ORDER

OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

To Army General Govorov

The troops of the Leningrad Front, having launched their offensive from the areas of Pulkovo and south of Oranienbaum, broke through the strongly fortified, deeply echeloned, long-established German defences and in five days of intense fighting advanced from 12 to 20 kilometres in each direction and widened the breakthrough on each sector of the offensive to 35–40 kilometres along the front.

As a result of this breakthrough, the troops of the front on 19 January took by storm the city of Krasnoye Selo, which the Germans had converted into a fortress, and also Ropsha — an equally powerful enemy defensive strongpoint and an important road junction.

In the course of the offensive our troops inflicted a severe defeat on seven German infantry divisions and captured a large group of enemy heavy artillery that had been systematically shelling the city of Leningrad.

In the breakthrough of the German defences and in the fighting for Krasnoye Selo and Ropsha, the troops of Colonel-General Maslennikov, Lieutenant-General Fedyuninsky, Major-General Simonyak, Major-General Andreyev, Major-General Fadeyev, Colonel Romanenko; the artillerymen of Major-General of Artillery Mikhalkin and Major-General of Artillery Charnyavsky; the tankmen of Colonel Zhukov; and the airmen of Marshal of Aviation Golovanov, Lieutenant-General of Aviation Rybalchenko, and Lieutenant-General of Aviation Samokhin distinguished themselves.

To commemorate the victory won, the formations and units that most distinguished themselves in the fighting shall be awarded the designations "Krasnoye Selo" and "Ropsha" and shall be recommended for decoration with orders.

Today, 19 January, at 21:00 hours, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland salutes the valiant troops of the Leningrad Front who broke through the German defences and captured the city of Krasnoye Selo and Ropsha, with twenty artillery salvoes from two hundred and twenty-four guns.

For excellent combat operations I declare my gratitude to all the troops under your command who carried out the breakthrough and took part in the fighting for the city of Krasnoye Selo and Ropsha.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the struggle for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

19 January 1944 [No. 60]