Battle of Lwów (1920)

Battle of Lwów

Date	July–September 1920
Location	near Lwów, Ukraine
Result	Polish victory

Belligerents

Poland

Russian SFSR

Commanders and leaders

Alexander Ilyich Yegorov

Strength

+ 22.000

32,000

Polish–Soviet War

Polish–Soviet War in 1919 Soviet westward offensive of 1918–19 Bereza Kartuska Lida Vilna Minsk 1st Berezina Daugavpils Polish–Soviet War in 1920 Latyczów Koziatyn Kiev Offensive (1920) Wołodarka Bystrzyk 1st Grodno Boryspol Dęblin Nasielsk Radzymin Ossów Warsaw Mińsk Mazowiecki Cyców Lwów Zadwórze Białystok Komarów Dytiatyn 2nd Niemen

Polish Voluntary II Death Squad in Lviv 1920

During the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 the city of Lwów (modern Lviv, Ukraine) was attacked by the forces of Alexander Ilyich Yegorov. Since mid-June 1920 the 1st Cavalry Army of Semyon Budyonny was trying to reach the city from the north and east. At the same time Lwów was preparing the defense. The inhabitants raised and fully equipped three regiments of infantry and two regiments of cavalry as well as constructed defensive lines. The city was defended by an equivalent of three Polish divisions aided by one Ukrainian infantry division. Finally after almost a month of heavy fighting on August 16 the Red Army crossed the Southern Bug River and, reinforced by additional 8 divisions of the Red Cossacks, started an assault on the city. The fighting occurred with heavy casualties on both sides, but after three days the assault was halted and the Red Army retreated. With the crushing defeat of main forces of the Red Army in the battle of Warsaw, and the Polish victories at Komarów at Zadwórze, Russian forces were forced to retreat from Lwów.

For the heroic defense with large units of locally raised volunteers the city was awarded with the Virtuti Militari medal on 11 November 1920.

Lwów theatre of operations

Commanders and forces

Polish commanders included Czesław Mączyński, Domaszewicz (240), Zagórski (240), Tatar-Trześniowski (240), Abraham (cavalry), Krynicki, Śniadowski (artillery), Wit Sulimirski. Rómmel (1st Cavalry Division). Units: 240 Volunteers. Size: volunteers ~12,000. 1st Cavalry Division.

Soviet commanders included Semyon Budyonny, Jakira (cavalry), Kotowski (cavalry). Budyonny's insistence (bordering on insubordination) on capturing Lwów has led to weakening Soviet forces near Warsaw and was a factor in their eventual defeat.

The battle

Around the time of Battle of Radzymin in mid-August, the Polish line of defense in the upper Bug River region had been breached by the Red Army. Polish units in that region had begun a series of delaying maneuvers (like the battle of Zadwórze) and retreated towards Lwów. Polish 1st Cavalry Division engaged Soviet units under Budionny near Artasowo and Żółtańce.

On 12 Aug., Budyonny received orders for the Konarmiya "to destroy the enemy on the right bank of the Bug in the shortest possible time and, having forced the river, to follow on the heels of retreating Third and Sixth Polish Armies and seize the city of Lwow." Budyonny started a three prong attack on 13 Aug., and was at Lopatyn on 14 Aug. On 15 Aug., his 6th Cavalry Division swam the river and came within nine miles of Lwow, despite being counter-attacked by the Poles, which included twenty planes. However, on 16 Aug., he received orders from Tukhachevsky ordering Budyonny to march to Ustilug-Wlodzimierz. Budyonny continued to advance so that Lwow was surrounded on three sides. Yet on the evening of 19 Aug., Budyonny received news of the Polish counter-offensive, and abandoned the siege of Lwow on 20 Aug.^[1]^:216–217

Related battles

Several battles near Lwów were decisive for the outcome of the entire war. They included:

Battle of Zadwórze on 17 August ended in the near total destruction of Polish forces, but at the same time halted the Soviet advance preventing the forces of Siemion Budionnyi from either advancing towards unprepared Lwów or breaking off and helping the Soviet forces fighting in the Battle of Warsaw.
Battle of Komarów on 31 August 1920, the biggest cavalry battle in the history of warfare since 1813 and the last great battle in which cavalry was used as such and not as mounted infantry. The Battle of Komarów was a complete disaster for the Russian 1st Cavalry Army which sustained heavy casualties and barely avoided being totally surrounded. After that battle, the 1st Cavalry Army morale has collapsed and the army which was one of the most feared of the Soviet troops was no longer considered an effective fighting force.

References

↑ Davies, N., 1972, White Eagle, Red Star, London: Macdonald & Co, ISBN 9780712606943

Jerzy Pogonowski; Czesław Mączyński (1921). Bój o Lwów; z walk Armji Ochotniczej z 1920 roku (Struggle for Lwów; the fights of the Volunteer Army in 1920) (doc). Gdańsk: Lotos. p. 73.

Lviv

History	Timeline Armenian Statute Dormition Brotherhood Jesuit Collegium First Siege by Cossacks Second Siege by Cossacks Lwów Oath Siege by Turks Leopolis Triplex Stauropegion Institute Stauropegion Press Ossolineum Galician Rada Halytsko-Ruska Matytsia Prosvita Ruthenian Triad Ruthenian National House Hutsul Secession Batiars Lwów Eaglets Battle 1918 Pogrom 1918 Battle 1920 Secret Ukrainian University Lwów–Warsaw school of logic Lwów School of Mathematics Battle 1939 Massacre of Lwów professors Lviv pogroms Lwów Ghetto Lwów Uprising Sknyliv air show disaster

Religion	Armenian Cathedral Cathedral of St. George Boim Chapel Bernardine Church Bridgettine Convent Carmelite Church Convent of Benedictines Church of St. Anne Church of John the Baptist Church of Mary of Snow Church of St. Elizabeth Church of St. Mary Magdalene Church of St. Onuphrius Church of the Dormition Church of the Purification, Lviv Church of the Transfiguration Dominican Church Jesuit Church Latin Cathedral

Attractions	Arena Lviv Arsenal Museum Bandinelli Palace Black Kamienica Catholic University Cemetery of the Defenders of Lwów Forum Lviv Freedom Boulevard Government House King Cross Leopolis Korniakt Palace Lviv High Castle Lviv University Lychakivskiy Cemetery Market Square Mickiewicz Square National Museum Polytechnic University Lubomirski Palace Metropolitan Palace Old Town Pharmacy Museum Potocki Palace Sapieha Palace Scottish Café Shevchenkivskyi Hai Theatre of Opera and Ballet Skarbek Theatre Town Hall Ukraina Stadium Union of Lublin Mound

Transport	International Airport Tramway Lviv railway station Lviv Suburban railway station

Polish wars and conflicts

Piast Poland	Battle of Cedynia German–Polish War (1002–18) Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis 1072 war against Bohemia Battle of Głogów 1146 war against Germany 1156 war against Germany First Mongol invasion of Poland (1240/41) Second Mongol invasion of Poland (1259/60) Third Mongol invasion of Poland (1287/88) Battle of Legnica Polish–Teutonic War (1326–32) Battle of Płowce Galicia–Volhynia Wars

Jagiellon Poland	Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War Battle of Grunwald Polish–Teutonic War (1414) Polish–Teutonic War (1422) Polish–Teutonic War (1431–35) Battle of Grotniki 1444 war against the Ottomans Battle of Varna Thirteen Years' War War of the Priests Polish–Moldavian War Polish–Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1512–22) Battle of Orsha Polish–Teutonic War (1519–21) Polish–Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1534–37) Ottoman–Tatar Invasion of Lithuania and Poland

Commonwealth	Northern Seven Years' War Danzig rebellion Battle of Lubieszów Siege of Danzig (1577) Livonian War Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory War of the Polish Succession (1587–88) Battle of Byczyna 1589 Tatar Invasion Kosiński Uprising 1593 Tatar Invasion Nalyvaiko Uprising Moldavian Magnate Wars Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) Polish–Swedish wars War against Sigismund Battle of Stångebro Polish–Swedish War (1600–29) Polish–Swedish War (1600–11) Battle of Kircholm Polish–Swedish War (1617–18) Polish–Swedish War (1621–25) Polish–Swedish War (1626–29) Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18) Battle of Kłuszyn Zebrzydowski Rebellion Thirty Years' War Battle of Humenné Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) Battle of Chocim (1621) 1624 Tatar Invasion Zhmaylo Uprising Fedorovych Uprising Smolensk War Siege of Smolensk (1632–33) Polish–Ottoman War (1633–34) Pawluk Uprising Ostrzanin Uprising 1644 Tatar Invasion Khmelnytsky Uprising Battle of Berestechko Russo-Polish War (1654–67) Second Northern War The Deluge Polish–Cossack–Tatar War (1666–71) Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76) Battle of Chocim (1673) Polish–Ottoman War (1683–99) Battle of Vienna Great Northern War War of the Polish Succession War of the Bar Confederation Polish–Russian War of 1792 Kościuszko Uprising

Poland partitioned	Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War War of the Fourth Coalition Prussian campaign War of the Fifth Coalition Polish–Austrian War War of the Sixth Coalition French invasion of Russia Greater Poland Uprising (1848) November Uprising January Uprising World War I

Second Republic	Polish–Ukrainian War Greater Poland Uprising Polish–Czechoslovak War First Silesian Uprising Polish–Soviet War Battle of Warsaw Second Silesian Uprising Polish–Lithuanian War Third Silesian Uprising

Second World War	World War II German Invasion of Poland Polish contribution to World War II Italian Campaign Ghetto uprisings Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Białystok Ghetto Uprising Częstochowa Ghetto Uprising Operation Tempest Operation Ostra Brama Lwów Uprising Warsaw Uprising

People's Republic	Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia

Third Republic	War in Afghanistan Iraq War 2003 invasion of Iraq Occupation of Iraq

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.