The offensive broke the 900-day Siege of Leningrad and drove German Army Group North back 60–100 km, fundamentally altering the Eastern Front's northern sector.
Key Facts
- Operation start date
- 14 January 1944
- Siege lifted declared
- 26 January 1944
- Operation end date
- 1 March 1944
- German casualties
- nearly 72,000 casualties
- German artillery pieces lost
- 85 pieces
- Celebratory salvo in Leningrad
- 324-gun salute
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
German Army Group North had maintained a siege of Leningrad since 1941, cutting off the city for nearly 900 days. The Soviet High Command (Stavka) determined that a coordinated strategic offensive using the Leningrad, Volkhov, and 2nd Baltic Fronts could break the encirclement and restore control of the Moscow–Leningrad railway.
Beginning on 14 January 1944, the Red Army launched the Leningrad–Novgorod strategic offensive against German Army Group North. Soviet forces attacked across multiple fronts simultaneously, regaining the Moscow–Leningrad railway within two weeks. On 26 January, Stalin declared the siege officially lifted, and Leningrad celebrated with a 324-gun salute.
German forces were expelled from the Leningrad Oblast and pushed back 60–100 kilometers to the Luga River, suffering nearly 72,000 casualties and losing 85 heavy artillery pieces. The offensive concluded on 1 March 1944 when the Leningrad Front was redirected to operations across the Narva River, permanently ending the threat to the city.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent