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Operation Iskra
Operation Iskra (), a Soviet military operation in January 1943 during World War II, aimed to break the Wehrmacht's siege of Leningrad. Planning for the operation began shortly after the failure of the Sinyavino Offensive (1942), Sinyavino Offensive. The German defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad in late 1942 had weakened the German front. By January 1943, Soviet forces were planning or conducting offensive operations across the entire German-Soviet Front, especially in southern Russia; Iskra formed the northern part of the wider Soviet 1942–1943 winter counteroffensive.Glantz p. 259 The operation was conducted by the Red Army's Leningrad Front, Volkhov Front, and the Baltic Fleet#Soviet era, Baltic Fleet from 12 to 30 January 1943 with the aim of creating a land connection to Leningrad. Soviet forces linked up on 18 January, and by 22 January, the front line had stabilised. The operation successfully opened a land corridor wide to the city. A railroad was swiftly built throug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siege Of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 to 1944. Leningrad, the country's second largest city, was besieged by Nazi Germany, Germany and Finland for 872 days, but never captured. The siege was the List of sieges, most destructive in history and possibly the List of battles by casualties#Sieges and urban combat, most deadly, causing an estimated 1.5 million deaths, from a prewar population of 3.2 million. It was not classified as a war crime at the time, but some historians have since classified it as a genocide due to the intentional destruction of the city and the systematic starvation of its civilian population. p. 334 In August 1941, Nazi Germany, Germany's Army Group North reached the suburbs of Leningrad as Finnish forces moved to encircle the city from the north. Land ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baltic Fleet
The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet was inherited by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR which then founded the Soviet Union in 1922, where it was eventually known as the Twice Red Banner(ed) Baltic Fleet as part of the Soviet Navy, as during this period it gained the two awards of the Order of the Red Banner. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Baltic Fleet was inherited by the Russian Federation and reverted to its original name as part of the Russian Navy. The Baltic Fleet is headquartered in Kaliningrad and its main base is in Baltiysk (Pillau), both in Kaliningrad Oblast, while another base is in Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg, in the Gulf of Finland. Imperial Russia The Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet was created during the Gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luftflotte 1
''Luftflotte'' 1 ("Air Fleet 1") was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 1 February 1939 from ''Luftwaffengruppenkommando'' 1 in Berlin. This Luftwaffe detachment served in Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ..., Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, supporting Axis forces in area; with command offices in Malpils, Latvia, (26 June 1944), Eastern front. Units under command Strategic reconnaissance *Stab/FAGr 1 (Riga–Spilve, Riga, Spilve) *3.(F)/22 (Riga–Spilve) *5.(F)/122 (Mitau) *NASt 3 (Riga–Spilve) Maritime reconnaissance *1./SAGr 127 (Reval–Ülemiste) Transports *1./TGr 10(Ital.) (Riga–Spilve) Transports (special works) This unit was branch of Kampfgeschwader 200 (KG 200) with bases in East Prussia, C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
5th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)
The 5th Mountain Division () was a mountain infantry (Gebirgsjäger) formation of the German ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. It was established in the Wehrkreis XVIII in October 1940, out of units taken from the 1st Mountain Division and the 10th Infantry Division. The unit surrendered to the U.S. Army near Turin in May 1945. The Balkans Following months of inactivity in Germany, the unit formed XVIII Mountain Corps with the 6th Mountain Division, and in spring 1941 was designated to take part in Operation Marita, the invasion of Greece, as part of the Balkans Campaign. The unit then took part in the invasion of Crete, codenamed Operation Merkur. Here the unit was used in an air-landing role where it fought against British forces which had retreated from Greece. The units role in securing the islands was significant, and in November 1941, the unit returned to Germany for refitting. Eastern Front In March 1942 it was deployed to the Eastern Front, where it joined Ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
96th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 96th Infantry Division (German: ''96. Infanterie-Division'') was a German division deployed during World War II. It was formed on 25 September 1939 in Bergen as part of the 5th wave (aufstellungswelle). The division was equipped with captured Czech weapons and In 1942, 40-45% of the division's soldiers were Polish. It later surrendered to the US forces at the end of the war, but some elements of the division were handed over to the Red Army Commanding officers * General der Infanterie Erwin Vierow (29 September 1939 – 1 August 1940) * Generalleutnant Wolf Schede (1 August 1940 – 10 April 1942) * Generalleutnant Joachim Freiherr von Schleinitz (10 April 1942 – 6 October 1942) * Generalleutnant Ferdinand Nöldechen (10 October 1942 – ?? March 1943) * Oberst Rudolf Noack (?? March 1943) (deputize) * Generalleutnant Ferdinand Nöldechen (?? March 1943 – 1 May 1943) * Oberst Gottfried Weber (1 May 1943 – 31 May 1943) (deputize) * Generalleutnant Ferdinand Nöldechen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
11th Army (Wehrmacht)
The 11th Army () was a World War II field army. Assembled twice (once from October 1940 to November 1942 and a second time from November 1944 to April 1945), it was also known as 11th SS Panzer Army during its second deployment. Operational history Formation The 11th Army was established on 5 October 1940 as "Kommandostab Leipzig", but changed its designation to Kommandostab München on 23 April 1941. It was restructured into Heeresgruppe Don on 21 November 1942. After being reformed on 26 January 1945 and taking part in various counter-offensives against the Soviet and US advance, the army surrendered to American troops on 23 April 1945. The 11th Army was activated in 1940 to prepare for the forthcoming German attack on the Soviet Union. Operation Barbarossa The 11th Army was part of Army Group South when it invaded the USSR during Operation Barbarossa. In September 1941, Erich von Manstein was appointed its commander. His predecessor, Colonel-General Eugen Ritter von S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle For Velikiye Luki (1943)
The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (), started with the attack by the forces of the Red Army's Kalinin Front against the Wehrmacht's 3rd Panzer Army during the Winter Campaign of 1942–1943 with the objective of liberating the Russian city of Velikiye Luki as a previous part of the northern pincer of the Rzhev-Sychevka Strategic Offensive Operation (Operation Mars). Sometimes known as "The Little Stalingrad of the North", the Soviet forces encircled the city on 27 November 1942, but were unable to make much progress against German units further west nor retake a key railway to Leningrad. The German garrison in the city was ordered to hold out for a relief force and put up a concerted defense. As was the case at Stalingrad, repeated German counterattacks were unable to reach the city, and the garrison surrendered on 16 January 1943. Background As part of Operation Barbarossa, the German army took Velikiye Luki on 19 July 1941, but was fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iskra German Defences
''Iskra'' (, , ''the Spark'') was a fortnightly political newspaper of Russian socialist emigrants established as the official organ of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). History ''Iskra'' was published in exile and then smuggled into Russia. Initially, it was managed by Vladimir Lenin, moving as he moved. The first edition was published in Leipzig, Germany, on 1 December 1900 (other sources say 11 December). Other editions were published in Munich (1900–1902) and Geneva from 1903. When Lenin was in London (1902–1903) the newspaper was edited from a small office at 37a Clerkenwell Green, EC1, with Henry Quelch arranging the necessary printworks. ''Iskra'' quickly became the most successful underground Russian newspaper since 1850s. It was smuggled into Russia via Romania, and reprinted on secret presses in Kishinev and the Caucasus. Using the networks created to write for and distribute the paper, Lenin and Julius Martov prepared organisationally for the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neva River
The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth-largest river in Europe in terms of average Discharge (hydrology), discharge (after the Volga, the Danube and the Rhine). The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. It flows through the city of Saint Petersburg, the three smaller towns of Shlisselburg, Kirovsk, Leningrad Oblast, Kirovsk and Otradnoye, Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Otradnoye, and dozens of settlements. It is navigable throughout and is part of the Volga–Baltic Waterway and White Sea–Baltic Canal. It is the site of many major historical events, including the Battle of the Neva in 1240 which gave Alexander Nevsky his name, the founding of Saint Petersburg in 1703, and the Siege of Leningrad by the German army during World War II. The river played a vital r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinyavino, Leningrad Oblast
Sinyavino () is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Kirovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located several kilometers inland from the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg and east from Kirovsk. Municipally it is incorporated as Sinyavinskoye Urban Settlement, one of the eight urban settlements in the district. Population: History The selo of Sinyavino was created in the beginning of the 18th century, when Peter the Great gave the lands in the area to his military officer Naum Senyavin. The selo was destroyed during World War II and never restored, but the name was transferred in the 1920s to the settlement which was serving peat production. The settlement of Sinyavino was at the time located in Leningradsky Uyezd of Leningrad Governorate. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished and Mginsky District, with the administrative center in Mga, was established. The governorates were also abolished, and the district was a part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stavka
The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff, and to the General Headquarters in the late 19th-century Imperial Russian armed forces and subsequently in the Soviet Union. In Western literature it is sometimes written in uppercase (''STAVKA''), although it is not an acronym. ''Stavka'' may refer to its members, as well as to the headquarters location (its original meaning from the old Russian word '' ставка'', 'tent'). Stavka of the Supreme Commander during World War I The commander-in-chief of the Russian army at the beginning of World War I was Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. Appointed at the last minute in August 1914, he played no part in formulating the military plans in use at the beginning of the war. Nikolai Yanushke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Group North
Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Poland and subsequently renamed Army Group B. The second Army Group North was created on 22 June 1941 from the former Army Group C and used in the northern sector of the Eastern Front from 1941 to January 1945. By then, this second Army Group North had gotten trapped in the Courland Pocket and was accordingly redesignated Army Group Courland. On the same day, the former Army Group Center, which was now defending the northernmost sector of the contiguous Eastern Front, was renamed Army Group North, assuming the status of the third and final iteration of the army group. First deployment of Army Group North: September – October 1939 The staff of Army Group North was formally assembled on 2 September 1939 from the headquarters of 2nd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
