Reflections of the Siege of Leningrad on the Turkish press (1941-1944)

On September 1, 1939, following the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact signed on August 23, 1939, German armies entered Polish territory and started World War II, and on September 17, 1939, Soviet Russia entered these territories and Poland was divided between the two allies. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany, and for a long time, they were faced with the devastation caused in the west by Germany, which had secured its east. This fortune changed when Hitler attacked Soviet Russia on June 22, 1941 and Britain supported Soviet Russia and continued to fight until the end of Hitler's Germany. As a result of these developments neither in 1939 nor in 1941, Turkey was not in favor of entering the war and always endeavored to stay out of the war while signing various treaties with the warring parties. While trying to maintain its position outside the war, Turkey, which was constantly subjected to pressure from the belligerent states, had to closely follow all developments. The war did not go as Germany wanted, they could not take Leningrad and Moscow, which they strategically targeted, and the Stalingrad defeat in 1943 was literally the beginning of the end. The Germans, who first retreated on the eastern front with the determination of the Soviet army, began to retreat on all fronts with the effect of the allied forces landing in the west. May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies. The aim of the study is to describe what happened during the Siege of Leningrad, Germany's first strategic target on the eastern front, through the eyes of four newspapers with high circulation in the Turkish press (Akşam, Cumhuriyet, Ulus, Tan). By selecting these newspapers by taking into account the ongoing allegations of bias, all aspects of the war were tried to be conveyed. At the same time, the extent to which the press covered the social problems experienced by the people trapped in Leningrad was also investigated. Key Words: Siege of Leningrad, World War II, Soviet Russia, Germany, Turkish press