Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,790
"Road of Life"
In the autumn of 1941 the city of Leningrad was surrounded by German troops in the west, south and east.
The Finnish army remains at the former Finnish state border in Karelia, but completes the enclosure.
[url=https://abload.de/image.php?img=17_2idjv1.png]
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In the megacity, the population is hungry after a short time, as the Soviet leadership did not expect such a far advance by the German attackers and had barely stocked up on food.
Now - just before winter begins, there is a blatant shortage of fuel for stoves, stoves and - above all - power plants. There is hardly any electricity and the people of Leningrad live in ice-cold apartments!
The fighting troops that defend Leningrad against the Germans are given rigorous preference with all available, with arms workers in second place.
There is still one hope: Lake Ladoga freezes over very early and the Soviets are laying a provisional runway across the ice.
The Leningraders call this runway the "Street of Life" (Дорога жизни / "Doroga Schisni")
The piste has been open for skiing since November 14th, but initially only by horse-drawn sleigh.
On November 22nd, 1940 the ice is finally thick enough to carry trucks. On this day the first supply convoy leaves under the orders of Captain V. A. Porchunow ...
...towards Leningrad!
On this day the first transport of food and fuel reaches the besieged city - and the trucks take evacuated civilians with them on the way back ...:
The Soviet truck drivers, however, have a completely different name for the runway: They call it “Road of Death” because they are constantly exposed to German air raids or artillery fire on the completely open area and have high losses!
During this first winter, the road could be used for transport for 152 days up to April 24, 1942, carrying 361,109 tons of freight, including 262,419 tons of food. 514,000 Leningrad and 35,000 wounded soldiers will be able to leave the city over the frozen lake.
Despite the constant influx of supplies over the "street of life" ...
... 470,000 Leningraders will starve or freeze to death in this first siege winter ...
Signposts today remind us of the “Road of Life” ...
... as well as a commemorative medal ...:
And of course there is a monument ...:
In the autumn of 1941 the city of Leningrad was surrounded by German troops in the west, south and east.
The Finnish army remains at the former Finnish state border in Karelia, but completes the enclosure.
[url=https://abload.de/image.php?img=17_2idjv1.png]
[/URL]In the megacity, the population is hungry after a short time, as the Soviet leadership did not expect such a far advance by the German attackers and had barely stocked up on food.
Now - just before winter begins, there is a blatant shortage of fuel for stoves, stoves and - above all - power plants. There is hardly any electricity and the people of Leningrad live in ice-cold apartments!
The fighting troops that defend Leningrad against the Germans are given rigorous preference with all available, with arms workers in second place.
There is still one hope: Lake Ladoga freezes over very early and the Soviets are laying a provisional runway across the ice.
The Leningraders call this runway the "Street of Life" (Дорога жизни / "Doroga Schisni")
The piste has been open for skiing since November 14th, but initially only by horse-drawn sleigh.
On November 22nd, 1940 the ice is finally thick enough to carry trucks. On this day the first supply convoy leaves under the orders of Captain V. A. Porchunow ...
...towards Leningrad!
On this day the first transport of food and fuel reaches the besieged city - and the trucks take evacuated civilians with them on the way back ...:
The Soviet truck drivers, however, have a completely different name for the runway: They call it “Road of Death” because they are constantly exposed to German air raids or artillery fire on the completely open area and have high losses!
During this first winter, the road could be used for transport for 152 days up to April 24, 1942, carrying 361,109 tons of freight, including 262,419 tons of food. 514,000 Leningrad and 35,000 wounded soldiers will be able to leave the city over the frozen lake.
Despite the constant influx of supplies over the "street of life" ...
... 470,000 Leningraders will starve or freeze to death in this first siege winter ...
Signposts today remind us of the “Road of Life” ...
... as well as a commemorative medal ...:
And of course there is a monument ...:
