Welcome to Russian History Retold, Episode 225, The Siege of Leningrad, Part 4.

Last time, we covered the horrors of the Siege of Leningrad, including the incredible corruption

by Soviet officials. Today's episode is one of the hardest I've ever written. It is very

emotional, there are some parts in it, that I did have quite a few tears shed because

of what I had to hear and read from the people who lived in Leningrad, those who survived

and those who didn't. But now we return to end the series with the impending liberation

of the people and the defeat of the Germans at the gate of the city. The date we start

with is January 1st, 1942. The Siege is now entering its fourth month. What no one knew

at the time is that it would last another two years.

Aside from the human tragedy, Hitler had ordered the looting and destruction of a number

of imperial palaces, including the Catherine palace, Peterhof, Ropsha, Strelna, and Gachina.

So many artifacts of imperial Russia were lost, especially our treasures gathered over

the centuries. While the citizens of Leningrad were suffering due to the lack of food, the

German soldiers stationed around the city were suffering as well. Many were woefully

under-equipped for the frigid temperatures of Northern Russia. They also lacked adequate

provisions like food and water to keep them in fighting condition. We have the diary of

Lieutenant Fritz Halkenjoss to reveal to us how hard the situation was for the 215th Infantry

Division of General Bush's 16th Army. Halkenhoes arrived in the Soviet Union on November

24, 1941. He described his encounter with Soviet prisoners of war in Riga Latvia, working

on the railway. Quote, they wear rags and have starved blank faces. They look so hungry.

You think they're going to collapse at any moment. They came up to the train and started

begging. I shrink from the comparison, but there is no other, like animals. He further

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