“The Fuhrer has decided to raze the city of Petersburg from the
face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia there will
be not the slightest reason for the future existence of this
large city […] It is proposed to blockade the city and by means
of artillery fire of all caliber and ceaseless bombardment from
the air to raze it to the ground. If this creates a situation in
the city which produces calls for surrender, they will be
refused […] We are not interested in preserving even a part of
the population of this large city.” - Hitler’s directive, “The
Future of the City of Petersburg,” 22 September 1941 Throughout
the 872-day German siege of Leningrad (now St Petersburg),
roughly 900,000 people died from hunger, cold, and bombardment.
In that same period, an estimated 1.6 – 2 million people
perished within the city and in battles around it. This is an
astounding figure, the lowest estimate of which exceeds the
total number of Americans, both military and civilian, who have
died in all armed conflicts