The highway that ran through Ladoga during the Great Patriotic War is rightly called the Road of Life. Since from the autumn of 1941 to the winter of 1943 it was almost the only way to besieged Leningrad, where there was a catastrophic lack of provisions. You will learn more about what the Road of Life is from this article.
Beginning of blockade
The blockade of the hero-city of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941, when the German troops closed the encirclement, taking Shlisselburg. It was through this city that the last route passed, which connected Leningrad with the Soviet Union. Therefore, the last hope to save the inhabitants from starvation was only winter and the ice of Lake Ladoga.
First deliveries to the hungry
It should be noted that the reservoir had very difficult navigation conditions, and all supply routes were built around Ladoga. Not a single pier or pier was equipped on the shores of the lake. But this did not prevent the command from starting food supplies in September. The route of the Road of Life passed from Volkhov to Novaya Ladoga and then along the water to the Osinovets lighthouse. In mid-September, the first two barges arrived here, on the decks of which there were more than 700 tons of grain and flour. Since then, the date of September 12 is considered the day when the Ladoga Road of Life began to work. Until the end of 1941 alone, about 60 thousand tons of various cargoes were delivered to the distressed city and 33.5 thousand people were evacuated. The basis of all goods transported along the Road of Life was fodder, food, fuel and ammunition. The Great Patriotic War is rich in various heroic events, the blockade of Leningrad and the equipment of the Road of Life, perhaps, are one of the most important.
Road of life
Food, medicines and ammunition were in short supply. The problem was to be solved by the Road of Life (passing on ice). At the end of November, Soviet intelligence officers conducted a total reconnaissance of the lake and the future highway, and already on November 20, the first convoy headed by Lieutenant M. Murov set off across the ice from Vaganovsky Descent to Leningrad. 63 tons of flour were loaded onto 350 sledges. Already on the morning of November 21, the convoy arrived at the scene, which justified the operation and made it clear to the command what the Road of Life is for supplying Leningraders.
The next day, 60 loaded GAZ-AA vehicles ("one and a half") were sent to the blockaded city, captain V. Porchunov commanded the transportation. The road of life to the war started working at full capacity, during the first winter alone 360 thousand tons of cargo were transported, of which 260 thousand were food. Cars turning back onThe mainland was necessarily taken by the population of the city, having evacuated about 550 thousand people in the first year of the blockade. Thanks to systematic transportation, the norms for issuing food in Leningrad have increased and the population has become less hungry.
New supply phase
The next stage of navigation on Lake Ladoga began at the end of May 1942, cargo ships transported more than 1 million cargoes in both directions, of which 700 thousand fell on Leningrad. 445 thousand people from the civilian population were evacuated to the mainland. About 300,000 soldiers were brought back to the front.
The summer of 1942 made it possible to lay a pipeline along the bottom of Ladoga, which made it possible to supply the city with fuel, and a cable for supplying electricity from the Volkhovskaya hydroelectric power station.
From mid-December 1942 to March 1943, the already legendary Road of Life began to operate again. During this period, more than 200 thousand various cargoes were transported and 100 thousand people were evacuated.
On January 18, 1943, the Red Army retook Shlisselburg from the enemy, and the blockade of Leningrad was broken. Immediately after this event, a railway was laid, along which all the goods necessary for the city went without any problems. Subsequently, this road was called Victory Road. But, despite this, the Ladoga route continued to operate until the final lifting of the blockade from the city, that is, until January 1944.
Description of the route
Replyto the question: “What is the Road of Life?” - impossible without a thorough description of its route. It started at the Finland Station and followed by land to the shore of Ladoga, and then directly along the frozen lake. At the same time, the main route of the Road of Life passed just 25 kilometers from the enemy positions on the coast, from where moving convoys were shelled. Drivers of loaded vehicles constantly risked their lives, moving under the fire of German artillery and aircraft, and risking falling under the ice of the lake. But, despite all the difficulties, from five to eight tons of different cargo passed on the road every day.
During the use of the legendary road, a curious fact was established: the most terrible thing when moving on ice is not German bomber raids, but movement at a resonant speed. In this position, any passenger car went under the ice in the place where a heavy convoy passed a few hours ago. Therefore, the speed of movement in each section of the lake was strictly regulated.
The further fate of the Road of Life
As you know, in the spring of 1943, when the blockade of Leningrad was broken, the Road of Life was replaced by the new Road of Victory, which was a railway line from Volkhov to Leningrad. But in winter, food was delivered to the city along the old route - through Lake Ladoga.
The Great Patriotic War, the blockade of Leningrad in particular, are vivid examples of sincere patriotism and fortitude. Millionspeople did not surrender to the enemy and endured all the hardships and hardships of the war years. What is the Road of Life? This is one of the many feats of the Soviet people during the war years.
