Surviving the Blockade: Starvation, Ice Roads, and Soviet Resilience
About This Footage
Reel 8 of The Battle of Russia (1943) documents the harrowing Siege of Leningrad, one of World War II’s longest and most devastating blockades. Beginning in August 1941, German forces surrounded the city, unleashing relentless artillery fire while cutting off fuel and food supplies. The winter of 1941 brought extreme cold and starvation, yet the people of Leningrad endured and fought to survive. The film highlights the creation of the “Road of Life,” a supply route across frozen Lake Ladoga where convoys braved German air attacks to deliver food and equipment. Later, a rail line was built across the ice, ensuring lifelines reached the besieged population. With the arrival of spring and continued resistance, Leningrad revived in defiance of Hitler’s siege. The reel concludes with scenes of captured German soldiers, symbolizing both the suffering and the resilience that defined Leningrad’s survival.
Part of this Complete Film
The Battle of Russia (1943): Soviet Resistance & WWII Eastern Front