1. Блокада Ленинграда (8 сентября 1941 – 27 января 1944 года)

of 1941 Hitler was planning to conquer the USSR in two months. The key city in the northern direction was Leningrad. 150 km from the city of Leningrad by the town of Luga the Nazis were stopped by the Soviet troops because Russian resistance was fierce. Initially, the city was to be taken immediately but the Germans relied on the expectation that the besieged city would surrender. Hitler decided to raze Leningrad to the ground with the help of aviation.

when the Germans reached the Neva River. On 8 September, the road to the besieged city was severed when the Germans reached Lake Ladoga at Shlisselburg, leaving just a corridor of land between Lake Ladoga and Leningrad which remained unoccupied by axis forces. Bombing on 8 September caused 178 fires. On 21 September, German High Command considered the options of how to destroy Leningrad. Simply occupying the city was ruled out "because it would make us responsible for food supply". The resolution was to lay the city under siege and bombardment, starving its population. On 7 October, Hitler sent a further directive signed by Alfred Jodl reminding Army Group North not to accept capitulation.

died from cold, bombardments and starvation. Civilians in the city suffered from extreme starvation, especially in the winter of 1941–1942. For example, from November 1941 to February 1942 the only food available to the citizen was 125 grams of bread, of which 50–60% consisted of sawdust and other inedible admixtures, and distributed through ration cards. In conditions of extreme temperatures and city transport being out of service, even a distance of a few kilometers to a food distributing kiosk created an insurmountable obstacle for many citizens. In January–February 1942, about 700–1,000 citizens died every day, most of them from hunger.

Iskra. After fierce battles the Red Army units overcame the powerful German fortifications to the south of Lake Ladoga, and on 18 January 1943 the Volkhov Front's 372nd Rifle Division met troops of the 123rd Rifle Brigade of the Leningrad Front, opening a 10–12 km (6.2–7.5 mi) wide land corridor, which could provide some relief to the besieged population of Leningrad.

to the city on 18 January 1943, the siege was finally lifted on 27 January 1944, 872 days after it began. It was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. The total number of human losses during the 29 months of the siege of Leningrad is estimated as 1.5 million, both civilian and military.

blockade in Leningrad. She worked at the radio, encouraging hungry and depressed citizens of the city by her speeches and poems. Olga Fyodorovna Bergholz was a Soviet poet and the symbol of strength and determination of Leningrad.

and Germany in 1941, Shostakovich initially remained in Leningrad. He tried to enlist for the military but was turned away because of his poor eyesight. To compensate, Shostakovich became a volunteer for the Leningrad Conservatory’s firefighter brigade and delivered a radio broadcast to the Soviet people. Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Russian composer and pianist, and a prominent figure of 20th-century music. The greatest and most famous wartime contribution was the Seventh Symphony. It was officially claimed as a representation of the people of Leningrad’s brave resistance to the German invaders.