SG: Prof. Kundrus, the category “time” plays an important role in the study of wars, and in each blockade time works in favor of some and to the detriment of others. Is this rule applicable to the situation in Leningrad?
Birte Kundrus: It is important to note here that Hitler’s original plan was to “level the city to the ground” – that is, to take it and destroy it. According to the strategy of the so-called blitzkrieg this goal was to be achieved as soon as possible – in the autumn of 1941. However, the Wehrmacht’s plans changed rapidly and Moscow became the main target of the offensive. As a result, Hitler’s troops, who no longer doubted their victory, were forced to stop in front of Leningrad and take a waiting position. This was very strange for the German soldiers – they could not explain what the purpose was.
In 1941, the question of capturing the city remained open. The question of the fate of its population has not been resolved either. Some Wehrmacht officers wondered: Should we shoot 2 million people if they try to leave the city? In the end, it was decided to move to positional warfare and to tighten the blockade. This decision led to the famine winter of 1941-1942.
DV: Didn’t Hitler really intend to take Leningrad?
Birte Kundrus: Hitler did not have such an intention from the very beginning – if by the term “conquer the city” we mean a situation in which the entire population is captured. This was never part of Hitler’s plans. As for Leningrad, they were not fully formed, but it was clear that the Wehrmacht did not intend to feed the 2 million people living there. The resources of the Soviet Union were to become a reserve for the Wehrmacht, for German soldiers, and for the entire population of Germany in general.
DV: It is widely believed in Russia that Hitler failed to take Leningrad mainly because of the heroism of its inhabitants.
Birte Kundrus: That’s right. The fact that the population of the city has withstood the conditions of incredible deprivation is due to both itself and the city administration. It’s scary to even imagine what would have happened if people had decided to betray themselves and the city. We do not know the exact number of casualties – it varies between 600,000 and 900,000: people who died not only from starvation, but also from artillery shelling, which the Wehrmacht regularly undertakes. It is a mistake to think that the Germans have been trying to take the city for three years. It was not so.
DV: Russian publicist Mark Solonin, author of a book on the war, claims that Stalin could have organized the supply of the city on Lake Ladoga much earlier. Solonin even suggested that Stalin almost wanted German troops to take the city and sink there to postpone the attack on Moscow. Russian historians accuse Solonin of distorting the facts. How do you evaluate his thesis?
Birte Kundrus: As for the circumstances during the war, it is important to remember who has access to the archives. After the collapse of the USSR, Russian archives were opened, but for twenty years now, foreign historians have had difficulty accessing them. And this complicates the unambiguous conclusions. It is well known, however, that for a long time Stalin was not particularly concerned with Leningrad and the supply of the city.
But we must not forget this either: Stalin simply could not suddenly believe that Hitler had violated the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. It took him a while to decide how to act. After the war with Finland and the internal purges, the Soviet officers were considerably thinner. And there was a need to react quickly, as the Germans were advancing on several fronts. So Stalin had to set priorities. Famous artists were evacuated from Leningrad – the most famous example is Shostakovich. Apart from that, however, almost nothing was done for the city during the first winter of the blockade.
DV: What were Stalin’s priorities during the siege of Leningrad?
Birte Kundrus: In the beginning, the most important thing was just to keep the pressure. Subsequently, however, the Hitlerite army headed for Moscow. What should the Moscow dictator do in this situation? Well, he must do everything possible so that he does not have to flee Moscow. That is why when the German troops advanced rapidly on all other fronts, he was not particularly worried that they had stopped in front of Leningrad. And Hitler was in a hurry to occupy the country before the winter frosts. I suppose that it was not until the early autumn of 1941 that it became clear to the Red Army how it should act, namely, recruiting new soldiers and producing more weapons. That is why September 1941 was a turning point.
DV: Russia recently passed a law that forbids denying the Soviet Union’s decisive role in defeating fascism and equating the goals and actions of the Soviet leadership with Nazi Germany. Many critics fear that this law will restrict freedom of historical research. How do you think: how important is it to study in all directions – or are there still boundaries that should not be crossed?
Birte Kundrus: In my opinion, the borders that should not be crossed are in the realm of politics. But politics and science are two different things. However, it seems to me that politics is being waged today with this war, and the Russian leadership, led by Putin, is using the political interpretation of history for its own purposes. I am referring to the preconceived interpretations that were supposedly necessary to “defend the historical truth.” But in the end, that means not making scientific comparisons. What was the behavior of the two dictators, what goals did Stalin and Hitler pursue? Or how did the two enemy armies, the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, act?
To compare does not mean to equate. On the contrary: by comparing similarities and differences, scholars try to outline more precisely the contours of historical figures. Moreover, during the war both dictators did not show any scruples. However, Hitler’s German attack on the Soviet Union is an indisputable fact. As well as the fact that the aggressor is Nazi Germany. It was she who went to a devastating war against the Soviet Union.
Author: Elena Gunkel
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