Battle of Lenino

Part of the Eastern Front of World War II

Troops of the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division at the Battle of Lenino.

Date	October 12–13, 1943
Location	Lenino, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Result	Soviet-Polish offensive failure Limited territorial gains for the Soviet-Polish forces

Belligerents

Germany

Soviet Union

Poland

Commanders and leaders

Gottfried Fröhlich

Vasiliy Nikolayevich Gordov

Zygmunt Berling

Strength

Army Group Centre

German 4th Army

33rd Soviet Army
Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division

Casualties and losses

c. 1500

c. 3000

See section on casualties for further details.

Army Group Centre

The Battle of Lenino was a tactical World War II engagement that took place between October 12 and October 13, 1943, north of the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region of Byelorussia. The battle itself was a part of a larger Soviet Spas-Demensk offensive operation with the aims of clearing the eastern bank of the Dnieper River of German forces and piercing the Panther-Wotan line of defences.

While the Polish and Soviet forces managed to break through the German defences and inflict heavy casualties on the Germans, they were unable to keep the advance. There was a failure in cooperation from other Red Army units, and a lack of artillery support or close air cover caused by the ongoing Wehrmacht panzer counter-attack against the 10th Guards Army to the north of the 33rd Army. The division was forced to assume defensive positions, and was ordered to hold its ground due to the expected arrival in its sector of the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, which was tasked with breaking through the German defensive position.

The relief never arrived; after two days the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division suffered 25% casualties and had to be withdrawn, while the remaining Soviet forces were too weak to widen the achieved breakthrough. The battle is prominent in Polish military history, as it was one of the first major engagements of Polish Armed Forces in the East.

On the Soviet side of the front line, the main assault was to be carried out by the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division, aided by tanks of the 1st Polish Tank Regiment, light artillery regiments from the Soviet 144th and 164th Infantry Divisions, as well as the 538th Mortar Regiment and the 67th Howitzer Brigade from the Army's reserves. Both flanks of the Polish division were to be secured by the Soviet 42nd (assaulting the village of Sukhino) and 290th Rifle Divisions (assaulting Lenino itself).

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