TracesOfWar.com

National Memorial Neva Bridgehead

(Russia - Northwestern - Dubrovka)

The Neva bridgehead was a stroke of land, 50 kilometers to the south-east of Leningrad (now: St. Petersburg), which was scene of heavy fighting between 20 September 1941 and May 1943. The bridgehead was of a significant value for the Germans and Russians, as it was the key to a fully enclosed Leningrad. The losses in this sector were enormous. It is estimated that the Germans lost about 160.000 men (combat and non-combat) and the Russians 260.000 men. The Red Army eventually managed to break through the German defence line.

The bridgehead today:
Today, the Neva bridgehead is a national monument. There are many memorial stones erected on the site to commemorate the dead. The ground there still contains unidentifiable skeletal remains.

Source

• Text: Kaj Metz
• Photos: Wikimedia Commons