Siege of Leningrad - WW2 Timeline (September 8th, 1941

From the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), Hitler wanted to take the all-important port city of Leningrad - the revolutionary heart of the Soviet nation itself. Soviet offensives along other fronts forces a delay in the German advance so much so that the city and its citizens could enact lines of defense.

The German allies in Finland took control of the Karelian isthmus to ensure the north was covered. The German Army arrived in the south and the stranglehold was in place. Volleying of control along various major fronts around the city saw supply routes closed and reopened and then closed again. During this time, the rations appropriated to the citizens of Leningrad had all but run out, effectively forcing the mass starvation of civilians.

The frozen surface of Lake Ladoga was a prime route for Soviet forces and proved vital in supplying the dying city. The brutally cold north winters here made the lake passable for some time. The siege of Leningrad lasted until the spring 1943 to which thousands of Leningrad citizens died.

Despite the hardship, the city was still beating with a determined heart. As an industrial city, Leningrad continued to produce tanks and automatic weapons that were quickly sent to the frontlines for use against Germans. The Germans held fast for a time, ordering artillery barrages and aerial bombardments of the city in an attempt to break the will of the people and utterly burn Leningrad to the ground.

A major Soviet offensive finally linked the city to the rest of the Soviet Union. The German Army, weary of constant combat and the brutal winters, was finally in retreat. Like other major Soviet campaigns in the war, success was ultimately theirs, however this coming at an extremely high cost in lives.

There are a total of (22) Siege of Leningrad - WW2 Timeline (September 8th, 1941 - January 27th, 1944) events in the SecondWorldWarHistory.com database. Entries are listed below by date-of-occurrence ascending (first-to-last). Other leading and trailing events may also be included for perspective.

Day-by-Day Timeline of Events

Monday, September 1st, 1941

German Army elements begin the shelling of Leningrad.

Monday, September 15th, 1941

The Soviet fortress at Shlusselburg southeast of Leningrad falls to the Germans.

Monday, September 15th, 1941

The Germans now control the southern end of Leningrad, cutting its citizens off from the rest of the Soviet Union.

Monday, September 15th, 1941

Finnish forces, siding with the Germans, now control the Karelian isthmus, covering Leningrad from both sides.

Sunday, November 9th, 1941

The Germans take the supply line route of Tikhvin, located east of Schlusselburg.

Wednesday, October 1st - December 31st, 1941

As rations begin to run out in the encircled city of Leningrad, its citizens begin to starve.

Wednesday, December 10th, 1941

The Soviets retake the town of Tikhvin.

Wednesday, December 10th, 1941

The Soviet supply route is restarted across frozen Lake Lagoda.

Thursday, January 1st - July 31st, 1942

Some 800,000 of Leningrad's citizens are evacuated through the frozen passage above Lake Lagoda.

Wednesday, January 7th, 1942

Along the Volkhov Front to the south of Novgorod, the Soviets launch a major offensive.

Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942

The Soviet offensive near Novgorod is stopped by German ground and air elements.

Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942

The whole Soviet 2nd Shock Army is lost near Novgorod.

Wednesday, July 1st - July 31st, 1942

Hitler orders two directives in the operation against Leningrad. The first calls for its immediate encirclement and the second for its immediate destruction from land and air.

Wednesday, August 19th - September 30th, 1942

A Soviet offensive aimed at smashing through the German lines fails.

Friday, September 25th, 1942

With winter upon the German Army once more, Hitler orders a halt to any major offensives around Leningrad.

Thursday, October 1st - October 31st, 1942

With a lull in the fighting, Soviet forces near Leningrad are able to receive much needed supplies and reinforcements.

Tuesday, January 12th, 1943

The Soviets enact Operation Spark and cut a path through the German lines clearing a path to Leningrad. This offers the citizens of the city some much needed foot rations.

Tuesday, January 19th, 1943

The Soviets retake the city of Shlusselburg.

Friday, January 14th, 1944

Soviet armies from the 2nd Baltic, Volkov and Leningrad fronts overtake German Army Group North in a massive two-week offensive.

Friday, January 28th, 1944

German Army Group North is pushed away from the city of Leningrad.

Thursday, January 27th, 1944

The Moscow-Leningrad railway route is reopened in favor of the Soviets.

Thursday, January 27th, 1944

The siege of Leningrad is declared by Soviet leader Stalin as over.

Siege of Leningrad - WW2 Timeline (September 8th, 1941 - January 27th, 1944)

Germany and her allies attempted to strangle the life out of the historic Soviet city of Leningrad - the heart of the Russian Revolution.