Siege of Leningrad - Establishment

Establishment

The 4th Panzer Group from East Prussia took Pskov following a swift advance and reached the neighborhood of Luga and Novgorod, within operational reach of Leningrad, but it was stopped by fierce resistance south of the city. However, the 18th Army — despite some 350,000 men lagging behind — forced its way to Ostrov and Pskov after the Soviet troops of the Northwestern Front retreated towards Leningrad. On 10 July, both Ostrov and Pskov were captured and the 18th Army reached Narva and Kingisepp, from where advance toward Leningrad continued from the Luga River line. This had the effect of creating siege positions from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ladoga, with the eventual aim of isolating Leningrad from all directions. The Finnish Army was then expected to advance along the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga.