In 1941 German and Finnish military forces established a blockade around Leningrad. Their siege of the city would last almost nine hundred days during which Leningrad was struck by incessant aerial bombing and artillery shelling. The winter of 1941-1942 was especially severe. A shortage of fuel forced the Leningraders to huddle around small wood burning stoves and sleep in overcoats. The freezing temperatures caused the pipes of the city's water system to burst. In November, due to the shortage of food, the daily ration of bread was 250 grams for workers and 125 grams for dependents. The...

In 1941 German and Finnish military forces established a blockade around Leningrad. Their siege of the city would last almost nine hundred days during which Leningrad was struck by incessant aerial bombing and artillery shelling. The winter of 1941-1942 was especially severe. A shortage of fuel forced the Leningraders to huddle around small wood burning stoves and sleep in overcoats. The freezing temperatures caused the pipes of the city's water system to burst. In November, due to the shortage of food, the daily ration of bread was 250 grams for workers and 125 grams for dependents. The...