Красноборская операция 1943 года в протоколах допросов солдат испанской Голубой дивизии
The Battle of Krasny Bor of 1943 in Records of Interrogation of the Spanish Blue Division Soldiers

Summary/Abstract: The plans of the Soviet command to replicate the success of the Battle of Stalingrad near Leningrad in the winter of 1942–43 were not very fruitful. Although the siege of Leningrad was broken, the front line was still close to the city blocks. The troops and fortified positions of the Nazis and their allies in Pushkin and Pavlovsk were subjected to regular shelling. Unfortunately, the Soviet command clearly underestimated the quality of the Spanish ally of the Nazis. The Blue Division was supposed to be the main target near Krasny Bor. However, a defector from the Red Army warned the Spaniards and their allies about this. Their units were significantly reinforced. Therefore, the Soviet offensive did not achieve its goal. At the same time, a significant number of Spanish soldiers died or were captured. Among the prisoners was Captain Palacios Cueto. The fate of Teodoro Palacios in Francoist Spain became a symbol of the heroism of a true Falangist. In many ways, it was mythologized after the publication of the book “Embajador en el infierno” (“Ambassador in Hell”), where he himself was listed as one of the authors. A very spectacular film based on the book was released, and Palacios became a role model for Spanish youth for several decades. At the same time, while investigating into the records of interrogation of Captain Palacios, conducted in February 1943 by Soviet counterintelligence officers, it becomes clear there was a murky underside of this case. He quickly made contact with the officers and provided the Soviet special services with sensitive data. The archives of the Omsk Directorate of the FSB also contain other records of interrogation of Spanish prisoners of war, which allow us to take a new look at some episodes of the battle for Leningrad in the winter of 1942–43.

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