«[An] excellent account.» - Richard Overy, The Telegraph

Shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book of the Year Award 2024

An innovative history of the Siege of Leningrad, expertly captured by a leading specialist using original Russian and German materials.

Starting in September 1941, the Red Army and the civilian population of Leningrad endured a bitter 900-day siege, struggling against continuous air raids, gunfire, and starvation inflicted by the Axis forces surrounding them. The Soviets made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to break through German lines and reach the city, failing to end the siege, but nevertheless defying the odds to construct and defend the "Road of Life" across the frozen Lake Ladoga, through which minimal supplies were transported to the besieged garrison.

Although they defeated the Second Soviet Shock Army twice, the German infantry divisions were also under constant attrition, their resources and morale drained under the pressure of nearly continuous attacks and fighting.

In the work To Besiege a City, Eastern Front historian Prit Buttar combines first-hand testimonies with revealing research to deliver the first major history of the Siege of Leningrad in over a decade, skillfully analyzing the strategic failures of both sides, while simultaneously depicting the horrific realities of daily life during an unrelenting war.

Pages: 464, Year of Publication: 0902, Dimensions: 15.2x15.2cm