Defence Line memorial sign

In September 1941, the Nazis managed to pierce the Soviet defence on the Zapadnaya Litsa river. Only 49 km were left to Murmansk. But they failed after a smashing blow from which they took long to recover. This was organised primarily by the Murmansk regional committee of the Communist Party and the Military Council of the 14th Army that appealed to both soldiers and the city’s civilian population: ‘Come all and defend Murmansk!’ Many residents of Murmansk then joined the ranks of the city’s defenders, This is how the Polar Division was formed.