Battle of Warsaw
The Battle of Warsaw, fought in August 1920, was a pivotal conflict during the Polish-Soviet War. It marked a crucial moment when Polish forces, under the leadership of Józef Piłsudski, executed a daring counteroffensive against advancing Soviet troops led by Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Initially, the Poles were on the defensive following a series of setbacks, but Piłsudski concentrated a significant portion of his forces southeast of Warsaw, aiming to draw the Russians into an overextended attack. On August 16, the Polish forces launched a counterattack that resulted in a swift and overwhelming victory, pushing the Soviet army back over 250 kilometers within a week.
The battle's outcome was substantial, with over 100,000 Russian troops captured and significant losses inflicted on the Soviet forces, which were three times greater than Polish casualties. The success at Warsaw not only halted the Soviet advance but also allowed Polish forces to regain the initiative, leading to further victories in the region. The battle is often seen as a crucial moment in shaping the boundaries and political landscape of Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War I.
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Subject Terms
Battle of Warsaw
Type of action: Ground battle in Russo-Polish War of 1919–1921
Date: August, 1920
Location: Poland
Combatants: Soviet Bolsheviks vs. Poles
Principal commanders:Polish, Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935), Edward Rydz-Smigly (1886–1941); Russian, Mikhail Tukhachevsky (1893–1937)
Result: Polish victory; securing of Polish independence; halt to Soviet westward advance
The Polish-Ukrainian offensive, in April, 1920, gained much of Ukraine but failed to destroy the bulk of the Bolshevik forces, who counterattacked in the north in July and followed with an offensive in the south, which resulted in a rapid Polish retreat along the entire front. As Russian forces approached, Józef Piłsudski, Polish chief of state, devised a bold counterthrust centered on Warsaw.
Piłsudski concentrated almost one-third of his depleted forces, under General Edward Rydz-Smigly, as a strike force southeast of Warsaw on the Wieprz. The remainder were to hold the capital and lure the bulk of the enemy into the attack. On August 14, Mikhail Tukhachevsky attempted a combined frontal assault and an encircling attack to assault Warsaw from the west. With the Russians now fully engaged, on August 16, the Polish counterattack thrust north with devastating effect and raced over 250 kilometers in six days, shattering the Russian army. Russian efforts at restabilizing the front failed, and they retreated in disorder with the Poles passing to a general offensive. More than 100,000 Russians were captured or interred. Russian losses of approximately 150,000 were thrice Polish casualties.
Significance
Piłsudski’s bold maneuver was the decisive factor; however, a disastrous Russian decision to divert forces south to Lwów, rather than concentrating on Warsaw, was also vital. After the Warsaw victory, the Poles inflicted a series of additional defeats on the Russians in the east and regained the initiative in the south.
Bibliography
Davies, Norman. White Eagle, Red Star. London: Orbis, 1983.
Dziewanowski, M. K. Joseph Pilsudski, A European Federalist, 1918–1922. Stanford, Calif.: Hoover Institution, 1969.
Fiddick, Thomas C. Russia’s Retreat from Poland, 1920: From Permanent Revolution to Peaceful Coexistence. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.
Palij, Michael. The Ukrainian-Polish Defensive Alliance, 1919–1921: An Aspect of the Ukrainian Revolution. Edmonton: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 1995.
Zamoyski, Adam. The Battle for the Marchlands. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.