Battle of Krasny Bor

Battle of Krasny Bor
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II, and the Siege of Leningrad
Date 9–13 February 1943 Location Krasny Bor, near present-day Saint Petersburg, Russia Result Axis victory Loss of Soviet momentum
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Georg Lindemann Emilio Esteban Infantes	Vladimir Sviridov Leonid Govorov Kliment Voroshilov
Units involved
18th Army 250th Division 4th SS Division (initially) 24th Division elements from 7 divisions[1] (reinforcements)	55th Army 43rd Division 45th Guards Division 63rd Guards Division 34th Ski Brigade Mobile group: 35th Ski Brigade 122nd Tank Brigade
Strength
Initially: 250th: 4,900 infantry 4th SS: uncertain	33,000 infantry 30 tanks 1,000 artillery pieces (Initially) Total: 43,000 infantry 90 tanks
Casualties and losses
3,645 killed & wounded 300 missing (250th Infantry Division)	13,563 casualties 6,572 injured

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.