The Polish–Soviet War
In 1918, after 123 years of bondage, Poland regained independence. However, Poles did not enjoy peace. The young state had to face the aggression of Bolshevik Russia whose leaders intended to instigate a revolution in Western Europe. 100 years ago, on 13–15 August 1920, the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War took place on the outskirts of Warsaw. The Polish Army commanded by Marshal Józef Piłsudski defended the country.
The Allegory of Victory in 1920 (1920) by Zdzisław JasińskiThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
According to Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D’Abernon (Chairman of the Interallied Mission to Poland in 1920), the Battle of Warsaw was the eighteenth decisive battle of the world.
Schwarzlose medium machine gun M. 7/12 with the crew on firing position (1920) by UnknownThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
Attempts to establish the eastern border of Poland began during World War I. The Polish–Soviet War broke out shortly after Poland regained its independence.
Poster from the period of the Polish–Soviet War (1920) by Edmund JohnThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
In the spring of 1920, a decisive phase of the conflict began. On 25 April 1920, Polish and Ukrainian armies mounted an offensive in Ukraine: they smashed the Bolshevik’s 12th Army and on 7 May 1920 took the area of Kiev.
Poster from the period of the Polish–Soviet War (1920) by UnknownThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
In mid-May 1920, Red Army troops launched an offensive from both Belarus and Ukraine. The plan of the war assumed to connect them on the line of the Rivers Neman and Bug and to attack Warsaw concentrically.
Translation of the Red Army’s ciphertext (1920) by UnknownThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
Chief of State Józef Piłsudski knew Russian operational plans thanks to the radio intelligence service, which provided information from enemy commands, committees and headquarters.
Poster calling for joining the Volunteer Army (1920) by Zygmunt KamińskiThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
At the beginning of July 1920, the organisation of the Volunteer Army began. Within a few weeks, more than 100,000 Poles volunteered to join it, which had a motivating effect on regular army units.
Poster calling for joining the Volunteer Army (1920) by Stanisław Florian SawiczewskiThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
The General Inspector of the Volunteer Army became General Józef Haller who fought in the Legions in World War I and commanded the Polish Army in France.
Poster from the period of the Polish–Soviet War (1920) by Władysław SkoczylasThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
In the Battle of Warsaw, crucial was the manoeuvre of the Polish Army to the rear of the Russians, carried out from the River Wieprz on 16 August 1920 under Józef Piłsudski’s personal command.
Polish Thermopylae, or the Battle of Zadwórze (1929) by Stanisław Kaczor-BatowskiThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
On 17 August 1920, the 1st Battalion of the 54th Infantry Regiment, composed mainly of volunteers, blocked the road for Semyon Budyonny’s Cavalry Army to Lviv near Zadwór.
In an uneven battle, 318 out of 330 volunteers were killed; the heroic defence was called the Polish Thermopylae.
Poster from the period of the Polish–Soviet War (1920) by UnknownThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
The Red Army was finally defeated at the turn of August and September 1920, and forced to retreat. The Bolsheviks’ losses were several times bigger than those of the Polish Army.
Poster from the period of the Polish–Soviet War (1920) by Edmund BartłomiejczykThe Sejm - Polish Parliament
According to historians, the Polish victory over the Red Army in 1920 saved Western Europe from the communist revolution. The Battle of Warsaw determined the shape of Europe for the next two decades.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, the year 2020 was named the Year of the Battle of Warsaw by the resolution of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of the 8th term and the resolution of the Senate of the Republic of Poland of the 9th term.
