One of the longest sieges in modern warfare was that of Leningrad (once St. Petersburg before being renamed after the Soviet revolution and now back to St. Petersburg again. Trapped between the fast moving German army North  to the south and the Finns to the North, the city managed to hold on for three long years before being relieved by the Red army in late 1944.

During that time, the town was driven to near starvation many times and while not bombarded by air all that much, thanks to a dense anti-aircraft defense, it was subjected to shelling by German artillery. It is inexplicable to most why the Germans only put forward several half hearted attempts to take the city and why they left a rather large number of Soviet troops practically unmolested on a pocket of land on the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland.

All through this time, there were attempts to close access to the Leningrad pocket, at times quite successfully, yet the city was always able to be supplied from the air and across Lake Ladoga. In the winter, trucks moved across the frozen surface and during the thaw, boats supplied the city. Of course, it was never enough, but it was sufficient. Again, the Germans took only half-hearted measures to stem this flow of supplies.

 Eventually, the Red Army was strong enough and the German Army weak enough so that the siege was finally lifted in January of 1944. The Germans slowly retreated to the south through the Baltic States into Germany itself.

In this 215th book in the Campaign series, author Robert Forczyk takes a look at both sides of the struggle. From the plans of  the Germans and the Soviets, to the various commanders who waged the siege and the forces that took part in the campaign. He then looks at the various highlights of the siege, as there were many attempts on both sides to end it one way or the other. Finally, we get to see the effects of the campaign and how it melded in with future events. There is also a section on what the battlefield looks like today that many find quite interesting.

Overall, it is an excellent book about which not all that much has been written in the popular press. It doesn't seem to be as desperate as what we have been led to believe over the decades, and shows a lot of mistakes on both sides that could have changed things. A fascinating read and one I know you will enjoy.

January 2010

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