How long did the Siege of Leningrad last?
The Siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days, from September 1941 to January 1944. The land encirclement began on the 8th of September 1941, and the siege was not fully lifted until the 27th of January 1944.
Questions about Siege of Leningrad
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How many people died during the Siege of Leningrad?
An estimated 1.5 million people died during the Siege of Leningrad. Military historian David M. Glantz placed combined military and civilian deaths at between 1.6 and two million, a figure he noted was six times greater than total American losses across the entirety of World War II.
What was the Road of Life during the Siege of Leningrad?
The Road of Life was a supply route across the southern part of Lake Ladoga that served as Leningrad's only connection to the outside world during the siege. In summer it operated by boat; in winter, vehicles drove directly over the frozen lake. The ice road became operational for the first time on the 20th of November 1941.
Why did Hitler decide to besiege Leningrad rather than capture it?
Hitler intended to destroy Leningrad entirely rather than occupy it. A German High Command directive of the 21st of September 1941 explicitly ruled out occupation because it would make Germany responsible for feeding the population. The plan was to starve the city, demolish it afterward, and hand the territory north of the Neva River to Finland.
Was the Siege of Leningrad classified as a war crime or genocide?
The siege was ruled not criminal by the judges at the postwar High Command trial, which found that cutting off food supplies was legally permissible under the laws of war at the time. In the 21st century, historians including Timo Vihavainen and Nikita Lomagin have classified it as genocide. On the 18th of March 2024, Russia's foreign ministry formally described it as such in a statement to Germany.
What was the bread ration in Leningrad during the worst period of the siege?
From November 1941 to February 1942, civilians received 125 grams of bread per day, of which 50 to 60 percent consisted of sawdust and other inedible additives. Deaths from starvation peaked in January and February 1942 at approximately 100,000 per month.