872 days or What is 'The Siege of Leningrad' - блокада Ленинграда

In the history of Russia there were many wars... Sounds too simple and too banal.
Let's change a bit.

The Russian history is a golden book of deeds acts of bravery, fine collection of brave personalities, outstanding people.

The other day we remembered one of these pages, from the chapter 'The 20 century'. On the 27 of January we remember the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, which happened exactly on this day in 1944. This is a great example of people's bravery, courage, strong will and unity...

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• The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade (блокада Ленинграда) was a prolonged military operation undertaken by the German Army Group North against Leningrad-historically and currently known as Saint Petersburg-in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. The siege started on 8 September 1941, when the last land connection to the city was severed. Although the Soviets managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city on 18 January 1943, lifting of the siege took place on 27 January 1944, 872 days after it began. It was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history and overwhelmingly the most costly in terms of casualties.

• From the In the vortex of congealed time By Oleg Yuriev
  

According to Hitler's secret orders No. Ia 1601/41 from 22 September 1941 on "The Future of the city of Petersburg": 
1."The Führer has decided to erase the city of Petersburgfrom the face of the earth. After victory over the Soviet Union there will not be the least reason for the continued existence of this large city. Finland has also announced that it has no interest in the continued existence of this city, which lies on its new borders. (…)
3. It has been suggested that the city be surrounded securely and levelled with continual air raids and artillery of every calibre. If this results in the city's capitulation, should it be rejected?" On 8 November 1941 Hitler explained in a speech that the enemy would be "starved out" in Leningrad. The report registers "thundering applause". 

• Just figures and facts from RIA-novosti

• 'Road of life'

"Road of Life" - the name of the road over ice across Lake Ladoga in winters of 1941-42 and 1942-43, after the ice became thick enough, allowing the transport bring the goods of any weight. The road of life has actually been the only means of communication for Leningrad with the 'mainland'.

Totally, the Navy provided the functioning of "Road of Life" and the water communication with the Ladoga Flotilla. In autumn 1941, the navigation delivered 60 tons of cargo, including 45 tons of food, the city had evacuated over 30,000 people; In the navigation of 1942 (May 20, 1942 - January 8, 1943) was delivered to the city of 790 thousand tons (almost half of the cargo was food),  540 thousand people and 310 thousand tons of cargo were taken from Leningrad. In the navigation in 1943 was transported 208 thousand tons and 93 thousand people.

• The Siege from the German documents 

• 35 (!!!!) volumes of 'The Book of memory' with the names of those who passed away during these days, find at Returned names 

• Tania Savicheva

Tanya was a Soviet child diarist who endured the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. Tanya and her diary have become an iconic image of the victims of the siege of Leningrad in the postwar Soviet Union.

The diary's display (from Wiki) 

Visit the panoramic memorial 'The diary of Tanya Savicheva' to get a wider idea of it at the Panorami

• Watch the program about the Blockade