The two divisions of the Russian Grenadier Corps pressed southward against the Austrian X Corps, despite Fourth Army commander Anton von Salza’s apparent wish that they turn west to strike the exposed right flank of the Austrian I Corps. The Common Army’s 24th Infantry Division held firm, giving the 45th Landwehr Division an opportunity to attack the Russians from their left flank.

The 45th Landwehr Infantry Division’s recruiting district lay just on the other side of the border from the Kraśnik battlefield, and its mostly Polish soldiers acted as though they truly fought to defend their homes. The flank attack crushed 2nd Grenadier Division, which drew back in disarray, leaving behind 19 guns and hundreds of prisoners. For once, the Austro-Hungarian artillery played a useful role, with the nearby 4th Infantry Division (a Common Army assigned to the adjoining Fourth Army) lending some of its batteries to the attack as well.