Kolomna II - Fires in the Night
"It was the place at which Russia faded into infinity,
the boundless sea, the invisible barrier
between the end of Russia and the beginning of Europe"
- Harrison E. Salisbury
9/9/1941 - A building in Kanala Grivoyedova bursts into flames in the middle of the night. Having released its deadly cargo a Ju 88 bomber of the Luftwaffe leaves the horrific scene.
Twenty-four-hour round-the-clock watch was established on the roofs of most buildings. These fire fighters were mainly women and their duty was to remove anything burnable from the attics of the city.
25/6/1941 - The famous Egyptian Bridge used to carry Lermontoskiy Prospekt over Fontanka River. It collapsed in 1905 but its obelisks and sphinxes are preserved intact in the northern side.
On the 19th of September 276 German bombers hit the city killing more than 1.000 civilians. Five hospitals were damaged and several buildings destroyed.
5/9/1941 - A Yak-1 fighter has managed to make an emergency landing in Lermontoskiy Prospekt. Another aircraft of the same squadron flies over the avenue with a damaged wing. Patriotic murals can be seen both in the wall to the right and the one to the top of the picture.
27/6/1941 - Three barrage balloons are being transported to be placed over Saint Nicholas Cathedral. On each side of the road there is an anti-aircraft gun pointing eastwards.
Anti-air balloons have taken the streets in the absence of cars. Leningraders are busy protecting the windows with wooden boards. On the upper floors we see they've used paper strips to prevent shattering.
Disclaimer: This CJ includes original photos taken during the siege. To my knowledge none of them is protected by copyright, but if I were wrong I'm happy to delete any picture that infringes the law.
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