The Siege and Battle for Leningrad during the Second World War were events of enormous significance, yet they are often overlooked in the history of the conflict. This was a microcosm of the War on the Eastern Front, an epic clash that had far-reaching implications for both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

In September 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, with the primary objective of capturing Leningrad, which was situated in the north. Hitler's strategy was to clear his Baltic flank and link up with Finnish troops, downplaying the importance of Moscow despite the objections of his army commanders. Army Group North's goal was to encircle, blockade, starve and ultimately destroy and level the city.

For the Soviet Union, the Battle for Leningrad was as much a victory for the Soviet People as it was for the Red Army. However, the reality of the situation was that the German Army's siege of Leningrad was not militarily decisive towards the war's outcome. However, the Battle was a pivotal point for Soviet victory following the failed German offensive at Kursk in August 1943.

Hitler recognized the strategic importance of Leningrad and, on 5 April 1942, ordered its capture. However, the city proved to be a challenging target. The Germans had to divert troops from Army Group Center, based in Moscow, to bolster the siege effort outside of Leningrad. This, in turn, created a weakness in Army Group Center's strength and made it more vulnerable to attack by the Soviets.

For Hitler, the destruction of Leningrad symbolized the end of Bolshevism. He believed that Bolshevism and the Jews would undermine his nationalist goals. Hitler's hatred of Bolshevism clouded his military judgment, and he chose to go after economic targets and resources in the south and west, instead of the key military target of Moscow, which was the preferred target of his generals. Hitler detested the idea of Slavdom on the Baltic seacoast, which had once been a domain of the Teutonic Knights and the Hanseatic League. Leningrad was a cradle of revolutionary communism, and Hitler perceived Stalin's Bolshevik ideology as the main threat to western civilization—enemy number one.

If Hitler had succeeded in capturing Leningrad, he would have gained control of the Soviet Union's major arms manufactories, shipyards, and steelworks. He would have linked his armies with Finland's and cut the railway lines carrying Allied aid from the Arctic ports of Archangel and Murmansk. Failure to capture Leningrad proved to be a considerable hindrance to Germany's need for additional troops. This impeded the strength of Army Group Center and Army Group South in the Ukraine. Troops from Army Group Center were redeployed northward to bolster the siege effort, turning it into a defensive action to keep the Soviet army at bay.

Top: Leningrad, Soviet Union, 13 January 1942: Citizens going through the procedure of fetching water for 'leather soup.' Public Domain, click to enlarge.

Center: A citizen or possibly a Red Army soldier stops to look at one of the many corpses of the starved and dead on the city streets of Leningrad. Public Domain, click to enlarge.

Bottom: Weak and starving horses struggle to pull meager supplies across the frozen Lake Ladoga to the besieged city of Leningrad. The frozen lake was the only avenue of help for surviving citizens of the dying city.

The devastating siege of Leningrad during World War II is a harrowing historical event that claimed the lives of nearly one million citizens within the city and an estimated 1.6 to 2.0 million Soviet citizens, including soldiers who died in battles surrounding the city. Hitler's strategy for Army Group North was to cut off and encircle the city and raze it to the ground using artillery and continuous air attacks. In September 1941, Hitler issued a decree calling for the destruction of Leningrad, claiming that its further existence held no interest once Soviet Russia fell.

The citizens of Leningrad bore the brunt of the war's horrors, enduring starvation, harsh elements, and relentless bombardments. They also lost their lives while working to defend the city by building fortifications and digging anti-tank trenches outside of its borders. Despite the devastation, 98% of the Moscow section of Leningrad's citizens volunteered for the regular Soviet army in defense of their city, converting its economy to military production. Factory workers who remained on the job received greater shelter and rations, allowing them to continue working under difficult conditions.

The failure of Army Group North to capture Leningrad in 1941 had significant strategic consequences for Nazi Germany's conquest of the Soviet Union. The concept of blitzkrieg failed for the first time in the Second World War at Leningrad, highlighting the growing resistance that Nazi Germany was facing. Army Group North's failure to capture Leningrad forced Hitler to alter his Barbarossa strategy significantly, weakening his main drive on Moscow and Stalingrad. The Wehrmacht was forced to reinforce Army Group North with 16 divisions and 2 brigades, including 7 divisions from Army Group Center, tying down 32% of its forces operating north of the Pripiat' Marshes in combat along the northwestern axis.

During the Siege and Battle for Leningrad, both Germany and the Soviet Union suffered significant losses. The Red Army lost a staggering 775,000 soldiers, which surpassed the total strength of Army Group North. The Germans lost a total of 414,000 soldiers, with the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive Operation from January to March 1944 attributing to the combined loss.

The Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive Operation had immense significance with the total Soviet casualty figure of 227,440 out of an initial strength of 417,600 at the Leningrad Front, which represents over 54% of their total strength. This operation was crucial, and the Russian forces deployed more fighting power here than they did at the counteroffensive at Stalingrad. At the time of commencing the operation on 14 January, the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts had 21,600 guns, 15,000 Katyusha multiple rocket-launchers, 1,475 tanks and self-propelled guns and 1,500 planes. It is worth noting that Soviet Red Army troop-strength was greater in 1944 for Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive Operation than for the Stalingrad front in September 1942.

The German Eighteenth and Sixteenth Armies were the first troops to see the reversal of Hitler's "No retreat" policy that had been in effect along the entire front and Leningrad since 1941. The overwhelming Soviet strength succeeded in driving the German forces rearward past the Panther Line and into the Courland Pocket.

Army Group North weakened in mid-1943 from non-decisive battles, and it lost all initiative for the Leningrad siege. The outlook for Soviet victory at Leningrad became more feasible as Army Group North weakened, and the Stavka understood how weak it was. Raising the Leningrad blockade was still a priority of the Soviet Union, and thus, they began their 1944 winter campaign in the Leningrad region before expanding to the entire Soviet-German front.

Despite the heavy fighting at Leningrad, for several political, geographical, and military reasons, the Stavka did not consider the northwestern axis (Leningrad) the most vital strategic axis in the war. The critical western (Moscow-Minsk-Warsaw-Berlin) and southwestern (Kiev-Khar’kov-Stalingrad) strategic axes were more important, and both the Germans and the Soviets concentrated their most important offensive and defensive efforts along these axes to achieve victory. Although the Germans could not capture Moscow in 1941, 1942, and 1943 unless and until they weakened Soviet defenses along the Moscow axis by operating successfully along other axes, the Red Army cannot win along the western axis unless it has victory elsewhere.

The Battle for Leningrad was an example of the Soviet People's determination to resist Nazi oppression despite their enormous losses. However, it is no surprise that Soviet military historians did not record the battle adequately. The Soviet Union had a long tradition of deference for the recording and remembrance of victories only, disregarding the losses, and remembering them would discredit the state's martial prowess. Leningrad, the northern target of Operation Barbarossa, was a significant event not only for the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany but also for the entire world.

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