[Pen & Sword Books Ltd]
Kategoria: Książki / Literatura obcojęzyczna
The Siege of Leningrad was one of the most brutal battles
of the Second World War. The second largest and most populous city
in the Soviet Union, Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, was
one...
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The Siege of Leningrad was one of the most brutal battles of the
Second World War. The second largest and most populous city in the
Soviet Union, Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, was one of the three
priority targets of the German invasion, Operation Barbarossa.A
total of 333 large military factories were concentrated in
Leningrad and, accordingly, 565,000 workers lived there, producing
tanks, aircraft, artillery and warships. On 10 July 1941, German
tank divisions, having broken through the front south of the city
of Pskov, reached the town of Luga. From there, Hitler's forces had
just over 110 miles to go to Leningrad.Meanwhile, the city was
feverishly preparing for defence. Stalin's deputies, Zhdanov and
Voroshilov, planned to use the entire combat-ready population of
Leningrad for that purpose. Believing that the city would soon be
captured by the Germans, Stalin ordered the immediate evacuation of
military factories and skilled workers from Leningrad to the
East.Before the city was completely blockaded, most of the valuable
equipment had been removed. However, the remaining civilian
population, including about 400,000 children, were left to their
fate. In early September 1941, German divisions supported by the
Luftwaffe's VIII Fliegerkorps, captured the town of
Shlisselburg.Leningrad was now cut off from the rest of the Soviet
Union. Hitler believed that the city would soon echo to the sound
of German jackboots. Leningrad, however, did not give up.In the
autumn of 1941, the Wehrmacht did not have enough forces to take
the city and for three long years the main means of fighting its
defenders were the Luftwaffe and long-range artillery. In September
1941, when the systematic bombing and shelling began, many
thousands of families tried to leave Leningrad, but nearly all of
the escape routes were cut off. Food supplies in the city sharply
decreased.In this book the authors explore the full story of the
German and Soviet aerial battles in the Leningrad sector during the
siege. There are devastating details of the bombing of the starving
population, numerous attempts by the Luftwaffe to destroy the Red
Baltic Fleet, and air attacks against the Road of Life', along
which vital food and ammunition were delivered to the city, and
combats in the skies over Leningrad and its surroundings. Revealing
what was happening in the air and on the ground, as well as in the
German and Russian headquarters, the authors explain why, in spite
of numerous successes, the Luftwaffe failed to help force the
surrender of Leningrad.
