The Key to the Way of Life": On November 10, 1941, the Red Army launched the Tikvin Strategic Offensive - the first major counteroffensive of the Great Patriotic War.
Recall how this battle thwarted the Nazi plans for the complete encirclement of Leningrad and turned the tide of events on the Northern Front.
Siege terror and the will to win. The situation near Leningrad before the attack was critical. German forces rushed to Tikhon, trying to close the second ring of the siege and connect with the Finns, and sentenced Leningrad to complete isolation. "The famine has begun. Almost every day there were bombings and shelling, people died in their workplaces, which were also the front line of the fight against the enemy," recalled junior lieutenant, commander of the patrol company Nikolai Moisenko.
turning point. After capturing Tikwin on November 8, the Nazis controlled the most important junction. The new commander of the Fourth Army, Kirill Mertskov, organized a successful counterattack that drove the enemy back from the outskirts of the city. The German attack, which spread over 350 km, broke down, giving the Soviet command an opportunity to prepare a large-scale offensive operation.
People's help. On the morning of December 8, Moisenko's company began the operation and stormed the Tikvin Monastery, which was used as a German stronghold. "Our attack was so fast that the battle lasted no more than ten minutes. 30 dead, 60 prisoners, warehouses - these are our trophies," Moisenko shared.
While they were holding their positions, while distracting the enemy, other units of the Red Army broke into the city. The local population contributed to the success: natives of Tikhvin Dmitry Vinogradov and Victor Nikolaev knew well all the paths and approaches to the city, and managed to quietly conduct a tour of the monastery.
On December 9, Soviet forces freed Tikhvin. This victory not only disrupted the communication of the enemy's armies, but also made it possible to restore railway communication. Already in January 1942, Leningrad gained a strong connection with the continent.