Road of Life - Volume of Transported Goods

Volume of Transported Goods

The Road of Life was used to transport the following supplies:

• November 1941: approximately 1,500 tons of food (primarily flour)
• January 1942: approximately 52,000 tons of various supplies (of which ~42,000 tons were food)
• February 1942: approximately 86,000 tons of various supplies (of which ~67,000 tons were food)
• March 1942: approximately 113,000 tons of various supplies (of which ~87,000 tons were food)
• April 1942: approximately 87,000 tons of various supplies (of which ~57,000 tons were food)

In total the ice road was used to ship more than 360,000 tons of goods, mostly rations and fodder, into Leningrad.

In the first winter of the siege the ice road operated until 23 April 1942. From November 1941 to April 1942, the Road of Life had delivered more than 350,000 tons of freight to Leningrad, and of this total, more than 75% of all shipments made were food supplies used to feed the city’s starving inhabitants. Other supplies of vital importance included gasoline, engine lubricants, and ammunition, used to resupply the few military units still stationed inside the besieged city. Around 32,000 tons of military supplies and more than 37,000 tons of fuels and lubricants destined for the front and naval fleet were shipped out of Leningrad via the Road of Life.

On 23 April 1942, three cars carrying onions crossed the nearly melted route, delivering the last supplies to reach Leningrad via ice road that year.