Background.
One has to search the map of modern Russia for Leningrad, but it does not exist on Russian contemporary maps. During the days of communist rule the city of St. Petersburg had been renamed as Leningrad, in honor of the Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin who had led the Russian revolution in October 1917. After the collapse of communism, the Russian government renamed the city with its original name Petersburg. Never the less I shall use the name Leningrad for the purpose of this article.
In 1938 Hitler signed the non-aggression pact with Russia and the Russian foreign minister Molotov was in Berlin to sign the accord. This was a master stroke by Hitler as in one swift act he had secured his Eastern front and thus could concentrate on defeating France.The peace between Russia and germany was however not destined to be eternal as Hitler had made up his mind of waging war against the Soviet Union. The leader of Russia at that time was Josef Stalin, but he grievously underestimated the German threat. This is difficult to understand now as even a cursory reading of Hitler's " Mien Kampf" would have shown him that Hitler always looked for lands in the East to settle Germans and also for raw materials.
The ice was broken on 22nd June 1941, when 3 German Army groups were ordered to move deep into the Soviet Union. More than 2.5 million men along with guns, tanks and aircraft mounted the greatest invasion in world history, dwarfing even the invasions of Genghis Khan. The Russians under Stalin were caught with their pants down and suffered massive defeats.
The invasion of Russia was also inevitable as both Stalin and Hitler looked to dominate the world and as one knows only one sword fits a scabbard. Stalin represented a warped form of the communist theory of Karl Marx. In classical Marxism, the communist guru had envisaged a " Dictatorship of the Proletariat". Unfortunately Stalin headed a government that in effect was a " Dictatorship of the Communist party". Hitler on the other hand subscribed to a theory of National Socialism, which in effect was a race theory that propagated the superiority of the German people.
Never the less teh seeds of conflict were sown long back. The German armies made swift progress and by end 1941 were deep in Russia and were within hand shaking distance of Moscow. They had also converged on Leningrad and Hitler expected its imminent fall and Capture. Hitler was initially keen for the capture of Leningrad, as the city had a fond association with the Russian revolution.
The Siege
The commander of the German Army group tasked with the capture of Leningrad was Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb. He was part of Army Group North. He made swift initial progress and by 9th August was just 75 miles from Leningrad as he crossed the Luga river. From the north the German allies the Finns also moved in and to Hitler it appeared a matter of time before Leningrad was captured.
The commander of the German force was Field Marshal Von Leeb. He surrounded the city and yet the German assault did not take place. The reason was the changed priority of the Fuhrer, who withdrew large numbers of Panzers from Von Leeb's force to attack in the south and capture the Caucasus oil fields. The Russian commander General Gregory Zhukov also visited Leningrad and beefed up the defences. The Russians prepared for a long siege.
In march 1942, an exasperated Hitler removed Von Leeb. he was replaced by Field Marshal von Kuchler. In the meantime severe fighting continued in the suburbs of Leningrad. Kuchler advocated a tactical withdrawal an counterattack. Hitler i not like the idea and replaced Kuchler with Field Marshal Von Manstein. Yet the Germans could not make headway against stiffened resistance under command of general Meretskov. Areas frequently changed hands, but the Germans were unable to break into Leningrad.
As the Russian and German armies fought on the periphery of the city a harrowing tale of hunger and famine swept the city. It is now estimated that over 1 million russians died of hunger out of a city population of 2.6 million. Yet, the Russians were not ready to throw in the towel.
The only supply line was across the Ladoga river, which was frequently bombed by the German air force. At this time Stalin showed his leadership qualities by holding and taking the salute at a military parade, with the german army at the gates of Moscow. This was a tremendous morale booster and the Russian resistence stiffened.
In september 1942, Meretskov launched an offensive, but Manstein stopped it. Hand to hand fighting continued in the suburbs, but by January 1943, the situation turned better for the Russians. Four Russian armies under Marshal Leonid Govorov mounted an assault and pushed the germans back. The supply position improved and oil and fuel for the city population was transported to Leningrad. The Russians also made the train line operational and despite attacks by the Germans the situation improved radically.
The defeat at Stalingrad had an effect and the Rusians mounted an offensive and broke the German siege. On 27th January 1944 the rail line from Moscow to Leningrad was recaptured by the Russians and the siege was officially declared over. It ha been a tremendous battle of wills and the Russians were the winners
Last Word
The siege of leningrad lasted 907 days and is a tribute to human endurance. It ranks on a par with the long march of Mao tse Tung covering 6000 km when retreating from the Nationalists. The Leningrad siege is an example of the human body can achieve. It brings out the spirit of the Russian people and the ingrained hardy character. It's not something one can associate with Indians who allowed them to be ruled for 900 years by a small coterie of Muslims and Turks. Only if the Hindus had shown similar reliance and courage, they would never have been slaves in their own land.
The siege was also a battle between two formidable dictators Hitler and Stalin and it is recorded that Stalin won. This man is now a much respected figure in Russia as the people yearn for the days when Russia was a great power under Stalin.