The Leningrad Blockade, 1941-1944

Based largely on formerly top-secret Soviet archival documents (including 66 reproduced documents and 70 illustrations), this book portrays the inner workings of the communist party and secret police during Germany's horrific 1941-44 siege of Leningrad, during which close to one million citizens perished. It shows how the city's inhabitants responded to the extraordinary demands placed upon them, encompassing both the activities of the political, security and military elite as well as the actions and attitudes of ordinary Leningraders. "The authors strive to strip away the long-standing and largely politically- and ideologically-motivated misconceptions and myths which have clouded non-military aspects and circumstances of the siege. They stress, in particular, the actions and mistakes of Soviet political authorities and the human condition and attitudes of the many peoples who endured the siege."--David M. Glantz, Editor of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies.--David Glantz (03/27/2012).