The Battle of Leningrad [Битва за Ленинград]

Description

An impressive large-format map depicting the siege of Leningrad and its ultimate breaking by a Soviet offensive in 1944. The sheet is divided into four, with the left half depicting the initial German offensive in 1941 and the Soviet efforts to hold the perimeter of the city. A small inset at top-left depicts naval operations during the 900 day siege.

At right are three maps. The one at top-left is a representation of Operation Iskra in 1943, which opened a land corridor to the besieged city. Prior to the operation’s success, supplies had to be ferried across the frozen Lake Ladoga in wintertime or brought by some other difficult and dangerous means. The map at top-right depicts the ‘urban front,’ that is, the system of defenses built throughout the city to repel any attempted assault. Finally, the map at bottom covers the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive launched in January 1944, which succeeded in breaking the siege.

The siege of Leningrad was one of the most difficult trials faced by civilians during the Second World War. After encountering stiff resistance, the Germans decided to besiege the city in order to focus on Moscow in late 1941. Leningrad’s resistance to the fascist invaders was a rallying cry for the entire Soviet Union, immortalized in propaganda posters and even Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, which was completed by the composer while living in the besieged city (where he also worked as a volunteer firefighter). Though the city was never taken, its civilian population suffered horribly from famine, disease, bombardment, and other hardships.