Battle of Warsaw, 1920

In the summer of 1920 the Bolshevik counteroffensive was gathering momentum. In that dire situation Józef Piłsudski planned the main battle against the Bolsheviks. In line with that plan, in mid-August 1920 Polish troops commanded by General Józef Haller stopped the main forces of the enemy on the outskirts of Warsaw, for instance, during bloody battles at Radzymin and Ossów. At the same time troops commanded by General Edward Rydz-Śmigły launched an effective counteroffensive from the River Wieprz on the Bolsheviks’ flank. That strike was personally commanded by Józef Piłsudski. The well-planned military operation — based on an intelligence advantage, the extraordinary mobilization of the society, and the soldiers’ sacrifice on the battlefield — resulted in the spectacular victory in the Battle of Warsaw, which became a turning point in the war.

The frontline of the Polish-Soviet War stretched from the south to the north of the country. During the defense of Lvov in August 1920 famous became, for instance, pilots of the Polish-American 7th Tadeusz Kościuszko Air Escadrille, who during several decisive days of the battle effectively stopped Semyon Budionny's 1st Cavalry Army. In the picture an aircraft of the 7th Escadrille over Lvov.
In the summer of 1920 upon an appeal made by the State Defense Council more than 100,000 citizens — peasants, laborers, students, landowners, and urban dwellers — joined the army. In the photograph: farewell bid to a detachment departing for the front line in Warsaw. (WBH)

Soldiers! You have spent two long years, the first years of free Poland, working hard and spilling your blood. You are ending the war having won great victories. […] A country which can produce soldiers like you in two years can look into the future without worry. I would like to thank you once again!

The victory in the Battle of Warsaw depended on the military command. The Commander in Chief of the Polish Armed Forces was Marshal Józef Piłsudski, while General Tadeusz Rozwadowski was the chief of the general staff. The Polish army was divided into three front lines: northern, central, and southern, which were commanded by General Józef Haller, General Edward Rydz-Śmigły, and General Wacław Iwaszkiewicz. In the picture Marshal Józef Piłsudski talking with his aide de camp, Lieutenant Colonel Bogusław Miedziński (first on the right), General Tadeusz Rozwadowski (second on the right) and General Edward Rydz-Śmigły (third on the right). (NAC)