i am watching the documentary "The world at war" and it was talking about the surrounding of the city and how The city could only be supplied over lake Ladoga. Why did the Germans not fully surround the city? See this image for detail
Why did the Germans not fully surround the city?
It was unfeasible, both from a logistical standpoint and from the standpoint of the forces available to Army Group North. Having just come off of bloody fighting on the Luga River Line, Army Group North was forced to spread it's forces thinly, with 16th Army far to the south trying to maintain a tenuous link between Army Group North and Army Group Center, receiving only piecemeal reinforcement from 3rd Panzer Group, which had itself been greatly weakened by the campaign in Belarussia and Central Russia thus far. Meanwhile, 4th Panzer Group was having to make do with it's inadequate force structure (only two panzer corps) and fight it's way towards Leningrad and Lake Ladoga through difficult, marshy terrain, and with 18th Army facing it's own problems, notably the existence in it's rear of the Oranienbaum bridgehead as it closed in on Leningrad. By the time that advanced units of the 1st Panzer Division actually reached the approaches of the city, 4th Panzer Group was already being detached and sent to take part in Operation Typhoon, an enterprise which as a whole received priority for supplies, ammunition, and reinforcements, weakening any efforts that might take place on the flanks.
From 18th Army's situation, strengthening Soviet resistance meant that an attack to cut Leningrad off from the western bank of Lake Ladoga was unfeasible. The only other alternative was to push to the Svir River and link up with the Finns, and that would require the support of 3rd Panzer Group, which was tied down by Typhoon. It would also have stretched 16th Army to the limit, and the vulnerability of that army and the 39th Panzer Corps in the area south of Ladoga, north of Novgorod, was already bad enough, as the Toropets-Kholm Offensive and the Battle for Tikhvin were to demonstrate that winter.
TL;DR: the forces available were inadequate for a comprehensive siege of Leningrad.
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