Luga Defensive Line
defence line in Russia
The Luga Defensive Line (Luga fortified position; Russian: Лужский оборонительный рубеж) was a system of Soviet fortifications (defensive line) of approximately 300 kilometres long, built in June–August 1941 on the territory of Leningrad region, from the Narva Gulf, along the rivers Luga, Mshaga, Shelon to Lake Ilmen with the aim of preventing a breakthrough by troops of the German Army Group North to the north-east in the direction of Leningrad.
Major defensive operations of the Soviet Red Army took place at the line in July and August of 1941 halting Wehrmacht's rapid advance across the Baltic states and delaying its approach to Leningrad by about a month. The line was abandoned towards the end of August.
Background
Strategic importance of Leningrad
On 18 December 1940, Hitler signed Directive No. 21, known as the Barbarossa Operation. This plan envisaged an attack on the Soviet Union by three army groups along three main directions: Army Group North towards Leningrad, Army Group Center towards Moscow, and Army Group South towards Kiev and the Donbas. After the capture of Leningrad and Kronstadt, Army Group North was to turn its armies eastward, encircling Moscow from the north. In Directive No. 32 of 11 June 1941, Hitler set the timing for the completion of the "victorious campaign in the East" as the end of autumn. Franz Halder, Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Ground Forces of the Wehrmacht, wrote the following in his diary on 8 July 1941:The Führer's decision is unshakable to raze Moscow and Leningrad to the ground, in order to completely get rid of the population of these cities, which otherwise we would then be forced to feed during the winter.
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