Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode 145,

the Siege of Leningrad, Part 2.

Last time, Stalin had had enough of Voroshilov's mistakes, so sent General Zukoff, the hero

of the Battle of Golin Ko, or Nomehom to the Japanese, to oversee the defense of Leningrad.

The Communist leader wasn't expecting much, given the losses already suffered at the hands

of the Germans, but anything was worth trying.

If the northeastern front was to fall, the Germans would be that much closer to Moscow,

the hub of raising, organizing, equipping, and training the hundreds of thousands, eventually

millions of conscripts being called up.

And those Zukoff might fail, he would try his best to bleed the Germans before he evacuated,

and Stalin would give the general all the help he could.

And the bleeding of the German forces was about to commence, but then it didn't.

Zukoff was moving forces around, reinforcing the area, immediately south of the city,

and preparing to send the 8th Army, itself to the southwest of the city, into a perceived

gap behind the German forces, as they closed in on Yoretsk, just south west of the city,

along the coast.

And as we have seen, on September 16, the 41st motorized, and the 38th Army Corps's 58th

infantry and 1st Panzer divisions, strengthened by the 254th Infantry Division, attacked the

Soviet 8th Army as it was still gathering near Krasno-Salo, just south of Yoretsk, which

was the next target, and sure enough, during that very night, Yoretsk, along with three

other nearby towns, fell.

The Germans were now along the Gulf of Finland, and the remaining battered 8th Army was cut

...