Description

By (author) Buttar Prit

One of the greatest ever sieges is masterfully brought to life by a leading expert on the Eastern Front.

At the height of World War II the people of Leningrad endured a bitter 900-day siege, struggling against bombing, shelling, and starvation. Prit Buttar tells the story of how the siege was finally broken. The Red Army had suffered multiple setbacks in the preceding two years but achieved a partial success by breaking the blockage in early 1943. However, this was followed by further failed attempts to lift the siege completely.

But by simply enduring the siege in the face of impossible odds, Russian soldiers and civilians beat the Germans. By the end of 1943 the German forces, themselves broken by deprivations and extreme weather, began to pull back. Here was the opportunity the Soviet forces had been waiting for. The Red Army launched a decisive attack that broke through and ended the siege. Their determination to hold out has become a hugely significant part of Russian history, the echoes of the battle helping to define both a country and its politics.

This compelling history uses original Russian source material to vividly describe the deprivations visited upon those trapped. But it also details the tactical successes and strategic failures of both sides as well as the appalling war crimes that have forever stained the ground in and around this historic city.

Table of contents:

List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Dramatis Personae
Introduction: A Singular City
Chapter 1: Unfinished Business
Chapter 2: Iskra – Planning
Chapter 3: Iskra – Execution
Chapter 4: Polyarnaya Zvezda
Chapter 5: The Last Battles Before Spring
Chapter 6: A Tense Summer
Chapter 7: The Summer Offensive: Sinyavino
Chapter 8: An Autumn of Blood and Attrition
Chapter 9: Winter Planning
Chapter 10: Yanvarskiiy Grom
Chapter 11: Retreat from Leningrad
Chapter 12: Schild und Schwert
Chapter 13: After the Siege
Chapter 14: Military Memories and Assessments of the Siege of Leningrad
Chapter 15: The Myths and Legends of Leningrad
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Review quote:
The final, definitive word on the most brutal siege of a population in modern history.

Review quote:
Prit Buttar’s complete command of the sources makes him uniquely qualified to complete this story of the World War II struggle for the soul of Communism, Leningrad.

Review quote:
This book offers an impressive patch in the tapestry of written history that points toward the truth.

Review quote:
Through a fine body of well-researched work, Prit Buttar has established himself as one of the UK’s leading Eastern Front historians for both the First and Second World Wars.

Review quote:
This book and its predecessor will surely be the definitive history of the war on the Eastern Front and the siege of Leningrad.

Biographical note:

Prit Buttar is a leading expert on the Eastern Front in 20th century military history. His previous books include the critically acclaimed To Besiege A City: Leningrad 1941–42. His books have been translated into several languages. Prit originally studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. He latterly worked as a General Practitioner for several years. He now writes exclusively from his home in rural Scotland.

Promotional headline:

One of the greatest ever sieges is masterfully brought to life by a leading expert on the Eastern Front.

Feature:
Using a wealth of Russian-language writing, particularly the memoirs of soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians that have not been previ