Polish–Soviet War

conflict between Poland and Soviet Russia following the First World War (February 1919 - March 1921)
(Redirected from Polish-Soviet War)

The Polish–Soviet War (February 1919 – March 1921) was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine against the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic. It was for control of what is now Ukraine and part of Belarus.

Polish–Soviet War, Interwar Period
Part of The Russian Civil War

Polish defenses at Miłosna, during the decisive Battle of Warsaw, August 1920.
Date1919–1921
Location
Result
Belligerents
 Russian SFSR
 Ukrainian SSR
Republic of Poland Ukrainian People's Republic
Commanders and leaders
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Leon Trotsky Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Mikhail Tukhachevsky (Western Front) Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Joseph Stalin (Lviv/Lwów front) Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Alexander Ilyich Yegorov (Southwestern Front)Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Semyon Budyonny (1st Cavalry Army) Józef Piłsudski Tadeusz Rozwadowski Edward Rydz-Śmigły Władysław Sikorski Symon Petlyura
Strength
From ~50,000 in early 1919[1] to almost 800,000 in summer 1920[2] From ~50,000 in early 1919[3] to ~738,000 in August 1920[4]
Casualties and losses

Estimated 60,000 killed[5]80,000 – 157,000 taken prisoner

[6][7](including rear-area personnel)
About 48,000 killed[8][9] 113,518 wounded[9]51,351 taken prisoner[9]Names of Polish Armed Forces mortal casualties in period 1918 – 1920 totaling 47,055

A formal peace treaty, the Peace of Riga, was signed on 18 March 1921. It divided the land between Poland and Soviet Russia. Much of the land that was given to Poland became part of the Soviet Union after World War II.

References change

  1. Davies 2003, p. 39
  2. Davies, White Eagle..., Polish edition, p.142–143
  3. Davies 2003, p. 41
  4. Davies, White Eagle..., Polish edition, p.162 and p.202.
  5. Rudolph J. Rummel (1 January 1990). Lethal politics: Soviet genocide and mass murder since 1917. Transaction Publishers. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-56000-887-3. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. NDAP 2004 Official Polish government note about 2004 Rezmar, Karpus and Matveev book.
  7. Matveev 2006
  8. Norman Davies (1972). White eagle, red star: the Polish-Soviet war, 1919–20. Macdonald and Co. p. 247. ISBN 9780356040134. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 (in Polish) Karpus, Zbigniew, Alexandrowicz Stanisław, Waldemar Rezmer, Zwycięzcy za drutami. Jeńcy polscy w niewoli (1919–1922). Dokumenty i materiały (Victors Behind Barbed Wire: Polish Prisoners of War, 1919–1922: Documents and materials), Toruń, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, 1995, ISBN 978-83-231-0627-2.