Draft:Battle of Pinsk

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Battle of Pinsk
Part of Polish-Bolshevik War
Date23 February - 5th of March 1919
Location
near Pinsk, Civil Administration of the Eastern Lands
Result Polish victory
Belligerents
Flag of Poland (1927–1980) Second Polish Republic Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1918–1925) Russian SFSR
Commanders and leaders

Flag of Poland (1927–1980) Aleksander Narbutt-Łuczyński

Flag of Poland (1927–1980) Władysław Dąbrowski

Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1918–1925) G.M. Bobrowski

Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1918–1925) Roman Łągwa

Origin[edit]

In the last months of 1918 and in the first months of 1919 on the eastern borders of the newly made Second Polish Republic were German Ober-Ost troops. Their evacuation made it so that the territories they had left became occupied by the Red Army. Simultaneously from the west Polish divisions from the newly created Second Polish Republic[1] were approaching. In February 1919, Polish divisions came into contact with the Red Army's units. This started the unexpected Polish-Soviet War[2]. During this period, Polish divisions conducted limited offensive actions[3].

Battle of Pinsk[edit]

In the Pinsk region the 17th Rifle Division operated in the region of Janow along with Rifle regiments that supported the army with two artillery batteries and an armored train. Information gathered by Polish intelligence also sygnalised the presence of unfriendly divisions in Kosow and Byten. These were "Polish" divisions of the 4th Revolutionary Warsaw Regiment and a division of the Masovian Hussars Regiment[4].

Polish Supreme Command decided to attack Pinsk and concentrated on this direction with three tactical groups[5]. In the region of Bereza Kartuska the group of Władysław Dąbrowski centred itself there consisting of five companies of Vilnius riflemen, two squadrons of the Vilnius Uhlan Regiment, in total containing about 420 soldiers, and one division of the 4th Battery of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment.

On the 23rd of March the command of the Podlasie Group developed the plan to attack Pinsk. The planned start of the attack was determined on the 27th of March. Before this date Władysław Dąbrowski loaded two companies into an armored train in Bereza Kartuska and rode to Byten, where he surprised the Soviet Warsaw Rifle Regiment, which was unprepared to defend. With the loss of a few of his soldiers, he inflicted many losses onto the enemy amounting to 150 dead, wounded or imprisoned[6].

As planned, on the 27th of February the attack groups started operations[7]. After minor skirmishes with the enemy retreating, Narbutt-Łuczyński took Drohiczyn, and on the 3rd of March, together with Jeśman's unit, he took Janow Poleski, where 20 were captured. Dąbrowski's division on the night of the 27th to the 28th of February captured Kosow, and on the 1st of March Chomsk, establishing contact with Narbutt-Łuczyński in Janow Poleski. That was where the plan was detailed. Dąbrowski's division was to go around Pinsk from the east towards Halewo and cut the enemies area of retreat while the group "Korbyń" was to move along the railway track straight to Pinsk. Damage to the railway caused that the Poles were deprived of the opportunity to have infantry support them from the armored train in the region[8][9].

On the 5th of March at around 11:00 Polish divisions started the attack. In the first dash towards the railway station the 34th Infantry Regiment attacked, while around Gaj was the Russian Officers' Legion[10]. Around 14:00 Pinsk was captured, while the Red Army, to avoid encirclement, hastily retreated towards the southern shore of Pina[11]. Exhausted by the forced march, the Polish were unable to keep up with the quickly retreating enemy. The cavalry of Dąbrowski's unit failed to cut off the Red Army's retreat route.

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ A, Przybylski (1930). "Wojna polska 1918-1921". Biblioteka Uniwersytecka w Poznaniu.
  2. ^ Wyszczelski, Lech (2013). Wojna o polskie Kresy 1918-1921: walki z czerwoną Rosją, Ukraińcami i Litwinami. Historia. Warszawa: Bellona. p. 146. ISBN 978-83-11-12866-8.
  3. ^ Cisek, Janusz (2010). Wojna polsko-sowiecka 1919-1921 [Polish-Soviet war 1919-1921] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wojskowe Centrum Edukacji. p. 11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ Anczewski, Piotr; Wysocki, Wiesław Jan, eds. (2003). Szlakiem oręża polskiego: vademecum miejsc walk i budowli obronnych. T. 1: W granicach współczesnej Polski. Warszawa: "Rytm". p. 292. ISBN 978-83-7399-050-0.
  5. ^ Anczewski, Piotr; Wysocki, Wiesław Jan, eds. (2003). Szlakiem oręża polskiego: vademecum miejsc walk i budowli obronnych. T. 1: W granicach współczesnej Polski. Warszawa: "Rytm". p. 291. ISBN 978-83-7399-050-0.
  6. ^ Odziemkowski, Janusz (2010). Piechota polska w wojnie z Rosją bolszewicką: 1919-1920. Warszawa: Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego. p. 98. ISBN 978-83-7072-650-8.
  7. ^ Wyszczelski, Lech (2013). Wojna o polskie Kresy 1918-1921: walki z czerwoną Rosją, Ukraińcami i Litwinami. Historia. Warszawa: Bellona. p. 147. ISBN 978-83-11-12866-8.
  8. ^ Odziemkowski, Janusz (2010). Piechota polska w wojnie z Rosją bolszewicką: 1919-1920. Warszawa: Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego. p. 98. ISBN 978-83-7072-650-8.
  9. ^ Jerzy, Wroczyński (1929). "Zarys historji wojennej 34-go pułku piechoty". Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne: 9.
  10. ^ Jerzy, Wroczyński (1929). "Zarys historji wojennej 34-go pułku piechoty". Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne: 9.
  11. ^ Odziemkowski, Janusz (2004). Leksykon wojny polsko-rosyjskiej 1919-1920 (Wyd. 1 ed.). Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza "Rytm". p. 318. ISBN 978-83-7399-096-8.

Bibliography[edit]

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