Battle of Warsaw
Warsaw and the Vistula River, Poland
What happened
The Polish army led by Józef Piłsudski, Tadeusz Rozwadowski and Władysław Sikorski fought the Soviet Red Army under Mikhail Tukhachevsky. In the Polish-Soviet War, the Red Army pushed the Polish army back to the edge of Warsaw. Piłsudski gathered a strike force to the south, and on 16 August it attacked from the Wieprz River through a gap between the Soviet armies. Polish codebreakers had cracked Soviet messages, and the Red Army was split and forced to retreat.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It saved Poland's newly regained independence, and some historians believe it stopped the spread of Soviet power further into Europe. Poles came to call it the 'Miracle on the Vistula'.
What came next
A ceasefire came in October 1920, and the Peace of Riga ended the war on 18 March 1921.
Did you know?
Polish radio operators blocked a Soviet army's last radio link by broadcasting the Book of Genesis on its frequency.
Timeline
- 12 August 1920The Battle of Warsaw begins.
- 16 August 1920Piłsudski's counter-attack begins from the Wieprz River.
- 25 August 1920The battle ends with a Polish victory.
- October 1920A ceasefire is agreed.
- 18 March 1921The Peace of Riga is signed.