ABSTRACT
Whilst for those along the main axes of the German advance the change in the status quo as German front-line units and supply columns advanced would have been starkly apparent, for many the coming of German rule would have been less dramatic. Whilst local signs of Soviet power may have disappeared overnight with the evacuation of Party officials, the evacuation or destruction of much food and equipment, and nearer Leningrad the evacuation of technical and medical personnel, it would be weeks before there would be any sign of a permanent German presence or administration. The most isolated settlements away from local administrative centres, the MTS, and the main axes of the advance would have barely noticed any change for weeks if not months, and if the changeover of power was marked at all before the onset of winter, the most that could be expected was in many areas a brief visit by a German reconnaissance unit.
