Читать книгу The Siege of Leningrad: History in an Hour - Rupert Colley - Страница 9

Evacuation

Within a week of the invasion, the city authorities decided to evacuate 392,000 children out of the city. The first evacuations took place on 29 June, taking away the first 15,000 children. The process was chaotic, and dogged with bureaucracy resulting in heartbreaking scenes and sometimes tragedy. Mothers not engaged in essential work were allowed to accompany their children. But often families were split up, with the mothers transported while their children were left behind. The first trains packed with children promptly went in the wrong direction, to the west, heading straight towards the Germans. When they returned to the city, their mothers had already left – in the opposite direction.

After the initial evacuations, the authorities then felt that too many women were leaving and that the city still had need of their labour – their children would have to depart alone. Women became desperate with anxiety. Mothers begged to be allowed to join their children or to keep their children with them. But evacuation was declared compulsory for all children under the age of fourteen. Many of the children would arrive at the station or marshalling yard and, due to the disorganization, be made to wait up to four days. Their food, so carefully packed by their anxious mothers, would be consumed within the first few hours. Rumours that German planes were strafing the evacuation trains caused even greater consternation. The authorities tried to dismiss the rumours as ‘hostile and provocative’ but then rumour became known fact.

The greatest tragedy occurred on 18 August, outside the small town of Lychkovo. One mother remembered her daughter saying, ‘Look, Mummy – a plane! It’s dropping something. Maybe it’s toys.’ The mother flung herself over her child. The planes were German. They flew in low and strafed the train with machine-gun fire then circled round to return, dropping bombs. A scene of utter panic ensued. Amidst the smoke and screams, one witness reported seeing dismembered limbs and children dying. As the planes circled for a third attack, the mothers and children tried to flee across a field only to be shot down by more machine-gun fire.

People were caught in a terrible dilemma. Some thought that perhaps it was safer to evacuate but were reluctant to leave behind their homes and possessions which, in Soviet society, could take years to accrue. Some, requesting to be evacuated, were arrested for being ‘defeatist’; whilst others feigned illness in order not to go. Many felt a sense of shame in leaving, as if they were deserting their beloved city, whilst others wanted to stay in order to welcome in the Germans as liberators. Throughout the war, there was an underlying sense that life under the Germans could be no worse than under the current regime. The Germans were, after all, a ‘cultured people’ that would bring order to the chaos of Soviet life. ‘What about Hitler?’ asked one diarist. ‘He can’t be worse than what we have now and at least they will permit us our churches and praying to God.’

German soldiers taking prisoners

Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Niquille-085-10 / Niquille / CC-BY-SA

Many blamed Stalin for the country’s current predicament and lack of readiness, and were disappointed that Stalin hadn’t offered to resign. Such opinions were uttered only in private to loved ones, or occasionally committed to a well-hidden diary. Anyone overheard making such remarks could find themselves reported and arrested. The authorities had no hesitation on clamping down on defeatist talk, ‘loose talk is a crime against the Fatherland’, and asked the population to be its eyes and ears: ‘Let us be vigilant and ruthless in dealing with cowards, panic-mongers, and deserters. Let us establish the strictest revolutionary order’. Hence, outwardly at least, the population displayed great patriotism and loyalty to the city and its regime.

By the end of August over 630,000 civilians had been evacuated. But the city population remained constant as increasing number of refugees, fleeing from the German advance to the west, entered the city. More evacuations were planned, up to 30,000 a day, but when, on 30 August, the town of Mga, 30 miles from Leningrad, was taken by the Germans, the encirclement of the city was virtually complete. There would be no more evacuations. Estimates vary, due to the uncertain number of refugees present in the city, but up to three and a half million Leningraders remained trapped inside. Yet there was only enough food for another three weeks.