Leningrad: The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941-1944 Paperback – September 4, 2012

Anna Reid (1965-present) wrote solid account of the German siege of Siege of Leningrad:1941-1944. Reid started her book similar to Harrison Salisbury's book titled THE 900 DAYS. Reid's book is filled with poignant quotes and memoirs of the survivors and those who died. Reid gave the suffering detailed descriptions which should attract the attention of sensible, and sensitive readers.Similar to Salisbury's book, Reid began her book with the German invasion called Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941) when the Germans shocked the Soviets plus Stalin & co. and led the disastrous defeats of the Red Army with considerable loss of life. The Germans' three main targets were Moscow, Stalingrad, and, last but certainly not least, Leningrad. As Reid wrote, the Leningraders thought they were safe and had no awareness what they would suffer by the end of the year and well into the year 1943. In fact, the loss of life would soon make the Leningraders almost immune to death which became the norm until 1944.Many Leningraders knew the death Knell sounded when the Bayadev food warehouse fire wiped out the city's food supply. The Germans used incendiary bombs to firebomb the warehouse and thought "General Famine" would encourage the Leningrad citizens surrender the city. In spite of military incompetent leadership, bureaucratic and political blundering, and dishonesty, the Leningraders DID NOT SURRENDER. The Germans underestimated Russian resolve and mental toughness.In re blundering, the political leaders did not take advantage of the early enthusiasm of volunteers to fight the Germans. The organization of these enthusiasts was poor. The men were poorly trained and armed and died in droves vs. German artillery and tanks. Commanders lost communications with each other, and, as Reid wrote, these men did not know "what the hell was taking place." The German advance was much more rapid than expected. While the Red Army troops fought bravely, they were routed. Only when Marshall Zukhov (1896-1974) arrived did the German advance slow. As one historian noted, Zhukov did not break the German noose around Leningrad, he helped loosen it enough for the Leningrad to survive.The siege caused severe famine, fuel shortages, lack of fuel, and accompanying tragedy. The rations reached below subsistence levels, and the food shortages led to the obvious disparate efforts to get food. For example, Reid mentioned "granny robbers" who robbed elderly women of their ration cards, The Soviet Secret police got involved with their usual persecution complexes. Some of the folks arrested were elderly woman. Innocent suspects were arrested to give the appearance "of doing something." The police encountered another depressing crime-cannibalism. As Reid cryptically wrote, the term dystrophy was substituted for the terms of famine and hungry. Reid's careful description of the dying and the eventual casual acceptance of death gives readers a good look at the desperation of Leningrad. The situation was so bad that employers refused to hire anyone suffering from dystrophy, and those affected were given even more reduced rations because these people were seen as drain and were going to die regardless.Given the arrests during Stalin's purges (1934-1940), this police action was to be expected. Yet, the Leningraders were more resentful of the Germans who caused so much misery and suffering. As the undersigned mentioned in a previous monograph, the Leningraders were more loyal to "Holy Mother Russia" and the city of Leningrad rather loyalty to Stalin and Communist ideology. As an aside, Stalin should have directed more resources to Leningrad which was a heavily industrialized city whose workers produced tanks, ammunition, and artillery.The section titled "The Ice Road" was dramatic. The Soviets tried to get food and supplies into Leningrad via a frozen Lake Ladoga. The physicists miscalculated the ice thickness causing trucks and wagons to fall through the ice to watery grave of thousands of brave souls. Eventually the ice was thick enough which, Reid noted, helped lift the siege and eventually helped defeat the Germans and force on them similar conditions that the Leningraders previously suffered.The section titled THE LENINGRAD SYMPHONY was interesting. Shostkovich's symphony was so effective that German troops who listened to the music from Soviet loudspeakers realized that Russia was too big to conquer and Leningrad was invincible. This may reflect von Ribbentrop's remark when he negotiated with Molotov that Molotov tell Stalin that Ribbentrop was sorry for the failed negotiations.Part Hitler's defeat laid at the ruins of Leningrad. Anna Reid's book is a vivid remember of how horrible war is and that those who cheer for war do not know what they are supporting. Machiavelli (1469-1527) is alleged that leaders know how to start wars but do not know how they end. Reid's book gave the impression that the Leningraders did not know how the siege would end. Neither did the German invaders.Jame E. EgolfMay 14, 2016

Having read hundreds of volumes covering the Eastern Front in World War II, I have never taken an interest in understanding the horrors bestowed upon Leningrad during the war. In fact, it was Russia’s subtle but potent reference to The Great Patriotic War in the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics that prompted me to learn more about the siege. Anna Reid’s LENINGRAD certainly proves to be a superbly efficient study on the before/during/after impact of the siege as well as a most compelling read.Almost every facet of World War II has been written and re-written over the decades as technology advancements allow authors and historians the ability to extract new information and locate surviving participants whose stories have yet to be heard. The result is a treasure trove of exciting new books that refine and even re-define events already covered by established works. Written 45 years ago, Harrison Salisbury’s laborious “900 Days” has long-served as the sole “classic” source on the Siege of Leningrad … until now. Reid’s LENINGRAD provides a timely and much-needed reminder of an enormous tragedy that is, for the most part, forgotten or worse, ignored.I found a noticeable difference between the two books. Salisbury’s approach, while extremely thorough, seemed to bombard the reader with details and individual accounts in a manner I found to be exhausting, rigid and somewhat bland. Reid’s LENINGRAD, on the other hand, was just as informative, much easier to digest and totally immersive. Opting to explore the diverse experiences of a smaller number of individuals and families generated a much more intimate view of life inside the siege ring. While not having the sheer volume of survivors available to tell their stories as Salisbury did twenty years after the war’s end, Reid manages to divulge a great deal of detail with a much smaller pool of prime-sources. The end of the cold war surely gave Reid more open access to resources that revealed the Soviet Union’s responsibility for the death toll being so unnecessarily high (Salisbury wrote “900 Days” in the thick of the Cold War when voicing dissent toward the government was a risk not worth taking for Soviet citizens).LENINGRAD gives readers a clear perspective of the entire siege through the eyes of Leningraders: from the sense of ambivalence at the war’s beginning (the German threat was simply too far away to worry about) to the creeping death toll brought on by starvation and unbelievably frigid temperatures. I found it hard not to visualize the events described throughout the entire book being completely devoid of any color until the siege is broken … Reid masterfully conveys the overwhelming sense of despair and vulnerability that swallowed the city for almost three years. The books also presents a clearer understanding of the siege by touching on issues that are not really considered: incidents of cannibalism, criminal activity and the massive accumulation of years of human waste brought on by the destruction of the city’s plumbing/waste management system. The escalating death count led to another problem, what to do with the massive number of bodies. There are stories of orphaned children living in apartments that also housed their dead family members. Reid also takes the time to guide readers through the agonizingly slow process of death via starvation which only leads to a better understanding of the suffering experienced. As utterly depressing as LENINGRAD is, incidents of endurance, selflessness, resourcefulness and compassion serve as much-needed rays of light that keep readers from sinking into the total darkness the situation dictated.LENINGRAD is simply a fascinating read in that it captures the unfathomable idea of a modern city being slowly strangled to death. If the city had been Paris or London, there would be no escaping the deluge of books and documentaries the likely would have covered the subject (at least in the West). Anna Reid’s book is superbly fresh look at the siege of Leningrad and a modern classic in my opinion.

Great book. It's awful what these poor people went through with starvation and terror! Very interesting and detailed. I totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the true story of Leningrad!

I loved this book. With all the new info being released, this book defiantly benafited from the release of that info. Very well written!