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Title: World War II Leningrad: A History from Beginning to End

Author: Hourly History

Narrator: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr.

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-04-18

Publisher: Hourly History

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

History describes the 872-day Siege of Leningrad as the most devastating siege in history. The German army had made its way to Leningrad before the city had the opportunity to prepare for an assault, and the consequences were lethal. Accompanied by one of the worst famines in history, as well as a brutally cold winter in 1941-1942, the civilians were doomed. Of the three million people living in Leningrad at the start of the siege, more than a million would be evacuated and approximately another million would die before the assault ended in 1944.

Inside you will hear about....

During those 872 days, Leningrad was rendered numb as people fell dead in the streets and were not placed in coffins because no one had the strength to bury them. People ate their pets and boiled leather for food; they committed murder to obtain ration cards for the meager provisions that the city could provide; some resorted to cannibalism. Kept alive by their fervent patriotism and an astonishing will to survive, the citizens of Leningrad greeted the end of the siege with jubilation. Although they outlasted the Nazis, they could not defeat Josef Stalin as the paranoid leader punished Leningrad and its prominent Party members and stilled the voices of the heroes who lived. But Leningrad did not remain silenced, and the truth finally emerged. Its a harrowing saga of bravery and brutality, but one that must be told.

Members Reviews:

The horrors of war

War is so devastating, not only in the direct lives of the military personnel, but in the loss of human life of the innocent public. The memories of the Leningrad survivors are devastating.

Unbearable Sacrifices By So Many

The definitions of self sacrifice, deprivation, and loss of personal expression, which are taken for granted by so many, are defined in this hourly read. This a great read, yet it is not for the weak minded.

This aphorism canât have a better example than the German invasion of the Soviet Union ...

It has often been stated that history repeats itself. This aphorism canât have a better example than the German invasion of the Soviet Union (codename: Operation Barbarossa) on June 22, 1941. Napoleon Bonaparteâs invasion in 1812 should have warned the Germanâs about the risks involved in invading a country that spans two continents. The initial thrust went even better than expected, with vast miles of territory being conquered and tens of thousands of ill-equipped, under-trained, and poorly fed Soviet troops were either captured or killed by advancing Wehrmacht forces. History should have told them that this could not last. Mother Russia has two undefeatable allies, distance, and the unforgiving winter.

Thanks to Catherine the Great, St Petersburg (Petrograd) became a jewel in the Romanov crown. Architectural masterpieces were erected to spotlight the grandeur of the Russian Empire. As the capital of Russia, St Petersburg rivaled any European capital city. With the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1918, the capital was moved by the new Soviet government to Moscow. In 1924 the city was renamed Leningrad.

Before the siege of Leningrad, the city boasted a population of just over three million. Eight hundred and seventy-two days later, a mere seventy thousand survived. The horrors experienced by the population canât be accurately described as it is too horrible for human comprehension.