Day of lifting the blockade of Leningrad

The value of the defense of Leningrad

The defense of Leningrad had a great military-strategic, political and moral importance. The Nazi command lost the ability of the most effective maneuver of strategic reserves, the transfer of troops to other directions. If the city on the Neva fell in 1941, the German troops would have joined the Finns, and most of the troops of the German Army Group North would be deployed in the south and hit the central regions of the USSR. In this case, Moscow could not hold on, and the whole war would take a completely different scenario. In the deadly meat grinder of the Sinyavino operation in 1942, the Leningrad residents, by their exploits and indestructible stamina, saved not only themselves. Having bound the German forces, they provided invaluable assistance to Stalingrad, the whole country! The feat of the defenders of Leningrad, who defended their city in the face of the hardest trials, inspired the whole army and country, earned the deep respect and appreciation of the states of the anti-Hitler coalition. In 1942, the Soviet government established the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad", which was awarded to about 1.5 million defenders of the city. This medal today remains in the memory of the people of one of the most honorable awards of the Great Patriotic War.