Describing the blockade of Leningrad, his feat and suffering, many authors, without sorry (and absolutely true!) Inactive expressions and intonations to the German troops, for some reason, for some reason, it is completely forgotten that the blockade of the city would be impossible if it were not implemented by Finnish army.
Finns, having started an offensive in the Onegg Ladoga of the Isthmus on July 10, 1941, took it, at the beginning of September, the Svir River was released, September 30 was mastered by Petrozavodsky.
On the Karelian Isthmus, Finns began to step on July 31, 1941, and by the end of the summer they went to the old border, that is, the one that was held on the Karelian Isthmus to the "Winter War" (the Soviet-Finnish war of November 1939 - March 1940). From Leningrad, they now separated about thirty kilometers.
In August 1941, the German command has repeatedly offered Marshal Carl Mannerheim (Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim), the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Army, take part in the storming of Leningrad, as well as continue the offensive of the south of the Spear River for connecting to the Germans who coming to Tikhvin. But Finns stopped their troops and did not do the next step.
This restrained behavior of Mannerheim some not very knowledgeable people in recent years began to explain the special position, which allegedly occupied Mannerheim during the war. This position is explained by his past - Mannerheim, the student of the Russian-Japanese and First World War, the Lieutenant-General of the Russian Army, who lived in Petrograd, who lived in Petrograd, refused to storm and firing the city, which he knew and loved .
Mannerheim was not really a supporter of hostilities against Leningrad - Finns The city was not bombed and did not fired, place a long-range artillery in its territory the Germans were not allowed.
But in fact, quite different reasons for the promotion of Mannerheim not to delve into the territory of the Soviet Union.
First, the Red Army on the Karelian Isthmus relied on the system of long-term facilities of Karelian Studyonon, to storm who finned, with a small number of heavy tanks and heavy artillery, were not able to.
Secondly, a significant impact on the position of Mannerheim was an extremely negative reaction of the United States and Great Britain to capture the Finnish army of Petrozavodsk and the shores of the Svir River, that is, the territories that were far behind the old Soviet-Finnish border. On December 5, 1941, Great Britain declared war on Finland after its refusal to stop hostilities against the USSR.
Thirdly, the soldiers of the Finnish army began to refuse to move the old border - they did not understand why the blood should shed in someone else's territory.
Thus, not the nobility of Mannerheim and not his love for Russia and Petrograd stopped the offensive of Finnish troops in the fall of 1941. Mannerheim was not only a skilled warlord, but also a far-sighted, pragmatic politician, who defeated concerns about the future of Finland, and not Russia. He explained his refusal to take part in the seizure of Leningrad in February 1942 by the fact that "no Russian will never forget if we do it."
Was it better to declare Leningrad "Open City"?
In Soviet times, when describing Leningrad's blockade, the examples of the heroic behavior and patriotism of residents of the city, their dedicated labor in the name of victory, their mutual assistance were introduced to the fore. Only during the years of "publicity", and then after the collapse of the Soviet power, it became possible to recreate the true picture of the proven torment and suffering to the share of the besieged Leningrad in full. And in the second half of the 1980s, many of those who survived the blockade himself, with Leningrad residents with age, and just people who are interested in the recent history of their fatherland, could not have any questions: but it was possible when the threat of complete The city's environment gained their sinister outlines, do something to take a terrible misfortune? And maybe it was not necessary to protect Leningrad so selflessly and steadically - it was not better to announce it in accordance with the norms of international law "open city" to prevent combat operations and avoid its destruction and death of residents (as, for example, This was done by the French Government in June 1940, when approaching Paris of the portship of the Wehrmacht approaching Paris?
Viktor Astafiev¸ One of the largest Russian writers of the 20th century, in an interview with the Pravda newspaper on June 30, 1989, was spoken like this: "Million lives is for the city, for the boxes? It is possible to restore everything, right up to the nail, and I will not return life ... And near Leningrad? People preferred to destroy other people for the stone. And what a painful death! Children, old people ... "
The above view has still has many supporters, but with all immeasurable respect for Viktor Astafyev, a talented writer and the ruthless criticism of the Stalin Totalitarian car, it is necessary to say clearly and unequivocally: this point of view is incorrect.
First of all, because her supporters are forgotten: Hitler led the war against the USSR (unlike the war with the same France) "On the destruction", it wore a racially ideological character with a predetermined goal - the conquest of the "living space" in the east.
Already in early July 1941, Hitler decided to "challenge Moscow and Leningrad from Earth to completely get rid of the population of these cities." At the end of August 1941, Hitler refused to take the intention to take Leningrad Sturm, the German troops received an order: "Block the city of Leningrad Ring, as close as possible to the city itself, not to put forward the capitulation requirements, it is forbidden to storm the city by infantry."
Further, it was prescribed: "Each attempt to overcome the environment to prevent the environment, if necessary, with the use of weapons."
Thus, if even Leningrad was declared the "open city" or declared his surrender, then you can not doubt the parliamentary and residents of the city, trying to escape from the departed city, would be encountered by barbed wire, mine guns and machine guns.
Germans were not going to feed Leningradians, Finns were not able to
The area of anti-scientific fiction should include the view that with a proposal for the delivery of the city should be referred to the Finn. German leaders with the beginning of the war seduced their Finnish colleagues permission to join the Soviet territory, reaching the Neva, including Leningrad, but invariably received a negative answer: "We have no food reserves to give it to the civilian population."
And indeed, in 1940, the rationing of bread, oil, meat and milk was introduced in Finland, in early 1941 - eggs and fish. The lack of basic food products was aggravated with Finland's entry into war in 1941.
Finland's inability to take "on themselves" the starving Leningrad will become understandable if we consider that its population was 3 million 864 thousand people, and the population of Leningrad in September 1941 - 2 million 451 thousand people, and all with residents of suburban areas were in the blockade ring 2 million 887 thousand people.
And in the case of the seizure of Leningrad, his inhabitants would wait for fate more terrible than in reality. The Germans were not going to feed them, Finns were not able.
Recognition of the enemy: the will of the population to resistance was not broken
Over time, the Leningrad blockade not only did not lose its former halo, but a collective feat (deliberately writing this word with a capital letter) Leningradians appeared before us in an even more tragic and at the same time - it emphasized it especially! - Heroic light.
Under conditions, when simple physiological survival seems to us, the current, impossible, "blocks" in the vast majority (quoting one of the responses on the Internet) "did not turn into a crazy clogged herd, ready to gnaw to each other sake of bread crumbs, did not lose dignity The ability to work, creatively think, learn and develop. "
Having granted tribute to the courage and the resistance of the soldiers of the Red Army, massively daring on the Nevsky Patch and in the Sinyavinian swamps, let's say clearly and unequivocally: their heroism, their efforts would be wrapped in the rush, if it were not for such a mass self-sacrifice of ordinary citizens, having lost their hunger and cold - But with faith in victory!
Curious Fact - 19 February 1945 Reichsführer SS Henrich Gimmler (Heinrich Himmler), at that time the commander of the "Vistula" armies, which covered the approaches to Berlin, sent to the commanders of subordinate divisions an overview of events that allowed Leningrads to surrender to the German command and The population of German cities took an example with them.
"The will of the population to resistance was not broken," Himmler wrote. "The hatred of the population to us has become the most important motor of defense." This recognition of the lute enemy is expensive!