This website uses cookies. Some are necessary to help our website work properly and can't be switched off, and some are optional but can optimise your browsing experience. To manage your cookie choices, click on Open settings.
Behind the blockade - 'Road of Life' features in rare footage from siege of Leningrad *ARCHIVE*01:37
Restrictions

For news purposes only. Onscreen RGAKFD logo must remain visible and intact. No access news agencies

Top downloads in last 24 hours
Show more
Description

Rare archive footage filmed from 1941-44 features civilians and military personnel in the Soviet city of Leningrad during the 872-day-long siege in World War 2.

Trucks and horse-drawn carts can be seen on the 'Road of Life', the transport route across the ice of Lake Ladoga during winter months, and the only way into the city to deliver essential supplies and evacuate the wounded.

Footage also shows residents collecting water from the River Neva, an abandoned gas station and one of the very first trams in service in the city after the service was restored.

The prolonged military blockade of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941 when Nazi forces cut off the last land road into the city. On January 18, 1943, the Red Army managed to open a narrow land corridor, and the siege was completely lifted on January 27, 1944.

The blockade is believed to be one of the longest and most brutal sieges in history with an estimated 1.5 million casualties.

This archive footage is released as part of the '100 Key Events in Russia in the 20th and 21st Centuries', a project with the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive (rgakfd.ru).

Behind the blockade - 'Road of Life' features in rare footage from siege of Leningrad *ARCHIVE*

Russian Federation, Leningrad region
January 22, 2024 at 12:43 GMT +00:00 · Published

Rare archive footage filmed from 1941-44 features civilians and military personnel in the Soviet city of Leningrad during the 872-day-long siege in World War 2.

Trucks and horse-drawn carts can be seen on the 'Road of Life', the transport route across the ice of Lake Ladoga during winter months, and the only way into the city to deliver essential supplies and evacuate the wounded.

Footage also shows residents collecting water from the River Neva, an abandoned gas station and one of the very first trams in service in the city after the service was restored.

The prolonged military blockade of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941 when Nazi forces cut off the last land road into the city. On January 18, 1943, the Red Army managed to open a narrow land corridor, and the siege was completely lifted on January 27, 1944.

The blockade is believed to be one of the longest and most brutal sieges in history with an estimated 1.5 million casualties.

This archive footage is released as part of the '100 Key Events in Russia in the 20th and 21st Centuries', a project with the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive (rgakfd.ru).

Restrictions

For news purposes only. Onscreen RGAKFD logo must remain visible and intact. No access news agencies

Description

Rare archive footage filmed from 1941-44 features civilians and military personnel in the Soviet city of Leningrad during the 872-day-long siege in World War 2.

Trucks and horse-drawn carts can be seen on the 'Road of Life', the transport route across the ice of Lake Ladoga during winter months, and the only way into the city to deliver essential supplies and evacuate the wounded.

Footage also shows residents collecting water from the River Neva, an abandoned gas station and one of the very first trams in service in the city after the service was restored.

The prolonged military blockade of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941 when Nazi forces cut off the last land road into the city. On January 18, 1943, the Red Army managed to open a narrow land corridor, and the siege was completely lifted on January 27, 1944.

The blockade is believed to be one of the longest and most brutal sieges in history with an estimated 1.5 million casualties.

This archive footage is released as part of the '100 Key Events in Russia in the 20th and 21st Centuries', a project with the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive (rgakfd.ru).

Top downloads in last 24 hours
Show more