Saint Petersburg during World War II was surrounded by the German force for nearly three years. As a result of that event, a large number of citizens in St. Petersburg suffered from starvation. During the 900 day siege (8th September, 1941 to 27th January, 1944), almost 600 thousand citizens in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) accepted death without surrendering to the German force. A large portion of the city was gravely damaged. It was only after 1991, Leningrad was renamed St. Petersburg.
The 900-day Siege
During the Second World War, the Nazi Germany with their Finnish allies invaded the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union. The German armies neared Leningrad from the west and south, whereas the Finnish armies approached to the north. The German force eventually cordorned Leningrad for a period from 8th September, 1941 to 27th January, 1944. The blockade of Leningrad is well known as the "the 900-day siege" in the history of Russia. The blockade actually lasted for 872 days. A large number of citizens in Leningrad died due to hunger and cold. It was a tragic period in the history of Russia.
The supply of food in Leningrad was reduced to the smallest possible amount and at the same time, the warehouses that were used to store the supplies were
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being uninterruptedly bombed by the German armies. To meet their hunger, the people worked hard. The toughest period was during winter, when only two slices of bread (125 grams of bread) were allotted to each person and to get that share, one person had to stay in the queue for nearly six hours. Above all, stealing of food was regarded as one of the most punishable crimes in Leningrad. The offenders were put to death immediately as punishment.
The bombardments in Leningrad were regular phenomenon during the Second World War. A large number of houses in Leningrad were severely damaged or destroyed due to the bombardment. The tractor manufacturing factories were started to manufacture tanks, instead of tractors. The artisans in Leningrad were recruited to design and assemble tanks.
One of the grievous problems was cold. The furnaces became inactive due to scarcity of wood. A small number of people managed to use small crude stoves, called burzhuykas. To get rid of cold, the people share rooms with stoves. The water supply was not good enough to meet the demand of the citizen. The people had to depend on the Neva River for accessing water.
The outcomes of the siege were devastating. The survivors still remember those frightful days of their lives.
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