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On November 22, 1941, the Road of Life across the Lake Ladoga went operational. 30 km long, this dangerous ice route remained the only connection between the besieged Leningrad & the "mainland"
After the city was encircled by the Nazis on September 8, 1941, the issue of food supply & the evacuation of people became of critical importance. Preparations for the construction of the ice road got underway in October 1941.
On November 22, the first convoy of 60 lorries set out across the ice of Lake Ladoga. At that time, the daily quota of bread in Leningrad was reduced to 250 grammes for workers & only 125 grammes for other citizens. People began to die of hunger by the thousands.
Ignoring the harsh weather conditions, shelling & fatigue, the drivers made two, even three trips a day.
Leonid Barkovich, driver of the 804th lorry fleet on the Road of Life: Each of us hoped to evade an enemy shell, but we also knew that only death would prevent us from fulfilling our duty.
The Road of Life continued to supply Leningrad until March 1943. In total, more than 20,000 people worked on it. How many of them gave their lives so that Leningrad could live is still unknown.
To commemorate the 78th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, one of the 4,000 famous «Polutorka» (GAZ AA) lorries that delivered essential supplies to the city was temporarily put on display in front of the Foreign Ministry building.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the Road of Life. There is no doubt that it played a major role in the survival of Leningrad. The total amount of cargo transported across the ice exceeded 1.6 million tonnes; during the same time, some 1.4 million people were evacuated from the city. The memory of this feat is carefully preserved: the Leningrad Region has recently restored the Road of Life Museum, The Breaking Through the Siege of Leningrad museum & The Breakthrough panorama museum.
#LestWeForget #WeRemember
