Battle of Nevel (1943)

Battle of Nevel
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
The Nevel Salient, October 6 1943 to January 18 1944
Date October 6 – December 16 1943 Location Northwestern Russia/Northeastern Belarus Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Ernst Busch Christian Hansen Georg-Hans Reinhardt	Andrey Yeryomenko Kuzma Galitsky Vasily Shvetsov
Strength
unknown	198,000
Casualties and losses
7,000 killed and wounded 400 prisoners Total: 7,400 (16th Army, Oct. 6–10 only)[1]	43,551 killed or missing 125,351 wounded Total: 168,902 (to Dec. 31)[2]

The Battle of Nevel was a successful military operation conducted by the Red Army in the Pskov Oblast of western Russia and in northern Belarus during World War II, from October 6 to roughly December 16, 1943, although fighting persisted in the area into the new year.

The initial attack created an unexpected breakthrough of the German defenses and liberated the town of Nevel on the first day and subsequent attacks over the next four days created a salient about 35km wide and 25 km deep at the junction between German Army Groups North and Center. Through the following weeks the forces of 1st Baltic Front continued to expand the salient and attempt to outflank and encircle the units of German 16th Army and 3rd Panzer Army to its north and south while those same units, at Hitler's orders, "held the goalposts" and attempted to cut off the salient itself. Hitler finally conceded these efforts were futile on December 16 as 1st Baltic continued attacking southwards toward Vitebsk.