Bătălia Pentru Leningrad A Fost MULT MAI REA Decât Crezi | 872 De Zile De Infern

On 8 September 1941, the forces of Army Group North completed the encirclement of Leningrad, the second largest city in the Soviet Union, with a population of 2.54 million and responsible for 10% of Soviet industrial production. The German directive of 22 September established as official policy the destruction of the city by systematic bombing and food blockade, expressly rejecting any civilian capitulation. During the 872 days of the siege, bread rations were reduced to 125 grams per day for the non-productive population, equivalent to 300–400 calories, in the coldest winter in decades, with temperatures as low as -30°C. The "Road of Life", an improvised logistical route across Lake Ladoga, was the only link to the outside world, operating under constant air and artillery fire. Civilian casualties are estimated at between 800,000 and 1,100,000, mostly from starvation. Soviet military losses on the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts exceeded 1.5 million. Operation Iskra, launched on 12 January 1943 with 4,758 artillery pieces, opened an 8-kilometer land corridor. The siege was finally lifted on 27 January 1944, when the German 18th Army began its retreat to the Panther Line.