock the northern capital. The operational event involving the forces of the Leningrad, Volkhov fronts, the Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga flotilla received the code name ‘‘Iskra’’. The liberation of Leningrad from the blockade, although partial, was made possible thanks to serious miscalculations by the German command. Hitler's headquarters underestimated the importance of the accumulation of reserves. After fierce fighting in the Moscow direction and the south of the country, two tank divisions and a significant part of the infantry formations were withdrawn from the Army Group North to partially compensate for the losses of the central grouping. By the beginning of 1943, near Leningrad, the invaders did not have large mechanized formations to counter a possible offensive by the Soviet army.

Rate plans

Operation Iskra was conceived in the autumn of 1942. At the end of November, the headquarters of the Leningrad Front suggested that the Stavka prepare a new offensive and break through the enemy ring in two directions: Shlisselburg and Uritsky. The Supreme High Command decided to focus on one, the shortest, in the Sinyavino-Schlisselburg area.

On November 22, the command presented a plan for the counter actions of the concentrated forces of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. The operation was approved, the preparation was given no more than a month. It was very important to carry out the planned offensive in the winter: in the spring the swampy places became impassable. Due to the beginning of the thaw at the end of December, the breakthrough of the blockade was postponed for ten days. The code name for the operation was proposed by IV Stalin. Half a century ago, V. I. Ulyanov, creating the press organ of the Bolshevik Party, called the newspaper "Iskra" with the intent that the spark would ignite the flame of revolution. Stalin thus drew an analogy, assuming that an operational offensive maneuver would develop into a significant strategic success. General leadership was entrusted to Marshal K. E. Voroshilov. Marshal G.K. Zhukov was sent to coordinate actions on the Volkhov Front.

Preparation of the offensive

During December, the troops were intensively preparing for battle. All units were 100% staffed with personnel and equipment, up to 5 sets of ammunition for each piece of heavy weapons were accumulated. Leningrad during the blockade was able to provide the front with all the necessary military equipment and small arms. And for the tailoring of uniforms, not only specialized enterprises were involved, but also citizens who had sewing machines for personal use. In the rear, sappers reinforced existing bridge crossings and erected new ones. About 50 kilometers of roads were laid to ensure the approach to the Neva.

Particular attention was paid to the training of fighters: they had to be taught to fight in the winter in the forest and attack a fortified area equipped with strongholds and long-term firing points. In the rear of each formation, training grounds were arranged, simulating the conditions of the areas of the proposed offensive. To break through engineering, special assault groups were created. Walkways were built. All commanders, up to and including company commanders, were provided with updated maps and photographic diagrams. The regrouping was carried out exclusively at night or in non-flying weather. The activities of front-line reconnaissance were intensified. The location of enemy defensive objects was precisely established. Staff games were arranged for the commanding staff. The final phase was to conduct exercises with live firing. The camouflage measures, the dissemination of disinformation, as well as the strictest observance of secrecy, have borne fruit. The enemy learned about the planned offensive in just a few days. The Germans did not manage to further strengthen the dangerous directions.

balance of power

The formations of the Leningrad Front as part of the 42nd, 55th, 67th armies held the defense of the city from the inner southeastern side of the ring on the Uritsk-Kolpino line, the right-bank territories of the Neva - to Ladoga. The 23rd Army conducted defensive operations from the northern side on the Karelian Isthmus. The military aviation forces consisted of the 13th Air Army. The breakthrough of the blockade was provided by 222 tanks and 37 armored vehicles. The front was commanded by Lieutenant General L. A. Govorov. The infantry units were supported from the air by the 14th Air Army. 217 tanks were concentrated in this direction. General of the Army K. A. Meretskov commanded the Volkhov Front. In the direction of the breakthrough, using reserves and applying a regrouping of forces, it was possible to achieve superiority in manpower by four and a half times, artillery - seven times, tanks - ten times, aviation - twice. The density of guns and mortars from the side of Leningrad was up to 146 units per 1 km of the front. Also, the offensive was supported by the artillery of the ships of the Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga Flotilla (88 guns with a caliber from 100 to 406 mm) and naval aircraft.

On the Volkhov direction, the density of guns ranged from 101 to 356 units per kilometer. The total strength of the strike force on both sides reached 303,000 soldiers and officers. The enemy besieged the city with twenty-six divisions of the 18th Army (Army Group "North") and a formation of four Finnish divisions in the north. Our troops, breaking through the blockade, had to attack the heavily fortified Shlisselburg-Sinyavino region, which was defended by five divisions, which had seven hundred guns and mortars.The Wehrmacht group was commanded by General G. Lindemann.

Battle on the Shlisselburg ledge

On the night of January 11-12, aviation of the Volkhov Front and the 13th Air Army of the Leningrad Front carried out a massive bombing strike against predetermined targets in the planned breakthrough area. On January 12, at half past nine in the morning, artillery preparation began. The shelling of enemy positions lasted two hours and ten minutes. Half an hour before the start of the attack, attack aircraft raided the fortified defenses and artillery batteries of the Germans. At 11.00, the 67th Army from the Neva and units of the second shock and eighth armies of the Volkhov Front launched an offensive. The infantry attack was supported by artillery fire with the formation of a fire shaft one kilometer deep. The Wehrmacht troops fiercely resisted, the Soviet infantry advanced slowly and unevenly.

For two days of fighting, the distance between the advancing groups was reduced to two kilometers. Only six days later, the advancing formations of the Soviet army managed to unite in the area of ​​workers' settlements No. 1 and No. 5. On January 18, the city of Shlisselburg (Petrokrepost) was liberated and the entire territory adjacent to the Ladoga coast was cleared of the enemy. The width of the land corridor in different sections was from 8 to 10 kilometers. On the day of the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad, a reliable land connection between the city and the mainland was restored. The joint grouping of the 2nd and 67th armies tried unsuccessfully to build on the success of the offensive and expand the bridgehead to the south. The Germans were pulling up reserves. From January 19, within ten days, five divisions and a large amount of artillery were transferred to dangerous areas by the German command. The offensive in the Sinyavino area bogged down. In order to hold the conquered lines, the troops went on the defensive. A positional war began. The official end date for the operation is January 30th.

The results of the offensive

As a result of the offensive carried out by the Soviet troops, units of the Wehrmacht army were driven back from the shore of Ladoga, but the city itself still remained in the frontline zone. The breaking of the blockade during Operation Iskra showed the maturity of the military thought of the highest command personnel. The defeat of an enemy grouping in a heavily fortified area by a coordinated joint strike from the outside and from the outside became a precedent in the domestic military art. The armed forces have gained serious experience in conducting offensive operations in wooded areas in winter conditions. Overcoming the enemy's layered defensive system showed the need for thorough planning of artillery fire, as well as the operational movement of units during the battle.

Side losses

The casualty figures testify to how bloody the battles were. The 67th and 13th armies of the Leningrad Front lost 41.2 thousand people killed and wounded, including irretrievable losses amounted to 12.4 thousand people. The Volkhov Front lost 73.9 and 21.5 thousand people, respectively. Seven enemy divisions were destroyed. The losses of the Germans amounted to more than 30 thousand people, irretrievable - 13 thousand people. In addition, about four hundred guns and mortars, 178 machine guns, 5,000 rifles, a large amount of ammunition, and one and a half hundred vehicles were taken as trophies by the Soviet army. Two of the newest heavy tanks T-VI "Tiger" were captured.

big win

Operation ''Spark'' to break the blockade achieved the desired results. Within seventeen days, along the shore of Lake Ladoga, a highway and a thirty-three-kilometer railway line were laid. On February 7, the first train arrived in Leningrad. A stable supply of the city and military units was restored, and the supply of electricity increased. The water supply has been restored. The situation of the civilian population, industrial enterprises, formations of the front and the Baltic Fleet has significantly improved. Subsequently, more than eight hundred thousand civilians were evacuated from Leningrad to the rear areas.

The liberation of Leningrad from the blockade in January 1943 was a key moment in the defense of the city. The Soviet troops in this direction finally seized the strategic initiative. The danger of the connection of German and Finnish troops was eliminated. January 18 - the day the blockade of Leningrad was broken - the critical period of the city's isolation ended. The successful completion of the operation was of great ideological significance for the people of the country. Not the largest battle of the Second World War attracted the attention of the political elite overseas. US President T. Roosevelt congratulated the Soviet leadership on military success, and sent a letter to the residents of the city, in which he recognized the greatness of the feat, their unbending stamina and courage.

Museum of Breaking the Siege of Leningrad

All along the line of confrontation, memorials were erected in memory of the tragic and heroic events of those years. In 1985, in the Kirovsky district of the region near the village of Maryino, it was opened. It was in this place on January 12, 1943 that units of the 67th Army crossed the Neva on ice and broke through the enemy defenses. The diorama "Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad" is an artistic canvas measuring 40 by 8 meters. The canvas depicts the events of the attack on the German defenses. In front of the canvas, the subject plan, 4 to 8 meters deep, recreates three-dimensional images of fortified positions, communication channels, and military equipment.

The unity of the composition of the pictorial canvas and volumetric design creates a stunning effect of presence. There is a monument "Breakthrough of the blockade" on the very site. The monument is a T-34 tank mounted on a pedestal. The combat vehicle seems to be rushing to connect with the troops of the Volkhov Front. The open area in front of the museum also exhibits military equipment.

The final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad. 1944

The complete lifting of the siege of the city took place only a year later as a result of a large-scale Leningrad-Novgorod operation. The troops of the Volkhov, Baltic and Leningrad fronts defeated the main forces of the 18th army of the Wehrmacht. January 27 became the official day of lifting the almost 900-day blockade. And 1943 was recorded in the historiography of the Great Patriotic War as the year of breaking the blockade of Leningrad.

January 18 is a special date for Russians and especially for Petersburgers. On this day back in 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
Despite the fact that the city remained besieged for another year, with the breaking of the blockade, the situation on the entire Leningrad front improved significantly.

Training

Scouts of the Leningrad Front

Almost a month was allotted for the preparation of the operation, during which the troops launched a comprehensive preparation for the upcoming offensive. Particular attention was paid to the organization of interaction between strike groups, for which the command and staffs of the two fronts coordinated their plans, established lines of demarcation and worked out interactions, holding a series of military games based on the real situation.

Operation Spark

According to the plans of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Soviet troops, with blows from two fronts - Leningrad from the west and Volkhov from the east - were supposed to defeat the enemy group holding the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge.

The command of the fronts was entrusted to Lieutenant General L.A. Govorov and Army General K.A. Meretskov. The interaction was coordinated by representatives of the Stavka - General of the Army G.K. Zhukov and Marshal K.E. Voroshilov. On January 12, 1943, after artillery preparation, which began at 09:30 and lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front delivered a powerful blow from west to east.

Soviet soldiers on the attack near Leningrad during the beginning of the blockade

The offensive was supported by the 2nd shock and 8th armies of the Volkhov Front, ships, coastal artillery and aviation. Despite the stubborn resistance of the enemy, by the end of January 13, the distance between the armies was reduced to 5-6 kilometers, and on January 14 - to two kilometers. The command of the fascist German troops, trying to keep Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5 at any cost, transferred their units from other sectors of the front.

The enemy grouping several times unsuccessfully tried to break through to the south to their main forces. And 6 days later, on January 18, on the outskirts of Workers' Village No. 1 near Shlisselburg, units of the 123rd Infantry Brigade of the Leningrad Front joined with units of the 372nd Division of the Volkhov Front. On the same day, Shlisselburg and the entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga were completely liberated.

By January 18, 1943, about 800 thousand people remained in the city. Around midnight, a message was broadcast on the radio about the breaking of the blockade. The townspeople began to take to the streets, shouting and rejoicing. All Leningrad was decorated with flags. There was hope that the native city would be liberated. And although the blockade ring was completely removed only, and as a result of breaking the blockade ring, only a narrow corridor was recaptured - a strip of peat swamp, the significance of this day for the future fate of Leningrad can hardly be overestimated.

During the offensive operation of the Soviet troops, after fierce battles, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts united in the area of ​​Workers' settlements No. 1 and 5. Shlisselburg was liberated on the same day. The entire southern coast of Lake Ladoga has been cleared of the enemy. A corridor 8-11 kilometers wide, cut along the coast, restored the land connection between Leningrad and the country. For seventeen days, automobile and railway (the so-called "Victory Road") roads were laid along the coast.

Reite, red flags,
Over the free Neva,
Hello full of courage
Battle Leningrad!

The blockade of Leningrad lasted almost 900 days. It was finally removed in the winter of 1944, after the successful First Stalinist strike, which opened the scoring for a series of offensive operations of the Red Army.

Museum Diorama "Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad"

A few kilometers from the Nevsky Piglet, on the left-bank ramp of the Ladoga Bridge, there is a museum-diorama "Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad", opened in May 1985. In front of the diorama are tanks raised from the bottom of the Neva and restored. The exposition is slowly expanding, the white KV-1 appeared on the site this year, on the anniversary of the lifting of the blockade. According to the museum aunts, two witnesses of those battles survived at this place - two old lime trees crippled by shells. All other trees around were planted after the war. Here is one of them - right by the bridge, with a broken top.
The main exposition of the museum - a diorama - is dedicated to the operation "Iskra" in January 1943. Its size is impressive - 40x8 meters. Which shows the battles of the operation.

The painting, 40 x 8 m in size, tells about the seven-day battles of Operation Iskra in January 1943. A grandiose panorama of the battle opens up from the observation deck. A close-up shows the crossing of the Neva by units of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front under the command of General L.V. Govorov. From the east, towards the Leningraders, the troops of the Volkhov Front under the command of General K. A. Meretskov are making their way. On January 12, 1943, with a counterattack, the troops of our two fronts broke through the Nazi defenses on the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge, defeated the enemy grouping, and on January 18, 1943, met in the 1st and 5th Workers' settlements. In the liberated territory in the breakthrough zone, the Polyany-Schlisselburg railway with a bridge across the Neva was laid in 18 days. Called by the people "Road Victory", it made it possible to accumulate forces for the complete liberation of the Leningrad land from the Nazi invaders in January 1944.

Reconstruction of the breakthrough of the blockade

On the recreated battlefield, a complete picture of the fighting: tanks, aircraft and infantry. For the sake of a memorable date, reenactors from all over Russia, as well as from Poland, Estonia and even Brazil, came to St. Petersburg.

For reconstruction, almost the same place was chosen where the battles took place in 1943. The reenactors used exact copies of historical military equipment, including T-60 tanks. The most important moment of the operation was the reunification of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, as a result of which the Nazi troops themselves found themselves in the ring.

Poems dedicated to breaking the blockade

Reite, red flags! (January 18, 1943) A. Prokofiev


Here the brothers met
The sky became alley.
Is there a stronger hug
Is there a brighter joy?
Knows a beautiful city
What's on the formidable path
Better than our brotherhood
We can't find it anywhere.
Here the storm raged

Here poured for love
Noble, scarlet
And sacred blood.
Reite, red flags,
Over the free Neva,
Hello full of courage
Battle Leningrad!

Three Minute Feast (Breakthrough of the blockade) Sergey Narovchatov

Three more volleys on the bastards!
And at eleven forty
We burst in first of the Volkhovites
To the burning First Village.
From the other end, past the shaky walls,
Crucified by fire in the wind,
People eh, fascists eh through the dark darkness
In smoky camouflage gowns.
To battle! But a spark of unexpected meetings
A word flashed in the distance.
All brighter and wider Russian speech
It flares up towards us!
And where the defeated pillbox froze -
At least put a monument over them, -
St. Petersburg Volkhovets shakes hands,
They kiss. Don't separate!
It was worth not cherishing life,
Risking again and again
So that not we, so others could survive
Until this big day.
And right on the street flasks with straps
We tear off and in the bright morning
For our victory, for the memory of it
At the holiday we drink three minutes.
We kiss again. Time does not wait.
Having built battle formations,
Forever inseparable, together on a hike
Until the last breath and shot.
I knew the holidays of summer and winter -
Only touch the memory.
On the mines of the golden Kolyma
I drank blue fire.
I honored the customs of Kabarda,
I remember the festivities of the Urals,
From all over Ferghana I drank on "you"
At the construction site of the Grand Canal.
I went towards cheerful speeches,
Wherever you wander around the world,
But I have not met a better festival,
Than a three-minute it.

Photo blockade breakthrough

Photo Breaking the blockade of Leningrad

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