The German army besieged Leningrad for more than 900 days, so how did the Soviet soldiers and civilians survive it?

After more than 900 days of siege, facing constant shelling and bombing by the German army, and witnessing the loss of more than 1.5 million Soviet soldiers and civilians, what allowed the soldiers and civilians of Leningrad to survive the three-day siege? The days when you were short of food and clothing and fought bloody battles?

The answer is heroic spirit without risking one's own life, an explosion of collective heroism, and of course the full support of all Soviet people.

The transportation on the Lake Ladoga ice road can be called Leningrad’s road of life. This road of life is also the epitome of all the Soviet people’s full support for Leningrad

In September 1941, the German troops approaching Leningrad were at the end of their tether due to the tenacious resistance of Soviet soldiers and civilians. Although the German troops were unable to capture Leningrad, they successfully cut off the railway transportation between Leningrad and the Soviet Union. Prepare to besiege the city, hoping to conquer Leningrad through starvation. Since then, the three million soldiers and civilians in Leningrad have fallen into an unprecedented hunger, and thousands of people are dying of hunger every day.

Now how to transport food and supplies from outside the city to the city has become the key to the success of the defense of Leningrad.

Shortly after the siege, the winter of 1941 arrived as scheduled. , the winter of this year was particularly cold, but it brought hope of life to the Leningrad soldiers and civilians. Because the cold winter froze the Ladoga Lake behind Leningrad, the Leningrad soldiers and civilians miraculously found their way to the Ladoga Lake. An ice highway was opened on the ice.

But the process of maintaining this road transportation is also full of dangers and hardships, because this route is very dangerous, and the vehicles are likely to be blocked by snow or the ice will crack and sink into the lake due to German shelling. , so the death rate on this road is very high.

In any case, relying on this only "Road of Life", a large amount of food was transported into the city, and the wounded were transported out of the city for treatment. It can be said that the opening of this Road of Life and the entire Soviet Union The support of the people successfully thwarted the German army's attempt to conquer the Leningrad people through starvation.

Hard living conditions, constant bombing, and frequent shelling did not shake the morale and strong will of the Leningrad people.

Since the spring of 1942, relying on the transportation of the Road of Life, the supply of food and fuel in Leningrad has improved, and the military and civilians in the city have begun to restore daily life in the city, firstly running water and transportation, and secondly. It is industrial production. Every Leningrader, regardless of gender, old or young, found his or her own position of struggle and fulfilled the obligation of Soviet patriotism.

(1) Party and government education

Change passive defense into active attack, actively carry out sharpshooter movements, mobilize soldiers to increase fighting enthusiasm, enhance bravery and perseverance, and educate soldiers to have the ability to defeat the enemy. Such unshakable confidence made the soldiers' courage to fight the enemy become a mass phenomenon.

(2) Propaganda Report

The Leningrad military even filmed a news documentary "Leningrad at Battle" and screened it on the eve of the battle. The film was faithful and vivid Reflecting the battles and lives of the city's heroic defenders, as if summarizing the year's fighting in the Battle of Leningrad, he called on everyone to establish new combat exploits

(3) Improve defense

The city’s internal defense system has been established, with more than 8,100 machine gun and artillery fire points built, more than 1,500 bunkers dug, more than 200 command posts and observation posts, more than 25 kilometers of anti-tank trenches, and more than 52 kilometers of trenches. Traffic trench.

(4) Establish a grain reserve system

To prepare for a rainy day, the road of life on Lake Ladoga will melt due to warmer weather, so Leningrad proposed to establish a grain reserve system and Strengthen navigation on Lake Ladoga to ensure shipping. In order to ensure the city's fuel supply, the Leningrad military and civilians even laid an underwater oil pipeline that can transport 300-350 tons of oil per day.

The victory in the Battle to Defend the Shipping on Lake Ladoga completely declared the bankruptcy of the German siege plan

After the ice road on Lake Ladoga melted, in order to ensure shipping, the Soviet Union invested more than 160 ships of various types Ships, and a new organization was specially established, the Forward Management Office. Through continuous efforts, the amount of materials that can be transported into Leningrad per day increased from 4,200 tons to 7,000 tons, and the number of people transported out increased from 3,000 to 10,000.

Of course, the Germans could not sit back and watch Soviet transportation on Lake Ladoga. They used the navy and air force to destroy the transportation lines. The General Assembly carried out 120 attacks, but they were all repelled by Soviet soldiers and civilians.

With the victory in the Battle to Defend the Shipping on Lake Ladoga, a steady stream of materials and soldiers entered Leningrad. A large amount of food was stored for Leningrad, which strengthened the combat effectiveness of the troops, accompanied by a large number of people. Withdrawing from the city, Leningrad has completely turned into a fortress that the enemy can no longer attack.