CASUALTY RECORD // February 10, 1943
Battle of Krasny Bor
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
2 sides catalogued · combined 17,208 estimated
Germany
3,645
Medium-confidence figure
Soviet Union
13,563
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
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.
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