Transcript of talks of the Supreme Commander to the Commander of the Leningrad front

09.11.1941

Leningrad.: Zhdanov and Khozin at the device. Good day com. Stalin. Reporting about fulfillment of your orders. The following measures are taken:

• Forming three volunteer regiments of selected people. The formation will be finished by the end of today. By morning of 10.XI we hope to transfer them to the other side of Neva.
• Thanks to the shrinking rear we reinforced the divisions that are on the left bank of Neva.
• We gathered around 40 medium and light tanks which will be shipped to the left bank of Neva at night between 9th and 10th of November.
• Today we have listened to the combat plans, presented by the Military Council of the 8th army. We achieved that the Military council of the 8th army fully understands how to organize the operation of breakthrough and plan the breakthrough operation according to indications of comrade Stalin.
• Ready time for operation start is set to 10th - 11th of November. On the direction of a support blow of the 55th Army we started to form a volunteer regiment. The nearest objective for the army is to clear the Western bank of river Tosna; following with capturing the ferries on the river Tosna and advancing in the direction of Mga station to meet up with the 8th and 54th Armies.

Considering the experience of previous battles, we have given instructions about carrying out the offensive towards a dug-in enemy. Our forces have shown their weakness in performing such operations, especially on company, battalion and regiment levels. Considering this, instructions have been given to reform the work of artillery.

Stalin.: Pause the transmission. Tikhvin is occupied by the enemy. We are clearing the situation. If it will be possible, we will connect to you by the wire. This wire goes through Tikhvin. Over. Stand by the device.

Z.: All clear, standing by.

Zhdanov and Khozin by the device.: Continuing the report. Instructions to reform the work of artillery were given, according to your indications. We now got information from the 54th Army that the enemy has occupied Tikhvin but in the Volkhov direction the enemy is 15-18km away from Volkhov. The commander of the 54th Army asks for a division to be transferred to cover Volkhov. We think that it is better to take that division from the 54th Army, because transferring from us is difficult because of the transport issues. Over. Waiting for indications.

Stalin at the device.: Sorry, I was late. To eliminate the enemy forces we have transferred Meretskov with some units of the 7th army to Tikhvino region. We are sending tanks and one full division there. I think that the 54th army could move one of its divisions to cover its rear. As you see, the enemy wants to create the second line of encirclement around Leningrad and completely cut it off from the rest of the country. It is very dangerous to wait any longer. Be hurry to create a large group of forces, concentrate all the fire: artillery, aviation, 120mm mortars and RS on a large he said “narrow” as it is evident from the reply, but the document has a typo areas and punch through and create a road to the East until it’s not too late. We will eliminate the Tikhvino enemy group by ourselves I suppose.
Could you ship disassembled KVs across the Neva or handle large amounts of KV to your Tosno groups and let them go along the Southern bank of Neva to the enemy rears? Over.

Z.: Comrade Stalin! Reporting: your instructions are being implemented. We have considered an offensive plan and we are creating quite a powerful artillery group in the 1km wide breakthrough region which consists of 600 guns and mortars as well as three RS batteries. All the aviation will operate there as well. Shipping KV tanks across Neva is a very difficult and very lengthy task. We have already transferred one brigade to the region of the 55th army and will transfer one more brigade there. We are doing as you said - forming one motorised regiment for these brigades. We will be setting them the following objective: as soon as we capture the ferries across Tosna river, they will strike the enemy rear towards station Mga. Over.

Comrade Stalin, we have a request. Due to unreliability of supply across the Ladoga lake, we ask to give us 30 additional “Douglas” aircrafts and 10 TB-3 for evacuating the war materials from Leningrad and bringing in food concentrates and other provisions. Additionally they will need a regiment of fighters to support their actions. We ask for your instructions on what to do with the 69 regimental artillery pieces you have ordered us to transfer. Those are at Volkhov. Over.

S.: We will do our best to provide “Douglas” and TB-3 for you. As for the 69 regiment cannons, let the 54th army take them for storage.

Over. Good bye.

Z.: Over. Good bye.

ЦАМО. Ф.96а. Оп. 2011. Д. 5. Л. 156-159.