On January 27, the Day of Military Glory of Russia is celebrated - the day of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade in 1944.
The siege of Leningrad is one of the most tragic pages of the Great Patriotic War. It was conducted by German troops from September 8, 1941 and was completed on January 27, 1944. The German command attached great strategic and political importance to the capture of the city. For almost 900 days, communication with Leningrad was maintained only by Ladoga Lake and by air. The enemy conducted continuous bombing and artillery attacks on the city, and made numerous attempts to capture it. During the siege of Leningrad, over 641,000 people died from starvation and shelling, according to other sources, at least one million people.
Soviet troops repeatedly tried to break through the blockade ring, but partially achieved this only in January 1943. It was a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga military flotilla. The goal was to restore the land communications connecting the city with the country. The offensive took place on the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge between the city of Mga and Lake Ladoga. The Germans turned this "patch" into a powerful field fortified area, where they concentrated up to five fully equipped divisions and four divisions in the operational reserve. For a breakthrough in this direction, the Soviet command created two powerful strike groups, which with counter strikes broke through the enemy's defenses and formed a corridor 8-11 kilometers wide along the shore of Lake Ladoga,having restored the land connection of Leningrad with the country. The further offensive of the Soviet troops to the south did not develop, but the breakthrough of the blockade became a turning point in the battle for Leningrad.
The final defeat of the Nazi troops near Leningrad and the complete lifting of the blockade of the city took place later, during the Leningrad-Novgorod operation from January 14 to March 1, 1944. It was led by the troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic Fronts together with the Baltic Fleet. By striking the flanks of the German 18th Army near Leningrad and Novgorod, Soviet troops defeated its main forces. Then, during the offensive, they defeated the 16th Army and liberated Novgorod, Pushkin, Krasnogvardeysk, Tosno. The October railway, which linked Moscow with Leningrad, was cleared of the Nazis.
On January 27, 1944, the blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days, was finally broken. On this day, an artillery salute and fireworks were given in the city - the only exception during the Great Patriotic War: other salutes were made in Moscow. Tens of thousands of city residents took to the streets, squares and embankments of the Neva. The fireworks began at 20 o'clock. 24 volleys from 324 artillery pieces were fired, accompanied by fireworks and anti-aircraft searchlights.
And Army Group North, which held the city in a blockade, suffered a difficult situation and was driven back from Leningrad by 220-280 kilometers. Three divisions were completely destroyed, 23 were defeated. Soviet troops reached the borders of Latvia and Estonia.
The defense of Leningrad was of great military-strategic, political and moral importance. The Hitlerite command lost the ability to effectively maneuver strategic reserves and move troops to other areas. If the city on the Neva had fallen in 1941, the German troops would have united with the Finns. And the main part of the German army group "North" could turn in a southerly direction to strike at the central regions of the USSR. In this case, Moscow could not resist, and the war would go according to a different scenario. In the monstrous meat grinder of the Sinyavinskaya operation, the Leningraders saved not only themselves by their feat and unprecedented stamina. Having chained the German forces, they provided invaluable assistance to Stalingrad and the whole country, inspired the army, aroused deep respect and gratitude from the states of the anti-Hitler coalition.
The soldiers and residents of Leningrad defended the city. Hundreds of thousands of those who fought for him were awarded government awards, 486 received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, eight of them twice.
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On December 22, 1942, the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was instituted, which was awarded to about 1.5 million people. It remains in the people's memory as one of the most honorable awards of the Great Patriotic War.
On January 26, 1945, the city itself was awarded the Order of Lenin. On May 1, 1945, Leningrad became a hero city, and on May 8, 1965, he was awarded the Gold Star medal.
The memorial ensembles of the Piskarevsky and Seraphimsky cemeteries are dedicated to the memory of the victims of the blockade and the dead participants in the defense of Leningrad; the Green Belt of Glory was created around the city along the former blockade ring of the front.
As for our city, today 96 residents of besieged Leningrad and 15 participants in its defense live in Ulyanovsk. On the Day of Military Glory, representatives of municipal administrations and Councils of Veterans will congratulate them at home. Each district will host thematic book and photo exhibitions, class hours, mourning lines. The meetings will be held with the invitation of veterans, military personnel, "children of war".
Victor Nikitin