Warsaw August 14-25, 1920 Strategic Context Poland takes advantage of the turmoil in Russia during its Civil War to occupy large areas of mixed Polish-Russian ethnicity. When the Soviets win control of Russia, they dispute Jozef Pilsudski’s ambitions for a greater Poland but are nonetheless caught off guard by his offensive towards Kiev in April-May. The offensive is been brought down by logistical shortcomings and so Mikhail Tukhachevski launches his own offensive which brings the Soviets to the gates of Warsaw itself. The Soviets survive mostly off the land thus far so any halt is dangerous but the Poles are struggling to find ammunition for their multicultural weaponry, received from many cautious vendors. Stakes + A Polish victory would create chaos in the Soviet supply system and force a withdrawal, saving Warsaw and Poland from Soviet ambitions. + A Soviet victory would overthrow the Polish government and reveal Germany to Soviet pressure and possibly conquest. By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©

Warsaw, 1920 Strength  Polish Army  Well  Soviet Army  Well  Jozef Pilsudski  130,000  133,000  Mikhail Tukhachevsky By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©

Polish Army (Pilsudski) Soviet Army (Tukhachevsky) 5. Army (Sikorski) 1. Army (Latinik) 2. Army (Roja) 3. Army (Zillinski) 16. Army (Sollohub) 15. Army (Kork) 3. Army (Lazarievich) 4. Army (Shuvayev) 12. Army (Yegorov) Mozyr Group Pilsudski deploys his force in four armies along strong river lines in defence of the Polish capital; 3. Army is also shown but is officially placed under the Polish southern sector which also includes two more armies even further south. Tukhachevsky also deploys his force in four armies; 12. Army is also shown but is officially placed under direct command of Yegorov along with two other Soviet armies further south. A weak detachment, Mozyr Group, seperates the two army groups. However, Tukhacevsky and Yegorov conflict when it comes to overall strategy of the war and so 12. Army does not cooperate with Tukhachevsky. Although Pilsudski does not realize how weak the Mozyr Group opposing his 2. Army really is, he resolves to attack the Soviet left wing and roll up the Soviet line.. His staff sternly advise an attack on the Soviet right flank to remove the threat to Warsaw by the bulk of the Soviet force. Tukhachevsky meanwhile attempts to suddenly overwhelm Warsaw with attacks by 3., 4. and 15. Army. The Soviet 3. and 15. Armies force the Polish back to their final defences while the Soviet 15. Army is repelled. Pilsudski’s staff urges him to launch his offensive prematurely but he compromises: he still reinforces 4. Army with units from 3. Army but promises to launch his offensive slightly earlier. The Soviet Mozyr Group disintegrates as the Polish 4. Army advances aggressively under the personal direction of Pilsudski. When it encounters no resistance, Pilsudski senses a terrible trap and advances cautiously until he finds the Soviet 16. Army – in rout. The Soviet 16. Army is retreating in disarray out of fear for their left flank before the attack even comes. Tukhachevsky’s headquarters is 480km away in Minsk so he is unable to comprehend the irreversible rout of his 16. Army. Nonetheless, he issues intelligible orders that are received either never or late and ignored altogether. Meanwhile, Pilsudski arrives in Warsaw to personally direct the counteroffensive to remove the threat to the capital. The Polish 3. and 2. Armies move towards each other to form a defensive line against any action by Yegorov which never occurs anyways. The Polish 4. Army continues its drive north while the 1. Army thrusts northeast. The Polish 5. Army uses its handful of armoured and motorized vehicles to cut off the Soviet 4. Army from the 15. Army. Shuvayev allows this to happen when he finally receives Tukhachevsky’s orders, thinks them to be outdated and attacks the Polish 5. Army’s flank before realizing the mistake and retreating northwest. The entire Soviet Army continues to flee with the Polish Army close behind which captures stragglers and the vast majority of Soviet equipment. Meanwhile, the Soviet 4. Army is unable to escape east and instead flees north into Prussia where the entire army is interned and disarmed shortly after. Soviet Army (Mikhail Tukhachevsky) 130,000 Polish Army (Jozef Pilsudski) 133, Army (Skierski)

Warsaw, 1920 Casualties & Aftermath Polish Army:Soviet Army: 21,000 or 16% 81,000 or 62% By Jonathan Webb, 2009 © The Polish pursuit of the Soviet mass ended halfway to Minsk when Tukhachevski rallied them to defend a long front stretching north-south. Although the Battle of Warsaw was a decisive check to Soviet advances, the Poles still had to defeat them in three more major battles in a two-month offensive that was ended only by an armistice. The Treaty of Riga in 1921 allowed Poland to annex all territorial claims from Russia.

The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©