Battle of Krasny Bor The Battle of Krasny Bor was part of the Soviet offensive Operation " Polyarnaya Zvezda " . It called for a pincer attack near Leningrad , to build on the success of Operation " Iskra " and completely lift the Siege of Leningrad , encircling a substantial part of the German 18th Army . The offensive near " Krasny Bor , Leningrad Oblast " , formed the western arm of the pincer . The Soviet offensive began on Wednesday , 10 February 1943 . It produced noticeable gains on the first day , but rapidly turned into a stalemate . The strong defense of the 250th ( Spanish ) Infantry Division led by General Emilio Esteban and the 4th SS Police Division gave the German forces time to reinforce their positions . By February 13 , the Soviet forces had stopped their offensive in this sector . In Spain , February 10 became known as " Black Wednesday " , due to the heavy losses of the Spanish Division , which lost over 70 % of the men engaged in the action . It was the most costly battle for the Spanish volunteers during their time on the Eastern Front . Background . " Main articles : Spain in World War II , Blue Division , Siege of Leningrad , Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda . " The Siege of Leningrad . The Siege of Leningrad began in early autumn 1941 . By September 8 , German and Finnish forces had surrounded the city , cutting off all supply routes to Leningrad and its suburbs . However the original drive on the city failed and the city was subjected to a siege . During 1942 several attempts were made to breach the blockade , but they were all unsuccessful . The last such endeavour in 1942 was the Sinyavin Offensive . After the defeat of that effort , the front line returned to what it was previously and again separated Leonid Govorov ' s Leningrad Front in the city and Kirill Meretskov ' s Volkhov Front . Despite the failures of earlier operations , lifting the siege of Leningrad was a very high priority , so new offensive preparations began in November 1942 , only weeks after the last offensive failed . In December , the operational plan was approved by the STAVKA ( the Soviet High Command ) and received the codename " Iskra " ( Spark ) . By January 1943 , the situation looked very good for the Soviet side . The German defeat at Stalingrad had weakened the German front . The Soviet forces were planning or conducting offensive operations across the entire front , especially in southern Russia . Amidst these conditions , " Iskra " was to become the first of several offensive operations aimed at inflicting a decisive defeat on Army Group North . Operation " Iskra " was a strategic victory for the Soviet forces and successfully opened a land corridor 8 – 10 km wide into the city . A railroad was swiftly built through it and allowed many more supplies to reach the city than the " Road of Life " ( the truck route across the frozen Lake Lagoda ) , eliminating the possibility of the capture of the city and a German - Finnish linkup . At the same time , however , STAVKA knew that " Iskra " was incomplete as the corridor it had opened was narrow and was still in range of German artillery . Additionally , the important heights and strong point at Siniavino were still controlled by the Germans . This led Georgy Zhukov , the Soviet commander , to plan a much more ambitious offensive operation named Operation " Polyarnaya Zvezda " ( Polar Star ) . Operation " Polyarnaya Zvezda " . Operation " Polyarnaya Zvezda " tried to build on the success of Operation " Iskra " and began only days later . Zhukov , who had overseen " Iskra " , was promoted to marshal of the Soviet Union on January 18 , the day the two Soviet Fronts linked up and broke the blockade . This foresaw a three - front attack by the Northwestern Front [ roughly equivalent to an army group ] , under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko ; the Volkhov Front under Colonel General Kirill Meretskov , and the Leningrad Front under Colonel General Leonid Govorov , of which the 55th Army was now a part . The Northwestern Front was to attack the Ramushevo Corridor , which connected the Demyansk Salient , held by the Germans to their main positions since 1942 . The destruction of the bulk of the German 16th Army in the pocket would allow the Front to exploit the gap in the German lines . The Leningrad and Volkov Fronts were to capitalize on the fact that the German 18th Army was stretched very thin in the January fighting and attack the army ' s flanks , aiming to link up near Tosno . Again , this would create a gap in the German lines . Overall , the goal of the offensive was nothing short of decisively defeating Army Group North and advancing to Lake Chud The 55th Army ' s objective was to break open the vital Leningrad - Moscow Highway , starting from its jump - off position in Kolpino towards Tosno ; it was to join - up with a northbound pincer attack of the 54th Army of the Volkhov Front , thereby encircling German formations in the Mga sector . The highway is an important road / railway connection linking Moscow and Leningrad . The pivot - point for this highway was Krasny Bor , situated between the highway and the railway line . 55th Army ' s attack would also hit sectors defended by other German formations which were established to secure flanks and draw them into battle . Once this attack had succeeded , the plan was for the second echelon forces to advance through the gap towards Tosno . The attack was planned for February 10 , 1943 and was to jump off from Kolpino . The 55th Army planned to attack with a force of approximately 40 , 000 men and 30 tanks in first echelon , to be followed by a mobile group consisting of the 122nd Tank Brigade and the 35th Ski Brigade . At the end of January 1943 , Emilio Esteban Infantes , the general in command of the 250th [ Spanish ] Infantry Division ( Blue Division ) was aware of a build - up of Soviet forces ( 55th Army ) , which indicated that an attack was imminent . To deflect it , he ordered his reserves , two cycle companies and the 9th and 11th Batteries of the 250th Artillery Regiment , into Krasny Bor on February 2 . On the 9th he ordered that at least one - third of the men with all available automatic weapons were to withdraw 2 , 000 meters behind the main line of resistance ; that the 269th Infantry Regiment should be ready to give up its 2nd Battalion as soon as that was requested ; and that the 263rd Infantry Regiment had to provide one infantry company , two Fusilier companies and a machine gun company as reserves . Some additional minefields were laid , and minor improvements to firing positions were undertaken . The German command promised to send two anti - tank companies with 75 mm Pak 40 AT guns and 88 mm AT gun s ( although only one of these arrived in time for the battle ) as well as an infantry regiment . The battle . February 10 – Day 1 . On Wednesday , February 10 , 1943 , a massive artillery bombardment of 1 , 000 Soviet guns and mortars descended on the Spanish lines at precisely 6 : 45 . Shells , mortars and Katyusha rockets pounded the trenches , bunker s and dugouts which had been constructed to strengthen the eastern flank of Army Group North . At 8 . 45 hours , the bombardment shifted from the front line onto Krasny Bor itself , also striking the villages of Podolvo and Raikelevo ( both located east and southeast of Krasny Bor , respectively ) , the latter being the location of Infantes ' forward command post . At approximately 8 : 40 , the 45th and 63rd Guards and the 72nd Rifle Divisions , followed by some tanks , advanced towards Staraia Mgsa ( east of Krasny Bor ) , Krasny Bor , Raikelevo and Podolvo , with the 63rd Guards Rifle Division facing the 5 , 900 troops of the 250th Infantry Division , holding the eastern flank of the line . Pinned down by two hours of initial bombardment , Spanish formations were unable to retreat towards the town and in many cases fought to the death . The frontline was quickly overrun , and many Spanish formations were destroyed there . Inside Krasny Bor , a company of the 250th Infantry Division held the October Railway station , repulsing infantry charges and three tank assaults by advancing Soviet forces . By 11 : 00 the company was reduced to 40 combatants , yet these managed to hold the factory until 12 : 00 , when they fell back into the town . From 9 : 00 to 10 : 40 , isolated Spanish units fought off Soviet attacks but were cut off when the Soviets seized the October Railway . Now encircled , the units still holding the Leningrad - Moscow Highway decided to hold - on as long as possible and were destroyed in combat . The 55th Army , in the meantime , had advanced despite heavy casualties inflicted by the dug - in Spanish troops . The Soviets took Raikelevo , which cut off Podolvo from Krasny Bor . In Krasny Bor itself the Spanish artillery , engineer s and other assorted stragglers came under attack from Soviet infantry and armour , and by 12 : 00 , the 63rd Guards Rifle Division reported the capture of Krasny Bor , despite the fact that the southern half of the town was still controlled by the Spanish . Soviet tanks opened fire on a hospital and retreating ambulances but were eventually beaten off by Spanish troops armed with Molotov Cocktail s and hand grenade s . The afternoon brought belated support for the defenders in the form of a Luftwaffe fighter - bomber attack on the Soviet positions around the town of Kolpino , to the east of Krasny Bor , while the 45th Guards Rifle Division seized Mishkino . Sviridov decided to insert the mobile group into the battle late on the day , but they were stopped by a combination of fierce resistance and a sudden thaw that stopped the Ski Brigade from operating off road . The German command reinforced the Spanish defenses with battle groups . The 63rd Guards Rifle Division advanced as far as the central - western part of the town , and after 15 : 15 managed to push a small formation into the rear of the Spanish division ' s forward command post . Meanwhile the remaining Spanish troops were ordered to new positions on the Izhora River , to the west of the town . Here they held out against 63rd Guards Rifle Division ' s last attacks of the day . After 16 : 30 hours a battle group of the German 212th Infantry Division and two companies each of the Flemish and the Lithuanian Legion s were able to support the Spanish with a counter - attack on the forest at Staraya Rechka , and by taking over the frontline from the highway to the Izhora River . At the end of the day , the 63rd Guards Rifle Division had advanced four or five kilometres and captured Krasny Bor , Mishkino , Staraya Mirza , Stepanovka , and Popovka Station . On its left wing , the attack by the 43rd Rifle Division and the 34th Ski Brigade had had initial success , driving the 4th SS Police Division into the Tosno River . In the Ishora River sector , the 72nd Rifle Division pushed back the lines of the Spanish towards the river , destroying the Field Replacement Battalion , but suffering up to 70 % casualties in the process . February 11 – 13 . The next day , February 11 , 1943 , left forward 63rd Guards Rifle Division units were surrounded in several places , but the 63rd Guards Rifle Division was in control of Krasny Bor by evening . A planned counter - attack by the Spanish division and the German 112th Infantry Division was thought likely to be successful , but was ultimately not carried out due to concern over the overall position of the 18th Army . By February 13 , 55th Army had lost almost a third of its initial strength and most of its tanks , and could no longer advance . The total penetration achieved reached a depth of four to five kilometres over a frontage of 14 kilometres . After the Spanish 262nd infantry Regiment and 1st Artillery Battalion evacuated , they bombarded the Soviet positions and attempted a counter - attack to recapture Krasny Bor on February 12 . The attack by the 55th Army made a flanking assault by the 67th Army in the Sinyavino sector easier , because of the withdrawal of German forces from that sector . The main road to Moscow was still controlled by the 18th Army , despite the capture of three km of railway line , and the Soviets launched their last major attack in this sector on March 19 , 1943 . It was also repelled with heavy losses on both sides . Soviet general staff critiques after the battle highlighted the reasons for the failure of the attacks during Operation " Polar Star " as strongly fortified defenses , faulty reconnaissance , poor command and control on all levels , clumsy employment of tanks and ineffective artillery support . Aftermath and consequences . The failure by the 55th Army to follow through on its initial success meant that the encirclement of the German forces in the Mga sector had lost its northern pincer . Lack of success by the other attacking armies , for similar reasons , led to the overall failure of the grandly conceived Operation " Polar Star " . It would take almost another year before the 18th Army withdrew from the direct approaches to Leningrad . The German 50th Corps , in particular the 250th ( Spanish ) Infantry Division , had managed to hold the Red Army inside the perimeter of the siege of Leningrad , but at heavy cost . On February 15 the 250th Infantry Division reported casualties of 3 , 645 killed or wounded and 300 missing or taken prisoner , which amounted to a 70 – 75 % casualty rate of the troops engaged in the battle . It claimed 11 , 000 Soviet troops of the 55th Army had been killed in the five days beginning February 9 . Because of these heavy losses and Allied pressure on the Spanish government , the Blue Division was withdrawn to Germany and later disbanded . A new volunteer formation called the Blue Legion ( " Legión Azul " ) remained in combat on the Eastern Front , attached to the 121st Infantry Division until March 1944 . It was then also disbanded and the majority of the volunteers sent back to Spain . The 55th Army eventually took part in breaking the siege of Leningrad , securing the Leningrad - Moscow line in 1944 . It subsequently advanced into Estonia and fought against the Courland pocket until 1945 . Those captured in the battle , on the Spanish side , were sent to gulag camps , primarily in Siberia , and were not repatriated to Spain until 1954 . Krasny Bor remains , for the most part , an obscure battle in modern historical knowledge relating to this devastating war . The Blue Division was awarded a Combat Service Medal , personally designed by Adolf Hitler , for its defense of Army Group North ' s precarious eastern flank . Order of battle . Soviet Union – Leningrad Front . Soviet 55th Army , 38 , 000 soldiers – Lieutenant General Vladimir Petrovich Sviridov Germany – Army Group North , 18th Army . German 50th Corps – General Philipp Kleffel