Original Item: One-of-a-kind. The Siege of Leningrad was a prolonged military blockade undertaken from the south by the Army Group North of Germany against the Russian city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) on the Eastern Front in World War II. The Finnish army invaded from the north, co-operating with the Germans until they had recaptured territory lost in the recent Winter War, but refused to make further approaches to the city.

The siege started on 8 September 1941, when the last road to the city was severed. Although the Soviet forces managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city on 18 January 1943, the siege was not lifted until 27 January 1944, 872 days after it began. It was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history, and possibly the costliest in casualties suffered.

This is an authentic hand carved souvenir walking stick or Wolchow Stock, made by a German Luftwaffe soldier serving on the Eastern Front. The stick measures 39 inches tall with a circumference of 4 1/2 inches at its widest point,  and 7 1/4 inches around the hand rest. Just below the top it is marked RUSLAND, and below this it features a German Iron Cross and a Swas (Swas). Below this it is marked with various areas in and around Leningrad, which we assume the soldier must have been to during the campaign

This would indicate the soldier was in the Ust-Luga port area outside Leningrad, before going to the Peterhof Palace complex and the Strelna district in Leningrad. We have not been able to identify the location of "Titasari" but it could be a specific building or shop that no longer exists. Below these words are additional decorative carvings.

This is a fantastic personalized piece of historical remembrance from one of the most brutal theaters of war in world history.