The Five Kopek Bridgehead

Despite covering an area only 300 metres wide by 800 metres long, this was one of the bloodiest battlefields of WW2. Between 1941-44 an estimated 260,000 Red Army soldiers were killed or wounded here.  At the southern edge of bridgehead was the village of Arbuzovo, totally destroyed in the fighting and never rebuilt. Today, few trees grow there as the ground in so full or metal and unexploded ordnance.

 

On the 20th September 1941, with the ring around Leningrad closed,   

General Zhukov ordered an attack across the Neva to break through to the Soviet forces to the east. Units from two Rifle Divisions attacked, but only managed to take the area of the bridgehead, an attempt by Naval infantry to take the huge and solidly built power station that overlooked the bridgehead also failed.

 

From the 23rd September the Germans threw in counter attack after counter attack, including tanks, to try and wipe out the bridgehead, but the soviets held on, feeding more and more re-enforcements into what had become a slaughterhouse. In October the Red Army again tried to break out ferrying thousands more across the Neva, once again they failed.

The 45th returned to the Bridgehead for Operation Spark when they attacked in support of other divisions who were attacking further north. Although the forward German trenches were taken, the 45th were forced back by German counterattacks. Further attacks in support of Operation Polar Star finally took the power station.

 

The final offensive from the bridgehead took place in September 1943 in support of the attack against the Siniavino heights, once again the German line held, but the cost in casualties left Army Group North with no reserves to throw in when Soviet troops broke through to the bridgehead from the north in January 1944.

 

The fighting in the bridgehead had been of such intensity that the Red Army lost 48 dead for every square metre of the bridgehead, no wonder then that amongst the frontoviki could often be heard the saying:

 

“He who has never served on the Neva Bridgehead, has never truly seen the war"

The Bridgehead remained a thorn in the side of the German siege lines and was continuously attacked and bombarded until April 1942 when the ice flows cut off the troops in the bridgehead from those on the other side of the Neva. The defenders were wiped out to a man.

 

3rd September 1942 and the 70th along with two other divisions attacked across the Neva. The bridgehead was taken and held following heavy fighting against the SS Politzei Division. For it’s role in these battles the 70th was awarded Guard status, becoming the 45th Guards Rifle Division.