From December 1941 to April 1942, the practically deserted and uninhabitable area near Pogost became the scene of fierce battles between units of the Red Army, trying to break the blockade of Leningrad, and the German Wehrmacht. Deep snow and severe frosts, as well as fierce enemy resistance, forced the Red Army soldiers of the 54th Army, caught in a positional impasse, to literally chew their way through the enemy defenses. For a long time, this battle received only brief mentions in general military historical works. This book, based on Soviet and German documents, tells for the first time about the battle, which became the first act of the tragic Lyuban operation.