Effect of The Siege of Leningrad On The City - Damage To Public Utilities

Damage To Public Utilities

The Nazis cut almost all supplies to Leningrad, so almost all food and catering disappeared, garment industries and retail closed, most schools as well as most public services became obsolete, causing massive exodus of women and children.

During all three winters of the siege of Leningrad, 1941–1942, 1942–1943, and 1943–1944, water pipelines were constantly destroyed by the aerial bombing and artillery bombardments. Women were searching for water under the icy ground at the time when they were struggling to survive in besieged Leningrad. Ice and snow were deadly sources of water because of cold winters and lack of heat. During the siege, three cold winters were the time of the highest mortality rates among the civilian population. Tens of thousands of civilians froze to death in Leningrad.

Due to a lack of power supplies, many factories were closed down and, in November, all public transportation services became unavailable. The construction of pre-war designed metro system was stopped, and some unfinished tunnels were used as public shelters during aerial bombing and artillery bombardments. In the spring of 1942, some tramway lines were reactivated, but trolleybuses and buses were inoperable until the end of the war. Use of power was forbidden everywhere, except at the General Staff headquarters, Smolny, district committees, air defense bases, and in some other institutions. By the end of September, oil and coal supplies had come to an end. The only energy option left was to fell trees. On October 8 the executive committee of Leningrad (Ленгорисполком) and regional executive committee (облисполком) decided to start cutting timber in Pargolovsky District and also Vsevolozhsky District in the north of the city. By October 24 only 1% of the timber cutting plan had been executed.