Battles for Vilnius

Overview

The Battle of Vilnius in January 1919 were a series of battles fought in Vilnius between the pro-Polish Self-Defence of Lithuania and Belarus who were initially against the Imperial German Army retreating from the city and the Bolshevik paramilitaries and then against the attacking Red Army. The fighting resulted in the temporary capture of most of the city of Vilnius by the Poles, who eventually had to retreat before the Red Army came. Some historians consider this as the beginning of the Polish–Soviet War.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battles for Vilnius in January 1919 marked an early and contested episode in the struggle over the city during the collapse of German occupation in the east. Polish Self-Defence forces under Władysław Wejtko initially resisted the retreating Imperial German Army and Bolshevik paramilitaries, then faced the advancing Red Army under Vladimir Olderogge and Kazimierz Cichowski. The fighting produced a temporary Polish capture of most of Vilnius before the Self-Defence was forced to withdraw as Red Army pressure mounted. The outcome left Vilnius under Soviet control for a period and established the city as a central point of contention in the emerging Polish–Soviet conflict. Some historians treat these engagements as the opening action of the Polish–Soviet War, giving Vilnius an outsized role in defining when and where that war began.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)