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September 8, 1941, was the beginning of the bloodiest episode of the Second World War: the siege of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by nazi Germany.
In the German offensive against the Soviet Union, Leningrad stood out as a key strategic and symbolic target. Besides being an important city, it was the birthplace of the October Revolution. With a quick onslaught, Hitler’s troops overwhelmed Soviet defenses and reached the outskirts of the city, while Finnish allies attacked from the north. Leningrad was completely cut off.
For the next 872 days, the Red Army and millions of civilians heroically resisted against bombardments, hunger, extreme cold and disease. The “Road of Life,” a dangerous route over the Lake Ladoga ice during the winter months was practically the only route to supply the besieged defenders.
Over a million Soviet soldiers and a million civilians perished in Leningrad. The civilian deaths alone surpassed the total combined losses of the United Kingdom and the United States in the entirety of the war.
In early 1943 the winds started to drastically shift in the Eastern Front after the decisive Soviet victory in Stalingrad. After several failed attempts, the Red Army managed to open a land corridor to supply Leningrad. Nevertheless, the siege would only be broken on January 27, 1944, during the major Leningrad-Novgorod offensive. The Soviet advance was unstoppable and would reach Berlin a year and a half later.
Though there are many other examples, most of them forgotten or twisted by official historiography, Leningrad epitomizes the almost indescribable sacrifices made by the Soviet people to resist and later defeat fascism.
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Redacción: Ricardo Vaz. Ilustración: Óscar Coraspe