Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days — from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944 — making it the longest siege of a major city in the history of modern warfare. German and Finnish forces cut the city off from land supply, and the 3.5 million inhabitants endured famine, shelling, and temperatures of -40°C. During the winter of 1941-42, daily rations for civilians fell to 125 grams of bread; approximately 800,000 civilians — nearly a quarter of the pre-war population — died of hunger and cold in that winter alone. A partial supply route — the 'Road of Life' across the frozen Lake Ladoga — prevented complete starvation. The city never fell, a resistance of extraordinary determination symbolised in Shostakovich's Seventh 'Leningrad' Symphony, completed during the siege. The Soviet 'Operation Spark' broke the blockade in January 1943, and the full raising of the siege in January 1944 cost one million Soviet military casualties. The Leningrad siege was the costliest in history and stands as one of the defining acts of Soviet endurance in the 'Great Patriotic War.'
- Year: 1941 CE
- Category: Military
