 |
Business | Industries | Finance | Tax |
| Index: > A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|||||
| First Prev [ 1 2 3 ] Next Last |
Fighting broke out in 1919, when self-organized Polish military units in Kresy ("Borderland") areas of Lithuania, Belarus and western Ukraine clashed with local communist units and Bolshevik forces attacking from the east. The Poles eventually took control of the entire area.
The first armed conflict of the war took place February 14 near the town of Mosty , in Belarus. Small Polish forces (12 artillery battalions, 12 cavalry regiments, and 3 artillery batteries) had been securing the eastern border, over two sectors.
The southern sector, from the Pripyat River to the town of Szczytno, was assigned to Grupa Podlaska (the Podlaska Group, later known as Grupa Poleska), commanded by General Antoni Listowski . These units had concentrated near Antopol and moved toward Brzesc, Pinsk and Bereza Kartuska .
The Wolyn region was assigned to Grupa Wolynska (the Wolyn Group) under General Edward Rydz-Smigly.
The northern sector, from Szczytno to Skidel , was protected by Dywizja Litewsko-Bialoruska (the Lithuanian-Belarusin Division) under General Waclaw Iwaszkiewicz-Rudoszanski , concentrated near Wolkowysk .
Sporadic armed conflicts erupted between the Polish forces and the Red Army, but the latter was preoccupied with the Russian Civil War and the White Russian conterrevolutionary forces.
In early March 1919, Polish units opened an offensive and captured the cities of Slonim ( March 2) and Pinsk ( March 5). Northern units reached the outskirts of Lida and stopped for several weeks. Decisions regarding further action in the east were taken at the begining of April, when Józef Pilsudzki determined that Polish forces must maintain the initative on the eastern front.
Until early 1920, the Polish offensive was quite successful. Wilno was captured in April 1919, Minsk--in August.
In January 1920, the Red Army began concentrating a 700,000-strong force near Berezyna . On March 10 it opened its counteroffensive.
On April 24 Poland signed a military alliance with the Ukrainian People's Republic of Symon Petliura. Combined Polish-Ukrainian forces captured Kyiv on May 7. This military thrust into Ukraine met with a Red Army counterattack.
Great Britain proposed negotiations between Poland and Russia, to stabilize the border at the Curzon line. Negotiations were rejected by the Soviets. France sent small military units to Poland's aid. Poland suffered setbacks due to sabotage and delays in transit of war materiel, by the Germans at Gdansk and the Czechs at Brno. Many foreign observers thought Poland would soon become the next Soviet republic.Polish forces were sent into retreat. In Galicia, General Semyon Budionny 's Red Cavalry Army advanced far into the Polish rear. In August, Polish Galicia's Lwów was besieged and five Russian armies aproached Warsaw.
On August 10, Russian Cossack units under Gej Chan crossed the Vistula River. On August 13, an initial Russian attack under General Mikhail Tukhachevsky was repulsed. In the ensuing Battle of Warsaw, the Polish 5th Army under General Wladyslaw Sikorski threw back the Russian forces near the Wkra River, and on August 16 the Polish counteroffensive reached the rear of Tukhachevsky's army, which was encircled on August 18.
On August 31 Budionny's Cavalry Army, attempting to come to the aid of Russian forces near Warsaw, was defeated and encircled by Polish cavalry at Komarów , in the greatest cavalry battle since 1813 (and one of the last cavalry battles ever).
The Poles were unable to fully exploit their new advantage, however, and the Soviets sued for peace. A ceasefire was signed October 12, and went into effect October 18.
| Politics | Business | Finance |
 |
 |
 |
|