Battle of Krasny Bor

Overview

The Battle of Krasny Bor was part of the Soviet offensive Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda in the Eastern Front of World War II. It called for a pincer attack near Leningrad to build on the success of Operation Iskra and completely lift the siege of Leningrad, in the process encircling a substantial part of the German 18th Army. The offensive near the town of Krasny Bor formed the western arm of the pincer. The Soviet offensive began on Wednesday, 10 February 1943, and produced noticeable gains on the first day but rapidly became a stalemate. The strong defense by the Spanish Blue Division and the German SS Polizei Division gave the German forces time to reinforce their positions. By February 13, the Soviet forces had ceased their offensive in this sector.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Krasny Bor was the western arm of the Soviet pincer offensive Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda, designed to build on the momentum of Operation Iskra and fully lift the siege of Leningrad by encircling a substantial portion of the German 18th Army. Despite initial gains on the first day, the offensive stalled within days. The determined resistance of the Spanish Blue Division and the German SS Polizei Division bought time for German forces to reinforce their positions, and by February 13 Soviet operations in this sector had ceased. The failure of the western pincer meant the broader encirclement plan collapsed, leaving the siege of Leningrad unbroken at this stage of the campaign. Soviet casualties of over 13,500 against a defending force of roughly 4,900 underscored the cost of the failed breakthrough attempt.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)