Blockade of Leningrad
70 years ago the city of Saint-Petersburg was called Leningrad and when the Second World War was triggered off, Leningrad was forced to withstand the fascist terror and 3 years long enemy’s push. Germans decided to stab second country’s most populated city which as well had been the country’s weapon broker. But they didn’t choose any aggressive tactics and made a blockade that lasted more than 850 days and led to starvation and constant disorders within the city.
Leningrad Siege: Now and Then
“The Siege of Leningrad, also known as The Leningrad Blockade was an unsuccessful military operation by the Axis (Nazi) powers to capture Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) during World War II. The siege lasted from September 9, 1941, to January 27, 1944, when a narrow land corridor to the city was established by the Soviets. The total lifting of the siege occurred on January 27, 1944. The Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest and most destructive sieges of major cities in modern history and it was the second most costly.” - from Wikipedia.
During nine hundred (!) days a few million people city of Leningrad suffered from cold and hunger, being deprived of almost all supplies of food and fuel. Many thousands died, those who survived remember this not very willingly. The situation with food was so heavy, no food was sold/distributed among people except a few grams (not even tens or hundred grams) of bread, and not each day, that people had to eat stuff that they would never eat in normal life, like making soups of leather boots (because leather is of animal origin) or boiling the wallpaper because the glue with which they were attached to walls contained a bit of organic stuff. Of course many occasions of cannibalism occurred.
On those photos you can see some pieces of those old photos made during those black days overlaid to the modern city views, respecting the place and angle of view.
WW2 Like Reconstruction
A few days ago an anniversary for the blockade of St. Petersburg city during the World War 2. For more than two years the city was in the tight circle of German troops. The front line was already in the suburbs and the downtown was bombed constantly. People suffered from the hunger and illnesses. Tens of thousands died. For those who survived it’s a great day, and those guys dressed in WW2 uniforms dedicate this show for them, the heroes of the blocked city.
Soviet Ads for Western Audience
There were almost no ads in the Soviet Union at all, except for the rare cases. For example, these promotional posters were intended for the foreign tourists and visitors.
World War 2 Photos by Dmitri Bal’termants
Dmitri Nickolaevich Bal’termants was born in 1912, in Warsaw, Poland (the part of the Russian Empire at that time). In 1915, at the beginning of the revolution, his family moved in Moscow, where he have been living for the most part of his life.
During the World War 2 he made his shots through all over the front in such places as Moscow, Stalingrad (Volgograd nowadays) or Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
Now the pictures of Bal’termants have become the world famous symbols of the War.
See also:
The Battle in Volkhovsky Forest
On-ground Torpedo
Russian Tanks
Russian Snipers from WW2
Swings - 1944
Russian Fortications from World War 2
Astonishing Shot Back from 1942
Battle For Staliningrad
Finnish Propaganda to Russian Soldiers During WW2
Rafting contest with blow up sex dolls instead of rafts
A strange contest takes place in Leningrad region, on Vuoksa river. Hundreds of athletes compete in the rafting using blow up sex dolls instead of using standard rafts. The place where the competition is being held is also a well known site among common rafting fans. (more…)
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