Breaking through the blockade of Leningrad. The city of the unbroken. Breaking through the blockade of Leningrad on January 18, 1943

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Leningrad found itself between two fires. From the south-west, across the Baltic, the German army group "North" (commanded by Field Marshal V. Leeb) rushed to the city. From the north and north-west, the Finnish army (commander Marshal K. Mannerheim) aimed at the city together with the German troops.

On September 8, 1941, Leningrad was in a blockade that lasted 900 days and nights. Hunger became the most difficult test for its inhabitants. Since November 20, 1941, the lowest norms for the distribution of bread by cards were established: for workers and engineers and technical workers - 250 g, employees, dependents and children - 125 g. 500 g, all other military units - 300. Mass death of the population began. Physical stress, cold, lack of electricity and heating, water, sewage and other basic living conditions further reduced people's ability to resist starvation. In December, 53 thousand people died, in January 1942 - more than 100 thousand, in February - more than 100 thousand, in March - more than 95 thousand people. The surviving pages of the diary of little Tanya Savicheva do not leave anyone indifferent:

“The grandmother died on January 25. ... “Uncle Alyosha on May 10 ... Mom on May 13 at 7.30 am ... Everyone died. There is only Tanya left. "

In total, up to 1 million people died in Leningrad during the blockade. Grief came to every family. Before the eyes of mothers and fathers, their sons and daughters died, children were left without parents. Hundreds of thousands of besieged people were saved by the "Road of Life" - a route laid across the ice of Lake Ladoga, along which food, ammunition was delivered to the city from November 21, and civilians, mainly women and children, were evacuated on the way back. Along the "Road of Life" - until March 1943 - 1615 thousand tons were delivered to the city on ice (and in the summer on various ships). various cargo... At the same time, 1,376 thousand Leningraders and many thousands of wounded soldiers were evacuated from the city on the Neva. During the period of the blockade, 1,750 thousand people were taken out of the city - the only case in history of the evacuation of such a huge number of residents from the besieged city. A pipeline was laid to transport oil products along the bottom of Lake Ladoga.

For all the mistakes, miscalculations, voluntaristic decisions, the Soviet command took maximum measures to supply Leningrad and break through its blockade as soon as possible. Four attempts were made to break the enemy ring. The first - in September 1941, on the third day after Hitler's troops cut off land communications with the city; the second - in October 1941, despite the critical situation that developed on the outskirts of Moscow; the third - in January 1942, during a general counteroffensive, which only partially achieved its goals; the fourth - in August - September 1942. And only in January 1943, when the main forces of the Wehrmacht were pulled together to Stalingrad, the blockade was partially broken (Operation Iskra). On a narrow strip of the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, 8-11 km wide, it was possible to restore land communication with the country. Over the next 17 days, a railway and a road were laid along this corridor. January 1943 was a turning point in the Battle of Leningrad.

The unprecedented self-sacrifice of ordinary Leningraders helped them not only to defend their beloved city. It showed the whole world where the limits of the possibilities of fascist Germany and her allies are.

ORDER OF THE COMMANDER OF THE LENINGRAD FRONT OF THE 67th ARMY ON OPERATION ISKRA, January 11, 1943

For the seventeenth month, the fascist hordes have been standing at the gates of Leningrad, besieging our hometown ... Neither the bombing, nor the shelling, nor the famine, nor the cold, nor all the sacrifices, torments and deprivations to which the Nazi barbarians subjected and endure Leningrad, did not break the determination of the defenders Leningrad, the faithful sons of our Soviet motherland, who decided to defend Leningrad from enemies to the last breath. In a heroic struggle that has no examples in history, the troops of the Leningrad Front, together with the working people of Leningrad, responding blow for blow, defended Lenin's beloved city from the Nazi invaders and locked its gates with a strong castle, turning it into an impregnable defense fortress.

Strengthening the defenses of Leningrad, its defenders firmly believed that the desired hour of the liberation of Leningrad would come, that there would be a holiday on our street as well. Knowing this, day after day they accumulated their strength in order to go on a decisive offensive at a favorable moment, to join their forces to the country's forces going to the rescue of Leningrad, to break through the ring of the enemy blockade and to fulfill the historic task of uniting Leningrad with the whole country.

Comrades! This auspicious moment has now come.

In the battles for the city of Lenin, the troops of the Leningrad Front strengthened, hardened and prepared themselves for offensive battles. Our gallant Red Army is dealing the enemy one crushing blow after another in the south and on the central front. The enemy's forces are undermined. The enemy rushes about in confusion, forced to disperse his forces between many fronts.

The long-awaited hour of the liberation of Leningrad has come, the hour of bloody reckoning with the German monsters, the hour of our merciless revenge on the enemy for all his atrocities.

You, gallant fighters, commanders and political workers of the 67th Army, have the great honor of liberating Leningrad from the enemy blockade. Rise, warriors, to the battle for the liberation of Leningrad, to the merciless extermination of the hated barbarians of the invaders, to bloody retribution from the enemy for the sacrifices, torment and suffering of Leningrad people, for our tortured brothers and sisters, wives and mothers, for the desecrated land, for the ruined and plundered towns and villages, for our friends and comrades who died in battles.

Comrades!

The combat mission assigned to you is not simple and easy. Victory never comes by itself; it must be won. The enemy is insidious and cruel, he will cling and resist with all his might. He knows that our victory at Leningrad will greatly bring closer the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The more decisive and courageous the pressure should be, the stronger and more fierce our attacks should be!

Comrades! The troops of the Volkhov Front are advancing towards the troops of the Leningrad Front to solve a single combat mission. They, like the troops of our front, are armed with powerful equipment, they, like our troops, are inspired by the will to victory and the determination to liberate Leningrad from the blockade. Let us grip the enemy in a mighty grip on both sides, crush him by the joint efforts of both fronts. Honor and glory to that unit and subunit of the Leningrad Front, which will be the first to join the troops of the Volkhov Front!

I ORDER:

The troops of the 67th Army go on a decisive offensive, defeat the opposing enemy grouping and join the forces of the Volkhov Front, marching towards us in battles, and thereby break the siege of the city of Leningrad.

The Military Council of the Leningrad Front is firmly convinced that the troops of the 67th Army will fulfill their duty to the Motherland with honor and skill.

Dare in battle, align only with the front ones, show initiative, cunning, dexterity!

Death to the German scoundrels!

Glory to the brave and brave warriors who do not know fear in the fight! (...)

For Leningrad, for the Motherland, for! Forward!

Commander of the Leningrad Front, Lieutenant General of Artillery Govorov

Members of the Front Military Council Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks Zhdanov, Major General Shtykov, Soloviev

Chief of Staff of the Leningrad Front Lieutenant General Gusev

The Great Patriotic War. Military-historical essays. Book 2. Fracture. M., 1998.

", Which became a turning point in the entire battle for Leningrad. From January 11 to January 18, the authors of the project told in detail the known and forgotten details of the operation, and also informed the readers about the thematic events held during this period in the region.

January 18, 1943. BREAKTHROUGH!

At 9.30, after a decisive attack, which allowed the 123rd Rifle Brigade to seize Workers' Village No. 1, the soldiers of the Leningrad Front saw the figures of the Volkhovites behind a blanket of snow.

The advance group of Leningraders greeted their own with a conventional sign - raising a submachine gun with their right hand above their shoulder.

Victory! Review?

Death to fascism!

The blockade has been broken! The soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts rushed to hug each other. In his memoirs, Marshal Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov described this moment as follows: “I saw with what joy the soldiers of the fronts that had broken through the blockade rushed towards each other. Not paying attention to the artillery shelling of the enemy from the Sinyavinsky Heights, the soldiers, like brothers, hugged each other tightly. It was truly a hard-won joy! "

At the meeting place of the fronts, an act was drawn up, which is now kept in the Central Military Archive.

The second meeting with the Volkhovites took place near the Workers' Village No. 5, which was attacked by the 136th Division. Leningraders shook hands with the soldiers of the 18th Infantry Division of the Volkhov Front already at 11.45.

At this time, the units of the 34th ski brigade, repelling the German counterattacks, went to the Staroladozhsky canal. By 16 o'clock Shlisselburg was completely freed from the Nazis.

The city radio broadcast about the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad closer to midnight. The joy of people knew no bounds. Leningraders took to the streets, rejoiced and thanked the soldiers who broke the enemy ring.

On a narrow strip of breakthrough, which ranged from 8 to 11 kilometers, work began to boil. In an extremely short time, a railway line was laid, connecting Leningrad with the Volkhov railway junction. It was named the Victory Road. A motor road began to function along the shores of Lake Ladoga. The Road of Life continued to work.

On the morning of February 7, the Leningraders met the first train from the mainland. The breakthrough made it possible to significantly improve the supply of the city with food and essential goods, the industry began to receive raw materials and fuel. Leningrad immediately responded to the front - in February, the production of weapons increased rapidly. This improved the position of the troops fighting in the northwest direction.

The successful completion of Operation Iskra was a turning point in the entire battle for Leningrad. And although there were still 840 long days left before the final defeat of Nazi Germany, the belief that the enemy would be defeated was strengthened among the soldiers, military leaders and all people! Victory will be ours!

According to official reports from the fronts, more than 33 thousand soldiers gave their lives for breaking the blockade. The memory of their heroic deed is kept in the hearts of their contemporaries and descendants. We live on the holy land of Leningrad, generously watered with the blood of the Red Army, who, at the cost of their lives, won freedom and a peaceful sky for us.

January 18, 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the "Frontier Stone" memorial at Nevsky patch and will also see the new Breakthrough diorama.

V Kirovsky district at the memorial complex "Sinyavinskie heights" at 12.00 a solemn meeting "At the turn of immortality" will take place, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad.

V Kirovsk on Krasnoflotskaya Street, a flower-laying ceremony will take place at the monument to the fallen soldiers.

V Shlisselburg a city meeting dedicated to the liberation of Shlisselburg from the fascist invaders will be held at the Fraternal burial.

In Vsevolozhsk flowers will be laid on the Road of Life at the memorials "Oak and Laurel", " Old plot"Roads of Life", Mound of Memory "Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!", "Broken ring", monument "Legendary lorry".

High school students Boksitogorsk region will visit the Bratsk cemetery, where soldiers who died of wounds in hospitals in the region are buried, an obelisk to those killed by fascist air raids, a monument to the ZIS-105 car and a stele "The Road of Life".

In the town Volkhov(Kommunarov street, square "Slava") at 12.00 there will be an action in memory of "And the saved world remembers!", dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad.

In the village Vinnytsia, Podporozhsky district at the branch "Vepsian Center of Folklore" (Sovetskaya St., 68) at 14.00 they will conduct an excursion on the topic "Such different defenders of Leningrad" with a screening of a short film about the siege of Leningrad.

At 11.00 at Priozersk at the Bratsk military burial place the youth action "Olive color ribbon" will take place.

V Sosnovy Bor the exhibition "Blockade Diaries" will start working (50 Afanasyev st., city museum). This is a story about the establishment and lifting of the blockade of Leningrad, the life of Leningraders in the besieged city. The exhibition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough and the 74th anniversary of the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad.

V Tikhvin in the House of Culture there will be a rally "And the saved world remembers" and the laying of wreaths and flowers at the monument to Leningrad people who died of hunger and disease in Tikhvin during the evacuation in 1941-1943, and to the monument to Leningrad children who died in the bombing of the Tikhvin station on October 14, 1941 ...

By the beginning of 1943, the situation in besieged Leningrad remained extremely difficult. In the summer of 1942, after the end of the defense of Sevastopol, the Germans were able to transfer heavy siege weapons to Leningrad. They fired at a distance of 13, 22 and even 28 km. The weight of the shells reached 800-900 kg. The intensity of the shelling increased sixfold. The Germans drew up a map of the city and outlined several thousand of the most important targets, which were fired upon daily. The lack of overland communication with the country made it difficult to transport fuel and raw materials for industry, did not allow satisfying the urgent needs of the troops and the population in food. Nevertheless, the situation of Leningraders was somewhat better than in the previous winter: electricity was supplied to the city via a submarine cable, and oil products via an underwater pipeline. Leningrad was supplied with food on the ice road, and in addition to the road, a railway line was also built right on the ice of Lake Ladoga.
By the end of 1942, the main forces of the Leningrad front (42nd, 55th and 67th armies), commanded by General L.A. Govorov, defended on the Uritsk, Pushkin line, south of Kolpino, Porogi, the right bank of the Neva to Lake Ladoga ... The 67th Army operated in a 30-kilometer strip along the right bank of the Neva from Poroga to Lake Ladoga, holding a small bridgehead on the left bank of the river, in the area of ​​Moscow Dubrovka. Its 55th rifle brigade defended a military road from the south, passing along the ice of Lake Ladoga. The 23rd Army, located on the Karelian Isthmus, covered the northern approaches to Leningrad. At the Oranienbaum bridgehead, the Primorsk task force was located. The actions of the troops of the front and the fleet were supported by the 13th Air Army and Aviation Baltic Fleet.

The Red Banner Baltic Fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral V.F. In addition, holding a number of islands in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, the fleet reliably covered the western approaches to Leningrad from the sea. The air defense of the city was carried out by the Leningrad Air Defense Army in close cooperation with aviation and anti-aircraft artillery of the front and naval forces. The military road on the ice of Lake Ladoga and the transshipment bases on its shores were covered from enemy air strikes by parts of the separate Ladoga air defense region.

The Volkhov Front under the command of General K. A. Meretskov operated in a 300-kilometer strip from Lake Ladoga to Lake Ilmen. On its right wing from Lake Ladoga to the Kirov railway were the formations of the 2nd shock and 8th armies. The right-flank 2nd Shock Army with the forces of four divisions defended a 15-kilometer strip from the Novoladozhsky Canal to Gaitolovo.

The fascist German command, after the failure of attempts to seize Leningrad in 1942, was forced to stop fruitless attacks and ordered the troops to go on the defensive. The troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were opposed by the 18th German army, numbering up to 26 divisions. It was supported by the aviation of the 1st Air Fleet. On the northwestern approaches to Leningrad, against the 23rd Army of the Leningrad Front, there were more than 4 Finnish divisions from the Karelian Isthmus operational group.

The enemy had the most dense grouping of troops in the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge (its depth did not exceed 15 km). Here, between the city of Mga and Lake Ladoga, there were about five divisions. They included almost 700 guns and mortars, up to 50 tanks and assault guns. The divisions were well manned (up to 10-12 thousand people in each).

The wooded and swampy terrain in the area of ​​the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge created favorable conditions for the enemy for organizing defense. The vast territory of the Sinyavino peat mining, cut by deep ditches, was impassable for tanks and artillery. The enemy adapted the workers' villages with stone buildings along the roads to a circular defense, and turned the entire space into a continuous fortified zone with resistance nodes and numerous strong points with a developed network of trenches, trenches, shelters, dugouts, saturated with fire weapons. By its nature, the defense resembled a field fortified area. Overcoming it required great physical and moral stress, high military skill and powerful means of suppression and destruction from the attackers.

The development of an operation plan to break the blockade of Leningrad began in the fall of 1942. On November 22, the Military Council of the Leningrad Front reported to the Supreme Command Headquarters its views on military operations in winter period... This document, in particular, said: “... The Leningrad Front should start preparing, together with the Volkhov Front, an offensive operation in order to break the blockade and thereby achieve a decisive change in the operational position of the front ... advantageous for organizing a breakthrough of the enemy's front in the Shlisselburg direction (on the 1st Gorodok - Shlisselburg sector) with a breakthrough front width of 10 km and for the Volkhov front, respectively, in the Lipka-Mishkino sector with both fronts striking Snyavino. " The coordination of the actions of the fronts was entrusted to Marshal Voroshilov.

By the decision of the commander of the Volkhov Front, the main blow was delivered by the 2nd Shock Army, General Romanovsky. It included 12 rifle divisions, 2 ski and 4 tank brigades (2,100 guns and mortars and about 300 tanks and self-propelled guns). The task of the army was to break into the enemy defenses in the Lipka, Gaitolovo sector and, striking the main blow at Sinyavino, reach the line of Workers' villages No. 1 and No. 5, Sinyavino, and then develop the offensive until it was joined with the troops of the Leningrad Front. To the south, part of the forces delivered an auxiliary strike in the direction of Tortolovo, the village of Mikhailovsky, the 8th Army. The offensive of the strike group of the Volkhov Front was supported by the 14th Air Army of General I.P. Zhuravlev (about 450 aircraft).

The 67th Army of General M. II was to attack on the main axis of the Leningrad Front. Dukhanov. But by the decision of the front commander, the army's task was to cross the Neva River on ice and concentrate its main efforts in the direction of Maryino, Sinyavino, break through the enemy's defenses in the Moscow Dubrovka, Shlisselburg sector and unite with the troops of the Volkhov Front at the turn of Workers' settlements No. 2 and No. 6. In the future, it was planned to leave the army troops on the line of the Moika River from its mouth to Kelkolovo. The army included 7 rifle divisions, 6 rifle, ski and 3 tank brigades, 1,900 guns and mortars, and about 200 tanks. In addition, 88 130-406 mm guns from the Red Banner Baltic Fleet were used to assist the 67th Army. The fighting operations of the 67th Army were supported by the aviation of the 13th Air Army of General S. D. Rybalchenko and the air forces of the Baltic Fleet (about 450 combat aircraft in total).

On the morning of January 12, 1943, the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts simultaneously launched an offensive.

The breakthrough of the defense in the zone of the 67th Army was of particular difficulty. Here, the enemy's positions passed along the steep, icy left bank of the Neva, which had an excess over the right. The enemy's weapons arranged in tiers covered the approaches to the coast with multi-layered fire. When crossing the Neva on the ice and storming the front edge of the enemy defense, the troops were required to maximize their strength. The most important condition for success in this was the reliable suppression of enemy fire resources, especially on the front line, by artillery fire.

On the night before the offensive, aviation delivered massive strikes against artillery firing positions, command posts, airfields and communication centers of the enemy. At 0930 hours, powerful artillery and aviation preparations began on both fronts. In the 2nd Shock Army, it lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, and in the 67th - 2 hours and 20 minutes. Tons of metal fell on the enemy, destroying his manpower and destroying defenses. In the 67th Army, only guns set for direct fire fired at the front edge of the enemy's defenses and to a depth of up to 200 m. Thanks to this, the ice on the left bank was largely preserved intact.

40 minutes before the start of the attack by infantry and tanks, the Fronts' assault aviation in groups of 6-8 planes struck at communication centers, strong points, artillery and mortar batteries of the enemy.

Our troops enter Shlisselburg

As soon as the artillery preparation was over, the infantry, followed by light T-70 tanks from the 67th Army, rushed across the ice to the left bank of the Neva. Under the cover of barrage of artillery fire, the first to reach the opposite shore were the assault groups, whose fighters selflessly acted, making passages in the obstacles. Rifle and tank subunits overcame the ice field of the river and, following the artillery barrage, successfully attacked the enemy. The stubborn resistance of the enemy, who was defending between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg, was broken. By the end of the day, the 130th and 268th rifle divisions advancing in the center had penetrated the enemy defenses to a depth of three kilometers.

In the zone of the 2nd Shock Army, the most fierce battles unfolded for the enemy strongholds in the village of Lipka, Rabochy village No. and a grove north-west of Gontova Lipka. These strongholds were on the flanks of the breakthrough, and the Nazis fought to hold them, even when surrounded. By the end of the day, the army's formations managed to break through! the first position of the enemy defense and advance 2-3 km. The enemy, trying to prevent the development of a breakthrough, began to introduce operational reserves into the slain.

From the morning of January 13, the offensive continued. The greatest advance was achieved in the direction of Workers' Village No. 5. By the end of the day, the distance between the attacking front groups advancing towards each other did not exceed 5-6 km. But the next day, the enemy's counterattacks intensified and the fighting took on a protracted nature. The German command, trying to prevent the exit of Soviet troops north of Sinyavino, transferred the 61st Infantry Division and a regiment of the 69th Infantry Division from Kirishi to the area. Enemy aviation was heavily typified.

From 15 to 18 January, the troops of the shock groups of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts continued to persistently advance towards each other, expanding the breakthrough to the sides of the flanks. The enemy, suffering huge losses, lost one position after another. The ring around its parts, which operated in the northern part of the Sinyavinsky ledge, gradually shrank.

In the first half of the day on January 18, the troops of the 2nd Shock and 67th Army united in the area of ​​Workers' settlements No. 1 and No. 5. By the end of the day, the southern coast of Lake Ladoga was cleared of the enemy, and its scattered groups were eliminated. In these battles, the troops of the Volkhov Front captured the German new heavy tank Tiger.

The artillery of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet provided effective assistance to the advancing troops. The fire of large-caliber guns of the 301, 402 and 405th artillery divisions, the ferocious and Sentorozhevoy destroyers, the Oka and Zeya gunboats destroyed the enemy's defenses and reliably suppressed his batteries. During the offensive, naval artillery consumed 15.5 thousand shells.

Heavy enemy siege weapon captured by Soviet soldiers near Leningrad

On January 18, 1943, as soon as Moscow received information about the breakthrough of the blockade, the State Defense Committee decided on the forced construction of a railway line on the liberated narrow strip of land, which was supposed to connect Leningrad with the Volkhov railway junction. This road from Polyana station to Shlisselburg was built in just 18 days. The builders erected a temporary railway bridge across the Neva. On the morning of February 7, the Leningraders met the first train arriving from the mainland. Car traffic began along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga. The Road of Life continued to work as before. The largest political, industrial and cultural center of the Soviet Union, after a hard 16-month struggle, regained a land connection with the country. With the establishment of rail and road communications with Leningrad, the city's food supply improved significantly. Industrial enterprises began to receive more raw materials and fuel. Beginning in February 1943, the city's power generation increased sharply, and the production of weapons increased significantly.

The restoration of land communications made it possible to continuously reinforce the troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet with replenishment, military equipment and ammunition. As a result, the forces of the city's defenders began to grow rapidly. All this improved the strategic position of the Soviet troops operating in the northwestern direction.

However, another year after the breakthrough of the blockade, Leningrad was in a state of siege, and the siege was completely lifted only during the operation « January thunder» .

Know Soviet people that you are the descendants of fearless warriors!
Know, Soviet people, that the blood flows in you great heroes,
Those who gave their lives for the Motherland, without thinking about the benefits!
Know and honor Soviet people the exploits of grandfathers and fathers!

On January 18, 1943, as a result of Operation Iskra, the blockade of Leningrad was broken! On January 27, 1944, as a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, Leningrad was finally liberated from the Nazi blockade!

Documentary film "Ladoga" -1943 About the battle for Leningrad:

Documentary film "Ladoga" -1943 About the battle for Leningrad watch In contact with

By the beginning of 1943, the situation in Leningrad surrounded by German troops remained extremely difficult. The troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet were isolated from the rest of the forces of the Red Army. Attempts to release the blockade of Leningrad in 1942 - the Lyuban and Sinyavinsk offensive operations - were unsuccessful. The shortest route between the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts - between the southern coast of Lake Ladoga and the village of Mga (the so-called Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge, 12-16 km), was still occupied by units of the 18th German army.

In the streets and squares of the second capital of the USSR, shells and bombs continued to explode, people died, buildings collapsed. The city was under constant threat of air raids and artillery fire. The lack of land communications with the territory under the control of the Soviet troops caused great difficulties in the supply of fuel, raw materials for factories, did not allow satisfying the needs of the troops and the civilian population in food products and basic necessities.

However, the situation of Leningraders in the winter of 1942-1943. it was still somewhat better than the previous winter. Electricity was supplied to the city through the cable laid under the water, and fuel through the underwater pipeline. The city was supplied with the necessary food and goods on the ice of the lake - the Road of Life. In addition, in addition to the road, a railway line was also built right on the ice of Lake Ladoga.

The commander of the 136th Rifle Division, Major General Nikolai Pavlovich Simonyak at the observation post. The photo was taken during the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra).

By the end of 1942, the Leningrad Front under the command of Leonid Govorov included: 67th Army - commander Lieutenant General Mikhail Dukhanov, 55th Army - Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 23rd Army - Major General Alexander Cherepanov, 42- I Army - Lieutenant General Ivan Nikolaev, Primorskaya Task Force and 13th Air Army - Air Colonel General Stepan Rybalchenko. The main forces of the LF - the 42nd, 55th and 67th armies, defended themselves on the Uritsk, Pushkin line, south of Kolpino, Porogi, the right bank of the Neva to Lake Ladoga. The 67th Army operated in a 30 km strip along the right bank of the Neva from Poroga to Lake Ladoga, having a small bridgehead on the left bank of the river, in the area of ​​Moscow Dubrovka. The 55th Infantry Brigade of this army defended from the south the road that passed along the ice of Lake Ladoga. The 23rd Army defended the northern approaches to Leningrad, located on the Karelian Isthmus.

Formations of the 23rd Army were often transferred to other, more dangerous directions. The 42nd Army defended the Pulkovo line. The Primorsk Task Force (POG) was located at the Oranienbaum bridgehead.

The actions of the LF were supported by the Red Banner Baltic Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Vladimir Tributs, which was based at the mouth of the Neva River and in Kronstadt. He covered the coastal flanks of the front, supported the ground forces with his aviation and naval artillery fire. In addition, the fleet held a number of islands in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, which covered the western approaches to the city. Leningrad was also supported by the Ladoga military flotilla. The air defense of Leningrad was carried out by the Leningrad Air Defense Army, which interacted with the aviation and anti-aircraft artillery of the front and the fleet. The military road on the ice of the lake and the transshipment bases on its shores were covered from Luftwaffe attacks by the formations of a separate Ladoga air defense region.

By the beginning of 1943, the Volkhov Front under the command of General of the Army Kirill Meretsky included: the 2nd Shock Army, the 4th, 8th, 52nd, 54th, 59th armies and the 14th air army. But they took a direct part in the operation: 2nd Shock Army - under the command of Lieutenant General Vladimir Romanovsky, 54th Army - Lieutenant General Alexander Sukhomlin, 8th Army - Lieutenant General Philip Starikov, 14th Air Army - General Aviation Lieutenant Ivan Zhuravlev. They operated in a 300 km strip from Lake Ladoga to Lake Ilmen. On the right flank from Lake Ladoga to the Kirov railway, units of the 2nd shock and 8th armies were located.

The German command, after the failure of attempts to take the city in 1942, was forced to stop the fruitless offensive and order the troops to go on the defensive. The Red Army was opposed by the 18th German Army under the command of Georg Liderman, which was part of Army Group North. It consisted of 4 army corps and up to 26 divisions. German troops were supported by the 1st Air Fleet of Colonel-General of the Air Force Alfred Keller. In addition, on the northwestern approaches to the city, opposite the 23rd Soviet Army, there were 4 Finnish divisions from the Karelian Isthmus operational group.

The Red Army tank landing is heading for a breakthrough!

A unique film about the blockade of Leningrad. Chronicle of those years:

The Red Army soldiers take position and prepare for battle - breaking the blockade of Leningrad

German defense

The Germans had the most powerful defense and dense grouping of troops in the most dangerous direction - the Shlisselburg-Sinyavin ledge (its depth did not exceed 15 km). Here, between the city of Mga and Lake Ladoga, 5 German divisions were stationed - the main forces of the 26th and part of the divisions of the 54th army corps. They included about 60 thousand people, 700 guns and mortars, about 50 tanks and self-propelled guns. Each village was turned into a strong point, prepared for a circular defense, the positions were covered with minefields, barbed wire and reinforced with pillboxes. In total there were two lines of defense: the first included the structures of the 8th SDPP, the 1st and 2nd Gorodkov and the houses of the city of Shlisselburg - from the side of Leningrad, Lipka, Workers' settlements No. 4, 8, 7, Gontovaya Lipka - from the side of the Volkhov front , the second included workers 'settlements No. 1 and No. 5, stations Podgornaya, Sinyavino, workers' settlement No. 6, Mikhailovsky settlement. The defensive lines were saturated with nodes of resistance, had a developed network of trenches, shelters, dugouts, and fire weapons. As a result, the entire ledge resembled one fortified area.

The situation for the attacking side was exacerbated by the wooded and swampy terrain in the area. In addition, there was a large territory of the Sinyavinsky peat excavations, which were cut by deep ditches. The territory was impassable for armored vehicles and heavy artillery, and they were needed to destroy enemy fortifications. To overcome such a defense, powerful means of suppression and destruction were required, a tremendous strain on the forces and means of the advancing side.

On January 2, 1943, with the aim of breaking the blockade of Leningrad, the strategic offensive operation "Iskra" began.

The girl from the besieged city-People of Legends (USSR 1985):

Plan and preparation of the operation. Strike groups of the Soviet army

Back in November 1942, the LF command submitted to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief their proposals for preparing a new offensive near Leningrad. It was planned to carry out two operations in December 1942 - February 1943. During the "Shlisselburg operation" it was proposed by the LF forces, together with the troops of the Volkhov Front, to break through the blockade of the city and build a railway along Lake Ladoga. During the "Uritskaya operation" they were going to break through the land corridor to the Oranienbaum bridgehead. The headquarters approved the first part of the operation - breaking the blockade of Leningrad (directive No. 170696 of December 2, 1942). The operation was codenamed "Iskra" and the troops were to be on full alert by January 1, 1943.

The plan of the operation was set forth in more detail in the directive No. 170703 of the Supreme Command of the Supreme Command of 8 December. The LF and VF troops were given the task of breaking the German grouping in the Lipka, Gaitolovo, Moskovskaya Dubrovka, Shlisselburg area and, thus, lifting the complete blockade of Leningrad. By the end of January 1943, the Red Army was supposed to reach the line of the Moyka River - Mikhailovsky - Tortolovo. The directive also announced the conduct of the "Mginsky operation" in February with the aim of defeating the German group in the Mga region and ensuring a strong railway connection between Leningrad and the country. The coordination of the actions of the fronts was entrusted to Marshal Kliment Voroshilov.

Almost a month was allotted to prepare the operation. Much attention was paid to the interaction between the troops of the two fronts. In the rear, training fields and special townships were created to practice offensive actions of formations in wooded and swampy terrain and assault the enemy's echeloned defense. The formations of the 67th Army practiced the methods of crossing the Neva on the ice and guiding the crossing for tanks and artillery. In the LF, at the direction of Govorov, artillery groups were formed: long-range, special purpose, counter-mortar and a separate group of guards mortar units. By the beginning of the operation, thanks to intelligence efforts, the command was able to get a pretty good idea of ​​the German defense. There was a thaw in December, so the ice on the Neva was weak, and the swampy terrain was inaccessible, therefore, the Headquarters, at the suggestion of the LF commander, postponed the start of the operation to January 12, 1943. In early January, the GKO sent Georgy Zhukov to the Volkhov front to reinforce.

To carry out the operation, shock groups were formed as part of the LF and VF of the fronts, which were reinforced with armored, artillery and engineering formations, including those from the Stavka reserve. On the Volkhov front, the basis of the shock group was the 2nd Shock Army of Romanovsky. In its composition, including the army reserve, there were 12 rifle divisions, 4 tank, 1 rifle and 3 ski brigades, a guards tank breakthrough regiment, 4 separate tank battalions: 165 thousand people, 2,100-2,200 guns and mortars, 225 tanks. From the air, the army was supported by about 400 aircraft. The army received the task to break through the enemy's defenses on a 12 km sector from the village of Lipki on the shores of Lake Ladoga and to Gaitolovo, to enter the line of Workers' villages No. 1 and No. 5, Sinyavino, and then develop the offensive until it was joined with the LF units. In addition, the troops of the 8th Army: 2 rifle divisions, a marine brigade, a separate tank regiment and 2 separate tank battalions, delivered an auxiliary strike in the direction of Tortolovo, the village of Mikhailovsky. The offensive of the 2nd Shock and 8th Army was supported by about 2,885 guns and mortars.

From the LF the main role Dukhanov's 67th army was to play. It consisted of 7 rifle divisions (one guards), 6 rifle, 3 tank and 2 ski brigades, 2 separate tank battalions. The offensive was supported by the artillery of the army, the front, the Baltic Fleet (88 guns with a caliber of 130-406 mm) - about 1900 barrels, the 13th Air Force and naval aviation - about 450 aircraft and about 200 tanks. Parts of the 67th Army were to cross the Neva on a 12 km section between Nevsky Pyatachk and Shlisselburg, concentrating their main efforts in the direction of Maryino, Sinyavino. The LF troops, having broken through the German defenses in the Moskovskaya Dubrovka, Shlisselburg sector, were supposed to link up with the VF formations at the turn of Workers' villages No. 2, 5 and 6, and then develop an offensive to the southeast and reach the line on the Moika River.

Both strike groups numbered about 300 thousand people, about 4,900 guns and mortars, about 600 tanks and more than 800 aircraft.

Sappers of the Volkhov Front, Red Army soldier A.G. Zubakin and Sergeant M.V. Kamensky (on the right) makes passes in a barbed wire fence in the Sinyavino area. The photo was taken during the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad (Operation Iskra).

Siege Leningrad. Shestakovich's 7th Symphony:

The beginning of the Offensive. January 12, 1943

On the morning of January 12, 1943, the troops of the two fronts simultaneously launched an offensive. Previously, at night, aviation struck a powerful blow at the positions of the Wehrmacht in the breakthrough zone, as well as at airfields, command posts, communications and railway junctions in the enemy rear. Tons of metal fell on the Germans, destroying their manpower, destroying defenses and suppressing morale. At 9:30 am, the artillery of the two fronts began artillery preparation: in the offensive zone of the 2nd Shock Army, it lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, and in the sector of the 67th Army - 2 hours and 20 minutes. 40 minutes before the start of the movement of infantry and armored vehicles, an attack on previously reconnoitered artillery and mortar positions, strong points and communication centers was struck by ground attack aircraft, in groups of 6-8 aircraft.

At 11:50 am, under the cover of the "rampart of fire" and the fire of the 16th fortified area, the divisions of the first echelon of the 67th Army went on the attack. Each of the four divisions - the 45th Guards, 268th, 136th, 86th Infantry Divisions, were reinforced with several artillery and mortar regiments, an anti-tank artillery regiment and one or two engineering battalions. In addition, the offensive was supported by 147 light tanks and armored cars, the weight of which could withstand the ice. The particular difficulty of the operation was that the defensive positions of the Wehrmacht went along the steep, icy left river bank, which was higher than the right one. The Germans' fire weapons were arranged in tiers and covered all approaches to the coast with multilayer fire. To break through to the other side, it was necessary to reliably suppress the firing points of the Germans, especially in the first line. At the same time, it was necessary to take care not to damage the ice near the left bank.

Assault groups were the first to break through to the other bank of the Neva. Their fighters selflessly made passes through the barriers. Rifle and tank units crossed the river behind them. After a fierce battle, the enemy's defenses were hacked in the area north of the 2nd Gorodok (268th rifle division and 86th separate tank battalion) and in the Maryino area (136th division and formations of the 61st tank brigade). By the end of the day, Soviet troops broke the resistance of the 170th German Infantry Division between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg. The 67th Army captured the bridgehead between the 2nd Gorodok and Shlisselburg, the construction of a crossing for medium and heavy tanks and heavy artillery began (completed on January 14). On the flanks, the situation was more difficult: on the right wing, the 45th Guards Rifle Division in the "Nevsky Piglet" area was able to capture only the first line of German fortifications; on the left wing, the 86th Rifle Division was unable to cross the Neva at Shlisselburg (it was transferred to a bridgehead in the Maryino area in order to strike at Shlisselburg from a southern direction).

In the offensive zone of the 2nd Shock (went on the offensive at 11:15) and the 8th Armies (at 11:30), the offensive developed with great difficulty. Aviation and artillery were unable to suppress the main firing points of the enemy, and the swamps were impassable even in winter. The most fierce battles were fought for the points of Lipka, Rabochiy Settlement No. 8 and Gontovaya Lipka, these strongholds were on the flanks of the breakthrough forces and, even in complete encirclement, continued the battle. On the right flank and in the center, the 128th, 372nd and 256th Infantry Divisions were able to break through the defenses of the 227th Infantry Division by the end of the day and advance 2-3 km. Strongpoints Lipka and Workers' settlement No. 8 could not be captured that day. On the left flank, only the 327th Rifle Division, which occupied most of the fortification in the Kruglaya grove, was able to achieve some success. The attacks of the 376th Division and the forces of the 8th Army were unsuccessful.

The German command, already on the first day of the battle, was forced to bring operational reserves into battle: the formations of the 96th Infantry Division and the 5th Mountain Rifle Division sent to the aid of the 170th Division, two regiments of the 61st Infantry Division ("the group of Major General Hüner ”) Were introduced into the center of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge.

Leningrad in wrestling (USSR, 1942):

Watch the entire film Leningrad in the Struggle (USSR, 1942) In contact with v Youtube

Leningrad front- Commander: Lieutenant General (from January 15, 1943 - Colonel General) L.A. Govorov

Volkhov front- Commander: General of the Army K.A. Meretskov.

Battles 13 - 17 January

On the morning of January 13, the offensive continued. The Soviet command, in order to finally turn the situation in their favor, began to introduce the second echelon of the advancing armies into battle. However, the Germans, relying on strong points and a developed defense system, put up stubborn resistance, the battles took on a protracted and fierce character.

In the 67th Army's offensive zone on the left flank, the 86th Infantry Division and a battalion of armored vehicles, supported from the north by the 34th Ski Brigade and the 55th Infantry Brigade (on the ice of the lake), stormed the approaches to Shlisselburg for several days. By the evening of the 15th, the Red Army reached the outskirts of the city, the German troops in Shlisselburg were in a critical situation, but continued to fight stubbornly.

In the center, the 136th Rifle Division and the 61st Tank Brigade were developing an offensive in the direction of Workers 'Village No. 5. To provide the left flank of the division, the 123rd Rifle Brigade was brought into battle, it was supposed to advance in the direction of Workers' Village No. 3. Then, to ensure the right flank, the 123rd Infantry Division and a tank brigade were brought into battle, they advanced in the direction of Rabochiy Settlement No. 6, Sinyavino. After several days of fighting, the 123rd Rifle Brigade captured Workers 'Village No. 3 and reached the outskirts of villages No. 1 and 2. The 136th Division fought its way to Workers' Village No. 5, but could not take it straight away.

On the right wing of the 67th Army, attacks by the 45th Guards and 268th Rifle Divisions were still unsuccessful. The Air Force and artillery were unable to eliminate the firing points in the 1st, 2nd Gorodki and 8th SDPP. In addition, the German troops received reinforcements - formations of the 96th Infantry and 5th Mountain Rifle Divisions. The Germans even launched fierce counterattacks, using the 502nd heavy tank battalion, which was armed with heavy tanks "Tiger I". The Soviet troops, despite the entry into battle of the troops of the second echelon - the 13th rifle division, the 102nd and 142nd rifle brigades, were not able to turn the situation in this sector in their favor.

In the zone of the 2nd Shock Army, the offensive continued to develop more slowly than that of the 67th Army. German troops, relying on strong points - Workers' settlements No. 7 and No. 8, Lipke, continued to offer stubborn resistance. On January 13, despite the introduction of part of the forces of the second echelon into battle, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army did not achieve serious success in any direction. In the following days, the army command tried to widen the breakthrough in the southern sector from the Kruglaya grove to Gaitolovo, but without significant results. The 256th Infantry Division was able to achieve the greatest successes in this direction, on January 14 it occupied the Workers' Village No. 7, the Podgornaya station and reached the approaches to Sinyavino. On the right wing, the 12th ski brigade was sent to the aid of the 128th division, it was supposed to go to the rear of the Lipka stronghold on the ice of Lake Ladoga.

On January 15, in the center of the offensive zone, the 372nd Infantry Division was finally able to take Workers' villages No. 8 and No. 4, and on the 17th it left the village No. 1. By this day, the 18th Infantry Division and the 98th Tank Brigade of the 2nd UA had already been several days fought a stubborn battle on the outskirts of Workers' Village No. 5. Units of the 67th Army attacked it from the west. The moment of joining the two armies was close ...

As a result of the January battles of 1943, it was possible to clear the southern coast of Lake Ladoga from the enemy. Between Lake Ladoga and the front line was formed corridor 8-11 km wide through which within 17 days railways and roads were laid.

The blockade was completely lifted January 27, 1944 as a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation.

The blockade of Leningrad lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. During this time, 107 thousand bombs were dropped on the northern capital, about 150 thousand shells were fired. According to various sources, during the years of the blockade, from 400 thousand to 1 million people died. In particular, the figure of 632 thousand people appeared at the Nuremberg trials. Only 3% of them died from bombing and shelling, the remaining 97% died of starvation.

The daily bread ration of besieged Leningrad.

Light cruiser Kirov salutes in honor of lifting the blockade of Leningrad!

Leningrad. Firework. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad (January 27, 1944):

On January 18, 1943, one of the most significant events in the Great Patriotic War took place - the blockade of Leningrad was broken. This day is a special date for all residents of the city, regardless of age. Despite the fact that after January 1943, Leningrad remained besieged for a whole year, with the breakthrough of the blockade, Leningrad residents had a real chance to survive.

In addition, the liberation of Leningrad from the blockade in January 1943 became a key moment in the defense of the city: having seized the final strategic initiative in this direction, the Soviet troops eliminated the danger of a combination of German and Finnish troops. January 18 - the day the blockade of Leningrad was broken - the critical period of the city's isolation ended.

It should be noted that for the command of the Wehrmacht, the capture of the city on the Neva had not only an important military-strategic importance: in addition to the seizure of the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland and the destruction of the Baltic fleet, far-reaching propaganda goals were also pursued. The fall of Leningrad would have caused irreparable moral damage to the entire Soviet people and would have significantly undermined the morale of the armed forces. Of course, before the Nazi troops isolated the city, the Red Army command had an alternative - to withdraw the troops and surrender Leningrad; but then the fate of its inhabitants would be even more tragic, because Hitler intended to wipe the city off the face of the earth in the literal sense of the word.

The breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad became possible as a result of the successful military operation called "Iskra", which lasted three weeks - from January 12 to 30, 1943. The strategic offensive operation "Iskra" to break the blockade of Leningrad was carried out by the forces of the shock groups of the Leningrad (commanded by Lieutenant General L.A. Govorov) and Volkhovskii (commanded by General of the Army K.A. Meretskov) fronts.

Preparation for the operation took place as follows.

By the end of 1942, the situation near Leningrad was difficult: the troops of the Leningrad Front and the Baltic Fleet were isolated, there was no land connection between the city and the "Big Land". During 1942, the Red Army made two attempts to break the blockade. However, both the Lyubanskaya and Sinyavinskaya offensive operations were not crowned with success. The area between the southern coast of Lake Ladoga and the village of Mga (the so-called "bottleneck"), where the distance between the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts was the shortest (12-16 km), was still occupied by units of the German 18th Army.

Under these conditions, the Supreme Command Headquarters developed a plan for a new operation. The troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were ordered to “defeat the enemy grouping in the Lipka, Gaitolovo, Moskovskaya Dubrovka, Shlisselburg area and thus break the siege of Leningrad” and by the end of January 1943 complete the operation and reach the Moika-Mikhailovsky-Tortolovo river line.

Almost a month was set aside for the preparation of the operation, during which all-round preparations for the upcoming offensive were unfolded in the troops. Particular attention was paid to the organization of interaction between the strike groups, for which the command and staffs of the two fronts coordinated their plans, established contact lines and worked out interactions, holding a number of military games based on the real situation.

For the offensive, shock groups of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts were formed, which were significantly reinforced with artillery, tank and engineer formations, including from the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters. In total, the strike groups of the two fronts numbered 302,800 soldiers and officers, about 4,900 guns and mortars (with a caliber of 76 mm and above), more than 600 tanks and 809 aircraft.

The defense of the Shlisselburg-Sinyavinsky ledge was carried out by the main forces of the 26th and part of the divisions of the 54th army corps of the 18th army, numbering about 60,000 soldiers and officers, with the support of 700 guns and mortars and about 50 tanks and self-propelled guns.

In view of the significant superiority of the Soviet army in manpower and equipment, the German command hoped to hold positions, primarily due to the power of its defense: most of the villages were strongholds, the front edge and positions in the depths of the defense were fenced off with minefields, barbed wire and reinforced with bunkers.

Operation "Spark" by day

At 0930 hours, more than 4.5 thousand guns and mortars from the two fronts and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet launched their attack on the enemy positions. On the Leningrad front, a fiery tornado raged for 2 hours and 20 minutes. On the Volkhov Front in the 2nd Shock Army, the artillery preparation lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes.

At 11:50 a.m., the last salvo of guards mortars was fired, and rifle chains of divisions of the first echelon of the Leningrad Front entered the Neva ice.

The 136th Rifle Division (commanded by Major General N.P. Simonyak) in the area of ​​the village of Maryino achieved the greatest success on the first day. Having quickly crossed the Neva, the division's units broke into the front edge of the enemy's defenses and by the end of January 12 had advanced 3-4 kilometers.

The 268th Rifle Division operated successfully on the first day of the offensive. By the end of the day, the division had advanced up to 3 kilometers and created a threat to encircle the Gorodok defense center and the 8th hydroelectric power station.

The situation on the flanks was not so favorable. The 45th Guards Rifle Division, speaking from the bridgehead in the Moscow Dubrovka area, came under very strong enemy artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire and was able to advance only 500-600 meters. The 86th Rifle Division, operating on the left flank of the army, crossed the Neva in the area between Maryino and Shlisselburg. Not suppressed firing points in the basements of the building and on the docks forced its units to lie down on the ice of the Neva.

In the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front, the greatest successes on the first day were achieved by units of the 327th Infantry Division of Colonel N. A. Polyakov. By the end of the first day of the offensive, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army advanced 3 kilometers.

Scouts of the Leningrad Front during the battle at the barbed wire. The photo was taken during the first day of the operation to break the blockade of Leningrad

In the morning the fighting took on a particularly stubborn and fierce character. By the end of the second day of the operation, the troops of the 67th Army of the Leningrad Front almost came close to the line of the planned meeting with the troops of the Volkhov Front. The latter had practically no promotion on January 13th.

The commander of the 67th Army, Major General M.P. Dukhanov, brought part of the forces of the second echelon into battle: the 123rd Infantry Division together with the 152nd Tank Brigade, the 102nd Separate Infantry Brigade and one regiment of the 13th Infantry Division.

Trying to hold the Shlisselburg-Sinyavino ledge, the enemy command had strengthened the grouping of its troops with the 96th and 61st infantry divisions here the day before and transferred the 5th mountain infantry division to the Sinyavino area. These formations fiercely resisted the advance of the 67th and 2nd Shock Armies and often launched counterattacks.

On the third day of fighting, it was not possible to break the enemy's resistance. During the day, the troops of the 67th and 2nd Shock Armies slightly advanced forward. The distance between the advancing groupings of both armies was reduced to 4 kilometers.

On the fourth and fifth days of the offensive, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts fought for separate strongholds, gradually advancing towards each other.

The 2nd Shock Army, waging stubborn battles, slowly advanced towards the Leningraders and expanded the breakthrough. Parts of the 128th Infantry Division attacked in cooperation with the 12th Ski Brigade, which made a daring raid across the ice of Lake Ladoga to the rear of the German garrison in the village of Lipka, and captured this settlement.

On the sixth day of the operation, fierce fighting broke out again in the main direction. They were led by the 136th, 123rd rifle divisions, the 123rd rifle brigade, as well as the 61st tank brigade. On the left flank, the 330th regiment and the 34th ski brigade continued to carry out the task of capturing Shlisselburg. The German command feverishly transferred new reserves to the areas of Mga, Kelkolovo, Mustolovo, Sinyavino.

By January 17, the troops of the Volkhov Front captured Workers 'villages No. 4 and No. 8, Podgornaya station, and came close to the Workers' villages No. 1 and No. 5. The corridor separating the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts became quite narrow.

On January 18, after fierce fighting, the 136th Rifle Division, pursuing the enemy, burst into Workers' Village No. 5, where at about 12 noon it joined up with units of the 18th Rifle Division of the 2nd Shock Army.

By this time, the advanced units of the 123rd Infantry Brigade of the 67th Army had already met with units of the 372nd Division of the 2nd Shock Army on the eastern outskirts of Workers' Village No. 1.

And at the end of the day, the advance units of the 34th Ski Brigade established contact with the 128th Infantry Division and the 12th Ski Brigade of the 2nd Shock Army, which finally took Lipki.

Around midnight on January 18, the radio broadcast that the blockade of Leningrad had been broken. There was general rejoicing in the streets and avenues of the city. In the early morning of January 19, the hero city was decorated with flags. All its inhabitants took to the streets, as it was during the great national holidays. At large rallies, Leningraders expressed deep gratitude to the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, who broke the blockade.

Having formed a common front and entrenched in new lines, the troops of the 67th and 2nd shock armies continued their offensive on the Sinyavinsky heights. Fierce battles continued until the end of January, but, despite the introduction of new units into battle, it was not possible to break through the enemy's defenses.

The total losses of Soviet troops during Operation Iskra (January 12-30) amounted to 115,082 people (33,940 - irrevocably), while the Leningrad Front lost 41,264 people (12,320 - irrevocably), and Volkhovsky - 73,818 people (21 620 - irrevocably). According to German data (summary reports of the army headquarters about losses) in January 1943, the 18th Army lost 22,619 people. For the first half of the month, the total losses of the army amounted to 6,406 people (of which 1,543 were killed and missing), and in the period from January 16 to 31 - 16,213 people (of which 4,569 were irretrievable).

For courage and heroism shown in January battles, about 19,000 Soviet soldiers were awarded orders and medals, 12 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Particularly distinguished units were transformed into guards: 136th (commander N.P. Simonyak) and 327th (commander N.A. Polyakov) rifle divisions were transformed into 63rd and 64th guards rifle divisions, and 61- I tank brigade (commander V. V. Khrustitsky) - in the 30th Guards Tank Brigade, 122nd Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

As a result of Operation Iskra, the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts on January 18, 1943 broke through the blockade of Leningrad. Although the military success achieved was rather modest (the width of the corridor connecting the city with the country was only 8-11 kilometers), the political, material, economic and symbolic meaning breaking the blockade cannot be overemphasized. In the shortest possible time, the Polyana - Shlisselburg railway line, a highway and bridges across the Neva were built. On February 7, the first train from the "Big Land" arrived at the Finlyandsky railway station. Already in mid-February, the food supply standards set for other industrial centers of the country began to operate in Leningrad. All this radically improved the position of the residents of the city and the troops of the Leningrad Front.