Battle of Warsaw (1920): Difference between revisions

{{For|theother filmuses|Battle of Warsaw 1920(disambiguation)}}

{{Expand Polish|topic=mil|Bitwa Warszawska|date=September 2021}}

| combatant1 = {{Unbulleted list|{{flagcountry|Second Polish Republic|1919}}}}<br />{{flag|Ukrainian People's Republic}}

| commander1 = {{ubl|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Józef Piłsudski]]|{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski|T. Jordan-Rozwadowski]]}}|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Władysław Sikorski]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Józef Haller]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Bolesław Roja]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Franciszek Latinik]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Leonard Skierski]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Zygmunt Zieliński (1858–1925)|Zygmunt Zieliński]]|{{flagdeco|Second Polish Republic|1919}} [[Wacław Iwaszkiewicz-Rudoszański|Wacław Iwaszkiewicz]]|{{flagdeco|Ukrainian People's Republic}} [[Symon Petliura]]}}

The Battle of Warsaw was fought from August 12–25, 1920, as Red Army forces commanded by [[Mikhail Tukhachevsky]] approached the Polish capital of [[Warsaw]] and the nearby [[Modlin Fortress]]. On August 16, Polish forces commanded by [[TadeuszJózef RozwadowskiPiłsudski]] counterattacked from the south, disrupting the enemy's offensive, forcing the Russian forces into a disorganized withdrawal eastward and behind the [[Neman River]]. Estimated Russian losses were 10,000 killed, 500 missing, 30,000 wounded, and 66,000 taken prisoner, compared with Polish losses of some 4,500 killed, 10,000 missing, and 22,000 wounded.

The politician and diplomat [[Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon|Edgar Vincent]] regards this event as one of the most important battles in history on his [[The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World#Derivative works|expanded list of most decisive battles]], since the Polish victory over the Soviets halted the [[Communist revolution|spread of communism]] further westwards into [[Europe]]. A Soviet victory, which would have led to the creation of a pro-Soviet-established government Communistin Poland, would have put the Soviets directly on the easternGerman border of Germany, where considerablethey revolutionarywere fermentexpecting wasor presentwere atpromised thealigned forces, as well as other such timeareas.

The crucial role, however, was assigned to the approximately 20,000-strong, newly formed Task Force (also translated as "Strike Group" or "Strike Army", from Polish {{lang|pl|Grupa Uderzeniowa}}), under the personal command of Piłsudski. This unit, composed of the most elite Polish units from the southern front, was to be reinforced by General [[Leonard Skierski]]'s 4th Army and General Zygmunt Zieliński's 3rd Army. After retreating from the Bug River area, those armies had not moved directly toward Warsaw but had crossed the [[Wieprz River]] and broken off contact with their pursuers, thus confusing the enemy as to their whereabouts. The Assault Group's assignment was to spearhead a rapid offensive from their southern position in the Vistula-Wieprz River triangle. They were supposed to advance north, targeting a weak spot that the [[Polish intelligence]] thought to have found in between the Soviet [[Western Front (RSFSR)|Western]] and [[Southwestern Front (RSFSR)|Southwestern Fronts]], where their communications relied on the weak [[Mozyr]] Group. The aim of this operation was to throw the Soviet Western Front into chaos and separate it from its reserves. According to the plan, Sikorski's 5th Army and the advancing Assault Group would meet near the [[East Prussia]]n border, leaving the Soviets trapped in an [[encirclement]].<ref name="Szczep" />

The authorship of the plan is a matter of some controversy. Due to Piłsudski's political image, he was largely unpopular with the [[right wing]] of [[Polish politics]].<ref name="Szczep" /> Furthermore, Paderewski told top Allied leaders that French general [[Maxime Weygand]] had the idea; Paderewski knew better, but he was trying to use American support for a comeback in Polish politics.<ref>Biskupski 1987</ref> After the battle, many reports suggested that the plan was in fact prepared either by the French general [[Maxime Weygand]] or by the Polish Chief of Staff [[Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski]].<ref name="Szczep" /> According to recent research,<ref name="Odziemkowski" /> the French Military Mission proposed only a minor tactical counter-attack of two divisions towards [[Mińsk Mazowiecki]]. Its aim would have been to push the Red Army 30 kilometres back in order to ease subsequent ceasefire negotiations.<ref name="Wandycz" /> On the other hand, General Rozwadowski's plan called for a deeper thrust into Russian lines from the area of Wieprz. However, Piłsudski proposed a large-scale operation, with significant forces committed to beating the enemy forces rather than merely pushing them back. The plan was opposed by the French mission, which did not believe that the Polish army would be able to regroup after a 600 kilometre retreat.<ref name="Musialik" /> Nonetheless, for many years, a myth persisted that it was the timely arrival of Allied forces that had saved Poland, a myth in which Weygand occupied the central role.

Davies argues that the Soviet failure was caused by its tardiness in moving forces in for a frontal attack on Warsaw. By contrast the Poles were speedy, making every day's delay a liability to the Soviets. Furthermore, there was poor coordination between the Soviet Western Command and the three armies of the Southwestern Command. In the political sphere, Davies argues, there was too much friction inside the Soviet Command.<ref>Norman Davies, "The Soviet Command and the Battle of Warsaw", ''Soviet Studies'' (1972) 23#4 pp. 573–585</ref> According to the historian Thomas Fiddick in 1973, rumors of disobedience to orders on the Soviet side by General [[Semyon Budyonny]], or possibly even [[Joseph Stalin]], were baseless. Moscow had decided for political reasons to reinforce the Crimean front at the expense of the Polish front. It meant it was replacing its goals of Europe-wide Communist revolution with a sort of "peaceful coexistence" with the West amidst internal consolidation.<ref>Thomas Fiddick, "The 'Miracle of the Vistula': Soviet Policy versus Red Army Strategy", ''Journal of Modern History'' (1973) 45#4 pp. 626–643, {{JSTOR|1879266}}</ref> However, more recent historians have stated that Stalin disobeyed orders in early August 1920 when he attempted to conquer [[Lviv|Lvov]] rather than transfer his troops to assist [[Mikhail Tukhachevsky]]'s forces that were attacking Warsaw.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Conquest |first1=Robert |title=Stalin: breaker of nations |date=1992 |publisher=Penguin |location=New York, N.Y |isbn=9780140169539 |page=1991 |edition=Repr}}</ref><ref name="Stalin: a biography">{{cite book |last1=Service |first1=Robert |title=Stalin: a biography |date=2004 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-72627-3 |page=179 |edition=1. publ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kotkin |first1=Stephen |title=Stalin |date=2014 |publisher=Allen Lane |location=London (GB) |isbn=978-0-7139-9944-0 |page=362}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hlevnûk |first1=Oleg Vitalʹevič |title=Stalin: new biography of a dictator |date=2015 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-16388-9 |page=60}}</ref> In Moscow, Lenin and Trotsky blamed him for his behaviour in the Polish–Soviet War.<ref name="Stalin: a biography"/> Stalin’sStalin's secretary, [[Boris Bazhanov]] argued that the offensive against Warsaw failed because Stalin and his army did not comply with the orders of the commander in chief.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bazhanov |first1=Boris |last2=Doyle |first2=David W. |title=Bazhanov and the Damnation of Stalin |date=1990 |publisher=Ohio University Press |isbn=978-0-8214-0948-0 |page=186 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0_ANAQAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref> Tukhachevsky himself blamed Stalin for his defeat at the Battle of Warsaw.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brackman |first1=Roman |title=The Secret File of Joseph Stalin: A Hidden Life |date=23 November 2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-75840-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PY2RAgAAQBAJ&dq=stalin+tukhachevsky+1920&pg=PA135 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Grey |first1=Ian |title=Stalin, Man of History |date=1979 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-14333-2 |page=482 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XV9pAAAAMAAJ&q=tukhachevsky+blamed+stalin |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=Norman |title=Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present |date=31 May 2001 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-164713-0 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yWi-WLvY_v0C&dq=tukhachevsky+blamed+stalin&pg=PA103 |language=en}}</ref>

While the Red Army pushed forward,<!--Please specify date--> [[Gayk Bzhishkyan]]'s Cavalry Corps, together with the 4th Army, crossed the [[Wkra]] River and advanced towards the town of [[Włocławek]], the 15th and 3rd Armies were approaching [[Modlin Fortress]] and the 16th Army moved towards Warsaw. The final Russian assault on Warsaw began on August 12.<ref name=milhist44 /> The Soviet 16th Army commenced [[Battle of Radzymin (1920)|the attack at the town of Radzymin]] (only 23 kilometres east of the city) and captured it the following day.<ref name=milhist44 /> This initial success of the Red Army prompted Piłsudski to move up his plans by 24 hours.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The first phase of the battle started on August 12, with a Red Army frontal assault on the [[Praga]] [[bridgehead]]. In heavy fighting, [[Radzymin]] changed hands several times and most foreign [[diplomacy|diplomats]] left Warsaw; only the British and [[Holy See|Vatican]] ambassadors chose to remain.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /> On August 14, Radzymin fell to the Red Army, and the lines of [[Władysław Sikorski]]'s Polish 5th Army were broken. The 5th Army had to fight three Soviet armies at once: the 3rd, 4th, and 15th. The [[Modlin (village)|Modlin]] sector was reinforced with reserves (the [[5th Rifle Division (Poland)|Siberian Brigade]] and General [[Franciszek Krajowski]]'s fresh 18th Infantry Division, both elite, battle-tested units: the 5th Army held out until dawn.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

The situation was saved around midnight when the 203rd [[Uhlan]] Regiment managed to break through the Red Army lines and attack a Soviet command post, which resulted in a destruction of a radio station of A. D. Shuvayev's Soviet 4th Army.<ref name="Szczep" /><ref name="milhist44" /> The latter unit had only one radio station left, fixed on one frequency which was known to the Polish intelligence. Since the Polish code-breakers did not want the Russians to find out that their codes had been broken, the remaining Soviet radio station was neutralized by having the radio station in Warsaw recite the [[Book of Genesis]] in Polish and Latin on the frequency used by the 4th Army. It thus lost contact with its [[headquarters]] and continued marching toward [[Toruń]] and [[Płock]], unaware of [[Mikhail Tukhachevsky|Tukhachevsky's]] order to turn south.<ref name="Szczep" /> The raid by the 203rd Uhlans is sometimes referred to as "the Miracle of [[Ciechanów]]".<ref name="Szczep" />

At the same time, the [[Polish 1st Army]] under General [[Franciszek Latinik]] resisted a direct Red Army assault on Warsaw by six [[rifle]] divisions. The struggle for control of Radzymin forced Józef Haller, commander of the Polish Northern Front, to start the 5th Army's counterattack earlier than planned.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" />

At that time, Piłsudski also commented on the dreadful state of [[logistics]] of the Polish army: "In the 21st Division, almost half of the soldiers paraded in front of me barefoot." The newly created Polish army had little choice in its equipment; its rifles and artillery pieces were produced in at least six countries, each of them using different ammunition.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" />

Tukhachevsky, certain that all was going according to plan, was actually falling into Piłsudski's trap. There were only token Polish resistance in the path of the main Russian advance north and across the Vistula, on the right flank of the battle (from the perspective of the Soviet advance).<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /> At the same time, south of Warsaw, on the battle's left front, the vital link between the Northwestern and Southwestern Fronts was much more vulnerable, protected only by a small Soviet force, the Mozyr Group.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /><ref name=milhist44 /> Further, [[Semyon Budyonny]], commanding the 1st Cavalry Army, a unit much feared by Piłsudski and other Polish commanders, disobeyed orders by the Soviet High Command, which at Tukhachevsky's insistence, ordered him to advance at Warsaw from the south. Budyonny resented this order, influenced by a grudge between commanding South-Western Front generals [[Alexander Ilyich Yegorov]] and Tukhachevsky.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /> In addition, the political games of [[Joseph Stalin]], at the time the chief political [[commissar]] of the South-Western Front, further contributed to Yegorov's and Budyonny's disobedience.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /><ref name=milhist44 /><ref name=" Adam Bruno Ulam" /> Stalin, looking for personal glory, aimed to capture the besieged [[Lviv|Lwów]] (Lviv), an important industrial center. Ultimately, Budyonny's forces marched on Lwów instead of Warsaw, and thus missed the battle.<ref name=milhist44 />

The Polish 5th Army counterattacked on August 14, crossing the [[Wkra]] River. It faced the combined forces of the Soviet 3rd and 15th Armies (both numerically and technically superior).<ref name=milhist44 /> The struggle at [[Nasielsk]] lasted until August 15 and resulted in near-complete destruction of the town. However, the Soviet advance toward Warsaw and Modlin was halted at the end of August 15, and on that day Polish forces recaptured [[Radzymin]], which boosted the Polish morale.<ref name="PWN:wojna" />

On August 16, the Polish Assault Group commanded by Piłsudski began its march north from the [[Wieprz River]]. It faced the Mazyr Group, a Soviet corps that had defeated the Poles during the [[Kiev offensive (1920)|Kiev operation]] several months earlier. However, during its pursuit of the retreating Polish armies, the Mazyr Group had lost most of its troops and had been reduced to only one or two divisions covering a 150-kilometre front line on the left flank of the Soviet 16th Army. On the first day of the counteroffensive, only one of the five Polish divisions reported any sort of opposition, while the remaining four, supported by a [[cavalry]] brigade, managed to advance north 45 kilometres unopposed. When evening fell, the town of [[Włodawa]] had been liberated, and the communication and supply lines of the Soviet 16th Army had been cut. Even Piłsudski was surprised by the extent of these early successes. The Assault Group units covered about 70 kilometres in 36 hours. As planned, it split the Soviet fronts, disrupting the offensive, all without encountering any significant resistance. The Mazyr Group had already been defeated on the first day of the Polish counterattack. Consequently, the Polish armies found what they had hoped for—a large opening between the Soviet fronts. They exploited it ruthlessly, continuing their northward offensive with two armies following and falling on the surprised and confused enemy.<ref name="Szczep" /><ref name="Lawrynowicz" /><ref name="PWN:wojna" />

On August 18, Tukhachevsky, in his headquarters in [[Minsk]], some {{convert|300|mi|km}} east of Warsaw, realized the extent of his defeat, quickly issuing the orders for the Red Army to retreat and regroup. He wanted to straighten the front line to improve his logistics, regain the initiative and push the Poles back again, but the situation had progressed beyond salvaging. His orders either arrived too late or failed to arrive at all. Soviet General [[Gayk Bzhishkyan|Bzhishkyan]]'s 3rd Cavalry Corps continued to advance toward [[Pomerania]], its lines endangered by the Polish 5th Army, which had finally managed to push back the Red Army and switched over to pursuit. The Polish [[1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)|1st Legions Infantry Division]], in order to cut the enemy's retreat, carried out a forced march, going on the move for up to 21 hours a day, from [[Lubartów]] to Białystok—covering {{convert|163|mi|km}} in only six days.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /> Throughout that period, the division engaged the enemy twice. The division's rapid advance allowed it to intercept the 16th Soviet Army, cutting it off from reinforcements near Białystok and forcing most of its troops to surrender.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" />

The Soviet armies in the centre of the front fell into chaos. Some divisions continued to fight their way toward Warsaw, while others retreated, lost their cohesion and panicked.<ref name="Cisek" /> Tukhachevsky lost contact with most of his forces, and the Soviet plans were thrown into disorder. Only the 15th Army remained an organized force; it tried to obey Tukhachevsky's orders, shielding the withdrawal of the westernmost extended 4th Army. However, it was defeated twice on August 19 and 20 and joined the general rout of the Red Army's North-Western Front. Tukhachevsky had no choice but to order a full [[withdrawal (military)|retreat]] toward the Western [[Bug River]]. By August 21, all organized resistance ceased to exist, and by August 31, the Soviet Southwestern Front was completely routed.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" /><ref name="PWN:wojna" />

Although Poland managed to achieve victory and push back the Russians, Piłsudski's plan to outmanoeuvre and surround the Red Army did not succeed completely. On July 4, four Soviet armies of the North-Western Front began to advance on Warsaw. After initial successes, by the end of August, three of them—the 4th, 15th and 16th Armies, as well as the bulk of [[Gayk Bzhishkyan|Bzhishkyan]]'s 3rd Cavalry Corps—had all but disintegrated, their remnants either taken prisoner or briefly [[Internment|interned]] after crossing the border into German [[East Prussia]]. The 3rd Army was the least affected; due to the speed of its retreat, the pursuing Polish troops could not catch up with it.<ref name="Lawrynowicz" />

The southern arm of the Red Army's forces had been routed and no longer posed a threat to the Poles. Semyon Budyonny's 1st Cavalry Army, besieging [[Lviv|Lwów]], had been defeated at the [[Battle of Komarów]] on August 31 and the Battle of Hrubieszów. By mid-October, the Polish army had reached the [[Ternopil|Tarnopol]]–[[Dubno]]–[[Minsk]]––Minsk–[[Drysa]] line.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

Tukhachevsky succeeded eventually in reorganizing his eastward-retreating forces, but not in regaining the initiative. In September, he established a new defensive line near [[Hrodna|Grodno]]. In order to break it, the Polish army fought the [[Battle of the Niemen River]] (September 15–21), once again defeating the Red Army. After the Battle of the Szczara River, both sides were exhausted. On October 12, under heavy pressure from France and [[United Kingdom|Britain]], a [[ceasefire]] was signed. By October 18, the fighting was over, and on March 18, 1921, the [[Peace of Riga|Treaty of Riga]] was signed, ending hostilities.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

A [[National Democracy (Poland)|National Democrat]] Sejm deputy, [[Stanisław Stroński]], coined the phrase, "Miracle on the Vistula" ([[Polish language|Polish]]: {{lang|pl|Cud nad Wisłą}}), to underline his disapproval of Piłsudski's earlier "Ukrainian adventure".<ref name="Głos">{{cite journal|last=Frątczak|first=Sławomir Z.|language=pl|url=http://www.glos.com.pl/Archiwum_nowe/Rok+2005/032/strona/Cud.html|journal=[[Głos (1991)|Głos]]|issue=32/2005|year=2005|title=Cud nad Wisłą|access-date=June 18, 2006|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708173639/http://www.glos.com.pl/Archiwum_nowe/Rok%202005/032/strona/Cud.html|archive-date=July 8, 2007}}</ref> In response, Poland's Prime Minister Wincenty Witos commented, "Whatever you want to write and say – whoever you want to dress in laurels and merits – this ''is'' 1920's 'Miracle on the Vistula'."<ref name="Szczep" /> Diaries from many participants of the battle attribute the outcome to the Blessed Virgin Mary (citing multiple reasons, including widespread national prayer beforehand and subsequent reports of her appearance on the battlefield). The date of the turn of the battle, August 15, is the feast of the [[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary]] which is an important date in the Catholic year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Suski |first1=Paul |title=The Miracle on the Vistula – Rediscovered |url=https://www.catholicjournal.us/2020/07/30/the-miracle-on-the-vistula-rediscovered/ |website=Catholic Journal: Reflections on Faith and Culture |access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref>

[[Category:20th century1920s in Warsaw|Warsaw 1920]]