The road along the Ladoga during the war. The Road of Life is the pulse of besieged Leningrad. class hour on history on the topic. Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery
The Road of Life across Lake Ladoga is a famous transport highway, which during the Great Patriotic War turned out to be the only connecting thread with the besieged Leningrad. In summer - on water, and in winter - on ice. It remained the only link between Leningrad and the rest of the country from September 1941 to March 1943.
Previous events
The road of life through Lake Ladoga was in demand after the complete blockade of Leningrad. This happened because of the failures that the Soviet army suffered at the very beginning of the war. German and Finnish troops almost completely surrounded the northern capital.
In an instant, almost two and a half million civilians, as well as several hundred thousand people living in the suburbs, found themselves isolated in besieged Leningrad. It was decided not to surrender the city. To provide such a number of people with food and everything necessary, this path was required, which was equipped on the coast of Ladoga, which remained under the control of Soviet troops. Air transportation was an alternative, but they could not deliver all the necessary cargo.
The food situation
It should be noted that at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the city had enough food. Flour - almost two months, cereals - almost three. Meat was supposed to be enough for 38 days, butter - for a month and a half.
After the German attack, food supplies to the city were intermittent. Therefore, already at the beginning of September, a week before the complete blockade, only two weeks of flour remained in Leningrad, cereals for 23 days, fats for exactly three weeks, and meat products for no more than 19 days.
Thus, after the supply channels to Leningrad were blocked, the city found itself on the verge of disaster in a matter of days.
The road of life through Lake Ladoga
In order to supply Leningrad with everything necessary, it was necessary to send the cargo by water transport. From the city itself to the Ladoga coast there were roads and railways. But to receive a large volume of cargo, they had to be expanded. Build new berths, dig special fairways for them.
It is worth noting that before the start of the war, most of the cargo to the city went around this lake - through shipping channels. Therefore, there were very few ships capable of operating on the lake. At the same time, the decision that the organization of the highway along Lake Ladoga was necessary was made on August 30 by a special resolution of the State Defense Committee.
Osinovets Bay was chosen to receive ships, which was located one and a half kilometers from the Ladoga Lake station. As well as the Holtzman Bay, which stood another one and a half kilometers further. Ports were built with the help of four dredgers.
In September, at the disposal of the North-Western River Shipping Company, to which Leningrad belonged, there were 5 lake tugs and another 72 river ones, about a hundred barges.
Route to Leningrad
Cargoes were sent to Leningrad along the Road of Life through Lake Ladoga along one pre-approved route.
From the railway station "Volkhov" they were transported to the river pier in the Gostinopolye region. Here they were transferred to numerous barges. They were delivered by tugboats to Novaya Ladoga. Already from there they were accompanied by a dozen tugboats. Sometimes they were replaced by ships of the river flotilla. So they got to the bay of Osinovets.
Here they were already transferred to a narrow gauge railway and sent along the Irinovskaya branch of the Oktyabrskaya railway. Then they already got directly to Leningrad.
All transportation was led by the Ladoga military flotilla. The head of the entire route, including the ports, was Major General Shilov.
In order to prevent the Germans from interfering with the delivery of goods to besieged Leningrad, a special air defense detachment operated, located on the right bank of the lake. He covered the entire route from German air raids.
First barges
The first barges along the Road of Life to Leningrad arrived on September 12, 1941. For the whole of September, the city received about 20,000 tons of cargo. At the same time, transportation was still unsafe. Due to storms on Ladoga, several barges sank.
On September 17 and 18, two barges with people were wrecked at once. One had 520 servicemen on their way to Leningrad. Only 300 people were saved. On the other - 300 civilians who were evacuated from the city. Most of them died. After that, it was forbidden to transport people on barges. For this, only self-propelled vessels began to be used.
They, in turn, were regularly bombed by German aircraft. In November 1941, an aerial bomb tore off the bow of the Konstruktor patrol ship. About 200 people died. Mostly they were civilians who were evacuated from the city.
After the beginning of the freeze-up, on November 22, the ice road was opened. Some ships managed to deliver cargo until December 4th.
In total, in the autumn of 1941, about 60,000 tons of cargo were transported along the Road of Life, two thirds of which were food. It was possible to evacuate about 33,000 Leningraders. German aviation sank five tugs and 14 barges.
At this time, due to the restriction of food supplies in Leningrad, a card system was introduced. Employees, dependents and children were entitled to only 200 grams of bread per day. Workers - 400 each. Since November 1, the situation has worsened. The norms were reduced to 150 and 300 grams, respectively.
blockade winter
The road of life during the Great Patriotic War along the ice track began to be prepared back in October. It was assumed that it would be two-lane, up to ten meters wide. Nutritional and heating points were equipped every five kilometers.
For its operation and protection, a road administration was created, led by engineer Monakhov. He was subordinate only to the chief of the rear of the front.
During the organization of the ice road, it was established that the phenomenon of resonance was often fatal. For example, a heavy truck overcame a route on ice without problems, and a passenger car following it could fall through the ice at a certain speed. Therefore, in order to avoid such accidents, a strictly defined speed was prescribed for cars.
Winter 1942-1943
The next winter turned out to be no less difficult, although preparations for it began in advance. On the road in the winter of 1942-1943, it was decided to lay a narrow gauge railway, in addition to the highway. Its cargo turnover was to be 2,000 tons of cargo per day.
In addition, on December 20, the movement of horse-drawn vehicles was opened. And in four more - for the automobile. In early December 1942, construction began on the pile-ice railway. By mid-January, the 43rd had built about ten and a half kilometers. Then, after the blockade was broken, the construction was curtailed.
Already in mid-January, Shlisselburg was liberated. At the same time, the road of life passed through the ice until March 1943.
The results of the work of the Road of Life
In total, during the existence of this route, 206,000 tons of cargo were delivered to Leningrad.
112,000 tons were fodder and food. Including 56,000 tons of flour, almost 10 thousand tons of cereals, two and a half thousand tons of meat, almost five thousand tons of fish, about three thousand tons of sugar, about seven and a half thousand tons of vegetables.
Also, 18,500 tons of coal and more than 50,000 tons of ammunition were brought to the besieged city.
Monuments to the Road of Life
To date, 7 monuments have been installed on the road of life. Monuments appeared along its entire length. All of them are included in the "Green Belt of Glory".
For the first few kilometers, on which there were transport columns from the Rzhevka railway station to Leningrad, four memorial steles were installed. They are called "Rzhevsky corridor". They are a natural continuation of the road of life along Leningrad itself.
On the third kilometer of the route there is a memorial complex "Flower of Life". It was created in 1968 by architects Melnikov and Levenkov. There are also eight steles here, which are the pages of the diary of the Leningrad schoolgirl Tanya Savicheva, who endured the entire blockade. They were created in 1975 by the same Levenkov.
The Rumbolovskaya Gora complex is located on the tenth kilometer of this road, and the Katyusha complex near the village of Kornevo is located on the 17th kilometer. At the Ladoga Lake railway station, a monument to a steam locomotive occupies a key place. And near the village named after Morozov, a monument "Crossing" was erected.
The Broken Ring monument deserves special mention. It is located on the shores of Lake Ladoga, on the 40th kilometer of the highway to which this article is dedicated. Landmark - the village of Kokkorevo. It was in this place that the convoys headed for the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga.
The memorial consists of two reinforced concrete arches, symbolizing the blockade ring, in which the city of Leningrad found itself. The gap that can be seen between them is the Road of Life. Under the arches on a concrete platform, you can see the traces of car treads. And next to it are two more reinforced concrete balls of white color. They imitate searchlight installations, which were actively used during the Great Patriotic War. The composition of the memorial complex is completed by a genuine anti-aircraft gun.
The monument appeared in 1966. In 2014, the Eternal Flame was lit here, which was specially brought from the Piskarevsky cemetery. Near it, the traditional winter marathon under the symbolic name "Road of Life" starts every year.
The road of life. The road of life. The "Road of Life", the only military-strategic transport route that connected besieged Leningrad with the country in September 1941 March 1943, passed through Lake Ladoga. During navigation periods ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"
The road of life- In 1941 1942. this was the name of the road on the ice of Lake Ladoga, which connected Leningrad, blocked by German troops, with the "Great Land", that is, the rear. Food and ammunition were delivered to the city along this road, along it they were taken out of the city ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions
The road of life- the only military-strategic transport highway that connected besieged Leningrad with the country in September 1941 March 1943 passed through Lake Ladoga. During the navigation periods, transportation along the “D. and." were produced along the waterway ... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
THE ROAD OF LIFE- during the Great Patriotic War, the only transport route through Lake Ladoga. (during periods of navigation on water, in winter on ice), connecting from September 1941 to March 1943 the blockaded Leningrad with the country ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
The road of life- ROAD, and, well. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
THE ROAD OF LIFE- during the Great Patriotic War, the only transport route across Lake Ladoga (during periods of navigation on water, in winter on ice), connecting Leningrad with the country in September 1941 March 1943. Source: Encyclopedia Fatherland ... Russian history
THE ROAD OF LIFE- ROAD OF LIFE, during the Great Patriotic War, the only transport highway across Lake Ladoga (during periods of navigation on water, in winter on ice), connecting from September 1941 to March 1943 the blockaded Leningrad with the country ... encyclopedic Dictionary
The road of life- A commemorative kilometer sign at the railway station Kushelevka Piskarevka, at the Theological cemetery "Road of Life" during the Great Patriotic War, the only transport route through Lake Ladoga. During periods of water navigation, ... ... Wikipedia
The road of life- (“Road of Life”), the only military strategic transport highway across Lake Ladoga, connecting from September 1941 to March 1943 Leningrad, blocked by the Nazi troops, with the rear areas of the country during the Great ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The road of life- Book. High The route on the ice of Lake Ladoga, along which during the Great Patriotic War the besieged Leningrad was provided with food and weapons. The victories near Leningrad helped create the Road of Life on the ice of Ladoga, which saved many ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
Books
- Road of Life, Lindes Emma Category: Miscellaneous Publisher: Nestor-History, Manufacturer: Nestor-History, Buy for 770 UAH (Ukraine only)
- Road of Life, Lindes Emma, 1970 A former graduate of Cambridge, the handsome Konrad Helldorf returns to his native Berlin to find out the truth about his father, who died before his birth in the fall of 1944. A new life for Konrad ... Category: Modern foreign prose Publisher:
In September, on one of the days when people in St. Petersburg were remembering the beginning of the blockade 70 years ago, I went to Lake Ladoga. There, on the coast in the village of Osinovets, there is a museum of the Road of Life. This museum is a branch of the Central Naval Museum, and, according to its director, is the most visited museum in the Leningrad Region.
At the Ladoga Lake station, where I arrived by train from the Finland Station, there is a memorial steam locomotive ESH-4375. During the war years, such vehicles carried cargo and passengers to Lake Ladoga. On board the motto: "Everything for the front, everything for victory!".
On the memorial plaque “ashki”, as the railway workers affectionately called this locomotive, it is written: “On this locomotive in the period 1941-1942, the Komsomol youth brigade of the locomotive depot TC-12, consisting of: senior engineer Vasily Eliseev, assistant engineer Ivan Belyaev, Fireman Boris Alexandrov delivered 2,312 heavy trains with 2 million tons of ammunition, fuel and food to besieged Leningrad and to the front as part of a locomotive column. Honor and glory to the railroad heroes for their courageous work on the "Road of Life".
Along the railway track from St. Petersburg to the station there are commemorative kilometer posts, one of them is in the foreground.
The Road of Life - during the Great Patriotic War, the only transport route through Lake Ladoga. During periods of navigation - on water, in winter - on ice. Connected from September 12, 1941 to March 1943, besieged Leningrad with the country. The road laid on the ice is often called the Ice Road of Life (officially - Military Highway No. 101). During the Great Patriotic War, it was called the "Road of Death".
The original building of the station Ladoga Lake. In the same building there is a museum dedicated, of course, to the Road of Life.
I left his visit until the next time, because I learned about him shortly before the departure of the return train to St. Petersburg.
Having walked a little along the road behind the station building, I reached Lake Ladoga.
Ladoga impresses with its size. Water to the very horizon, I can’t even believe that this is a lake, it seems that you are standing on the seashore.
Lake Ladoga is one of the largest lakes in Europe, its length from north to south is 207 km, and from west to east 136 km, the average depth is 51 m.
They also say that Lake Ladoga has a heavy temper - the weather can change very quickly, and small ripples can be replaced by strong excitement. So in September 1941, a storm broke dozens of barges in this part of the coast and killed over a thousand people.
In winter, due to strong winds, there is no even ice on the surface of the lake, ice shifts and hummocks form. This complicated the construction of the Road and the transportation of goods over the ice.
The blockade of Leningrad was established on September 8, 1941, when Shlisselburg was captured by fascist troops. This was the last overland route that led from Leningrad to the mainland. Ladoga remained as the last hope for supplying the besieged city. There were no marinas or piers on the banks of Ladoga. But already in September, the first navigation on Lake Ladoga began. From the mainland, cargo was delivered first to Volkhov, from there to Novaya Ladoga, and then by water to the western coast to the Osinovets lighthouse. On September 12, two barges arrived here first, loaded with 626 tons of grain and 116 tons of flour. It is this date that is considered the beginning of the Road of Life. In total, by the end of navigation in 1941, 60,000 tons of various cargoes, including 45,000 tons of food, were delivered to the besieged city by water, and about 33,500 Leningraders were evacuated.
Entrance to the museum.
There are many exhibits on the site near the museum.
Military transport aircraft Li-2. It was this Li-2 that Alexander Rogozhkin shot in the film "Peregon".
On such planes, food and medicines were delivered to Leningrad during the blockade.
On November 17, two groups carried out reconnaissance of the route on ice. On November 20, the first horse convoy of 350 sledges headed by senior lieutenant M. S. Murov set off along the ice Road of Life from Vaganovsky Descent near the village of Kokkorevo. Upon arrival in Kobona, 63 tons of flour were loaded onto the sleigh. On the morning of November 21, the convoy arrived at Cape Osinovets. On November 22, the first convoy of 60 GAZ-AA vehicles (better known as “lorries”) under the command of Captain V.A. Porchunov went to Kobona for food. In total, during the first blockade winter, the ice road worked until April 24 (152 days). During this time, 361,109 tons of various cargoes were transported, including 262,419 tons of food. More than 550 thousand Leningraders and more than 35 thousand wounded were evacuated from the city. Thanks to these transportations, the norms for issuing bread were increased from December 25: for workers and engineers by 100 grams, and for employees, dependents and children by 75 grams.
The second navigation along Ladoga began on May 23, 1942, during which 1,099,500 tons of various cargoes were transported in both directions, of which more than 790 thousand tons were transported to besieged Leningrad, including 353 thousand tons of food. About 540 thousand people were evacuated from the city to the mainland, including more than 448 thousand evacuated residents. Also, about 290 thousand soldiers and officers were transferred to replenish the Leningrad Front. In 1942, a pipeline for supplying fuel and a cable were laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga, through which electricity was supplied to Leningrad from the partially restored Volkhovskaya hydroelectric power station.
From December 19, 1942 to March 30, 1943, the Ice Road of Life again operated for 101 days. During this period, more than 200 thousand tons of various cargoes were transported, including over 100 thousand tons of food, and about 89 thousand people were evacuated.
It was on such horse-drawn wagons that the ice track was reconnoitered.
Monument to the military units that defended the Road of Life.
Tower from T-34.
Many anti-aircraft, ship and field guns.
Luminous buoy Zheleznitsa. The buoy was placed on the waterway near the Zheleznitsa bank. During the war, it was the main point for orientation when sailing.
Self-propelled landing two-hold tender. Carrying capacity 25 tons, travel speed 5 knots. They were built under blockade conditions, which is why they have simple angular shapes. They were equipped with engines from the ZiS-5.
The towing steamer Izhorets 8. In September 1941, with ammunition and food, it arrived at the port of Osinovets. During the first navigation he transported a large number of different cargoes. After the war, the ship was repaired, sailed on the White Lake, and in 1976. from Belozersk brought to Osinovets and put on eternal parking in the museum.
Sea hunter MO-215.
These were high-speed vessels (they could even reach speeds of up to 50 km / h), they carried out various operations, landed and picked up scouts in the occupied territory.
A lorry raised from the bottom of Lake Ladoga.
During the first 2 weeks of the ice road, 157 cars went under the ice. Drivers drove with open doors in order to have time to leave the cab if the car starts to fall through the ice. But they still died often.
During the two blockade winters, more than 1,100 cars went under the ice - every fourth.
The brake light bulbs were intact.
Fragment from another truck.
These are like fragments of the Il-2 attack aircraft.
Armor plate. Are these bullet holes?
Museum building. Inside there is an exposition of five halls dedicated to the history of the creation and work of the heroic military communications that ensured the life and communication of the besieged Leningrad with the country from the end of November 1941 to March 30, 1943. The expositions are arranged in chronological order.
45 mm cannon on a ship's pedestal, 120 mm mortar, quad machine gun Maxim.
The blockade of Leningrad lasted 872 days. During this time, more than one million people died of starvation. After the end of World War II, the Nuremberg trials of Nazi and fascist criminals took place.
Representatives of the USSR charged the commander of the German army group "North", because of whose actions so many civilians of the besieged city died. On this charge, General von Leeb was acquitted. At that time, there was not yet a clause in which it would be forbidden to use starvation as a military strategy in relation to the civilian population.
The survivors of the besieged city owe a lot to the appearance of the highway (“Road of Life”) through It was it that made it possible to break the blockade ring, because due to its geographical position, Leningrad is not able to survive without the supply of food.
The meaning of the paved path
The road operated from autumn 1941 to spring 1943. Her appointment was to connect the besieged Leningrad (St. Petersburg) with the country. Officially, it was called military highway No. 101.
From September 1941, Soviet troops, along with the civilian population, were surrounded by German and Finnish troops. The city was not ready for the blockade and did not have the necessary supplies of food and fuel. Everything needed could be delivered by air or across the lake.
The "Road of Life" through Lake Ladoga made it possible to evacuate part of the population and partially provide the survivors with food.
Trucking on ice
In October 1941, research began for the construction of a route across Lake Ladoga, in winter it was covered with ice. After preliminary calculations, construction began in November. It was assumed that the width of the track would be 10 meters, so that cars could move simultaneously in both directions. Every 5-7 kilometers special points for heating were built.
The direction of the road was chosen based on the presence of a strong ice cover. He had to withstand large loads. The main one was the GAZ-AA, popularly called the "one and a half". In order to prevent mass failures under the ice, there should have been a distance of at least 100 meters between the cars. At the same time, a railway line was laid across the lake.
The created "Road of Life" (Leningrad) passed not far from the front line, it required protection, which was provided by military units. The ice section of the road had two defensive lanes, created with the help of wooden log cabins, sandbags, which were frozen with ice. Small-caliber artillery guns were installed every one or two kilometers, and every three kilometers. From the air, the highway was protected by six fighter regiments.
During the first winter of the blockade, more than 500,000 residents were evacuated along the Road of Life and about 250,000 tons of food were delivered. It was mainly flour, grain, cereals, meat products, fats, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, vitamin C. The work of the ice road continued in the winter of 1942-1943.
Cargo transportation by water
With the melting of ice, the road through did not cease to exist. From the spring of 1942, transportation on ice was replaced by navigation on water. However, due to the fact that ice still remained in some areas, the gap between deliveries across the lake was a whole month. In April, it was no longer possible to carry cargo over the ice, and barges were able to go through the water only from the end of May.
The country's leadership needed to carry out work to restore damaged ships. No more than 15 barges were in working condition. We decided to build barges on the spot. The pulp and paper mill in Syasstroy became the site for the work. At the same time, in Leningrad itself, the construction of metal ships began, which were transported for final assembly by rail.
Anti-aircraft artillery divisions and fighter aviation regiments were engaged in the protection of the route. They had to fight with the forces of the German-Finno-Italian flotilla.
In 1942, about 400 thousand inhabitants were evacuated by water, food was delivered for 350 thousand tons. At the same time, 290 thousand military personnel were delivered to the city. In addition to food and oil products, horses were also delivered to the city.
From April 1943, cargo transportation across the lake continued. Although their number has decreased, since a significant part of the cargo has already been transported by rail, launched since 1942.
Was the "Road of Life" (Leningrad) alone?
The official route is the path from Kokorev to Kobona along the lake. This thread connected the multi-million city with the country. Such information is available in textbooks and for tourists. However, there are data according to which the "Road of Life" through Lake Ladoga passed along a different path. Many facts testify to the existence of other lines for transportation.
Calculation inconsistency
Confirmation of the existence of several roads are simple calculations. So during the first winter of the blockade, the road worked for 150 days. About 350,000 tons of cargo was officially transported. It turns out that 2400 tons were delivered to Leningrad per day.
Carried cargo "one and a half", in the back of which it was possible to load one and a half tons. Another half ton could be attached to a sled. That is, for a flight, one car loaded to capacity could transfer two tons. Every day, 1,200 fully loaded lorries crossed the road. At the same time, they had to move in both directions.
Ice could not withstand such an onslaught. Moreover, in addition to trucks, buses also plied along the highway, which took out about half a million civilians during these 150 days. Tanks were also transported along Ladoga, from which weapon turrets were removed to lighten the weight. It is unlikely that one blockade "Road of Life" would have withstood such loads, especially since ice acted as a road.
The Mystery of the Sunken Trucks
During the transportation under the ice took about a thousand cars. Many of them are still under water today. When the water in the lake is especially clear, the pilots visually fix the outlines of the trucks. They are not always on the route of the official route. Some of them are located hundreds of kilometers from the well-known "Road of Life".
There are documents from which it becomes clear that some drivers deviated from the route in order to cash in on transportation and dump some of the cargo. However, there were not many such cases, and there were many hundreds of trucks that sank far from the highway. So the question of whether Leningrad was provided by Lake Ladoga only at the expense of one road is rather controversial.
Reasons for the existence of multiple tracks
The official road (“Road of Life” across Lake Ladoga) No. 101 Kokorevo-Kobona, of course, existed and operated. However, calculations and the location of many sunken trucks suggest that she could not be the only one.
All maps and documents on this case were classified for a long time and are stored in special archives. Perhaps such secrecy is due to the desire not to reveal all the ways in the event of another war.
Reasons why there could be multiple tracks:
- Danger from German aircraft. The overwhelming superiority of German aviation in the winter of 1941 was undeniable. Having marked the road across the lake, the Nazis regularly bombed it. To minimize losses from air raids, it was necessary to change the route. The first lines were laid closer to the shores of the lake, but as the ice strengthened, the route was drawn closer to its center.
- The ice could not withstand the constant load. Eyewitnesses of those years testify that only 60-70 cars could pass along the road. Further, the ice began to crack, and it took time to restore it. This means that the movement had to move on to a new path. Otherwise, Leningrad would not be able to receive such an amount of cargo.
Creation of a railway line
Only the railroad could cope with large cargo transportation. By 1942, a line was laid on the eastern shore of the lake. This made it possible to increase cargo transportation. Thanks to all of the above methods, the blockade of Leningrad was partially lifted.
The memory of the broken blockade ring
Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in maintaining the health of the ice cover. They lived on the ice, filling in the cracks that appeared, building wooden decks. The feat of these people, as well as the drivers themselves, is difficult to truly appreciate. At the cost of the lives of many of them, the blockade was lifted. Lake Ladoga became the exit that made it possible to break the ring of death for many civilians.
Along the land section from Leningrad to Ladoga there are monuments dedicated to the "Road of Life". All of them are part of the "Green Belt of Glory" memorial, which stretches for many kilometers. The memorial consists of seven monuments, 46 commemorative pillars along the highway, 56 pillars along the railway.
The most memorable are the monuments at 40 and 103 kilometers of the highway. The first is the Broken Ring memorial (architect V. G. Filippov), which symbolizes the breaking of the blockade ring formed by the German-Finnish troops over Leningrad since the autumn of 1941. At the 103rd kilometer stands the monument "Legendary Lorry" (architect Levenkov A.D.). He depicts a car that rides, breaking out of the ice.
