Leningrad–Novgorod offensive
The Leningrad–Novgorod strategic offensive was a strategic offensive during World War II. It was launched by the Red Army on January 14, 1944 with an attack on the German Army Group North by the Soviet Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, along with part of the 2nd Baltic Front, with a goal of fully lifting the siege of Leningrad. Approximately two weeks later, the Red Army regained control of the Moscow–Leningrad railway, and on January 26, 1944 Joseph Stalin declared that the siege of Leningrad was lifted, and that German forces were expelled from the Leningrad Oblast. The lifting of the 900-day-long blockade was celebrated in Leningrad on that day with a 324-gun salute. The strategic offensive ended a month later on 1 March, when Stavka ordered the troops of the Leningrad Front to a follow-on operation across the Narva River, while the 2nd Baltic was to defend the territory it gained in pursuit of the German XVI Army Corps.
| Leningrad–Novgorod offensive | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||||
Soviet machine-gunners near Detskoye Selo railway station in Pushkin, January 21 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Georg von Küchler (Until February 1) Walter Model (From February 1) |
Kirill Meretskov Leonid Govorov Markian Popov | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Army Group North: 44 infantry divisions |
Leningrad Front Volkhov Front 2nd Baltic Front Baltic Fleet: 57 divisions | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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500,000 men 2,389 artillery pieces 146 tanks 140 aircraft |
822,000 men and women 4,600 artillery pieces 550 tanks 653 aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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24,739 dead and missing 46,912 wounded Total: 71,651 casualties (per German military medical reports) |
76,686 dead and missing, 237,267 wounded Total: 313,953 casualties | ||||||||
The Germans had suffered nearly 72,000 casualties, lost 85 artillery pieces ranging in caliber from 15 cm to 40 cm, and were pushed back between 60 and 100 kilometers from Leningrad to the Luga River.