What was the strategy for the Germans at Leningrad?

Answer 1

The strategy changed from time to time, thus costing the Germans their most likely opportunities for success in seizing the city. The original Barbarosa plan had Leningrad as the prime objective and many military leaders were in support of that plan (obviously). The reason being that Leningrad was the symbolic birthplace of Soviet communism in 1917. It was also the second largest city in the USSR and a major industrial center (about 10% of Soviet industry was in the greater area). About as important as all of these issues was that its capture would secure two important German objectives. One was that it would eliminate Soviet naval presence in the Baltic, allowing Germany to supply its forces in the north and center much easier, without trouble from partisans, at the same time relieving somewhat the strain on the rail system. Second, it would give direct land access to Finland, an important Axis ally. The loss of Leningrad by the Russians might even lead them to abandon Murmansk and the Petsamo nickle mines, since supplying those areas would be almost impossible. However, due to success in the center the German plan changed and most generals wanted to go towards Moscow, a much more important city for population, transportation, industry and command than Leningrad. In fact, it is likely that that fall of Moscow would lead directly to the fall of Leningrad since the city could not be supplied, even tenuously, once the rail system to Moscow was cut. In the event, Hitler overrode both plans and went for Kiev/Ukraine. Leningrad thus became a secondary target for the rest of the war. This change in strategy meant that Leningrad in 1941, since it did not fall easily, was to be blockaded. This was accomplished by the German forces in the fall of 1941 leading to the starvation of well over a million in the city over the next year or so. For 1942 it was originally planned by the Germans to attack the city again, but this was called off last minute and the forces so accumulated were sent to Stalingrad. Thus, after the initial battles of 1941, Leningrad became a relatively quiet front for the Germans. The Soviet citizens in the city were either evacutated over time, or succumbed to starvation/disease. As such by early 1943 the city was one big military base for the Soviets with well over 500,000 hardened troops dug in. Germany had lost all opportunity to seize the city by this point and the troops involved in the blockade were just waiting for the Soviets to attack. In 1944 the already weakened German blockade was broken and civilians started coming back into the city.

Answer 2

The Russians pinned down the German Sixth army in street-fighting which took away the German's mobility and severely limited the use of armor within the city due to the rubble strewn streets .

The Russians then surrounded the Germans and many of their allies and slowly reduced the besieged garrison until the point of exhaustion .

The German Sixth Army , alongside their allies , marched into captivity into some of the harshest prisons where most lost their lives with only five thousand ever returning home .

The German Sixth Army had marched into oblivion .