Battle of Cyców
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cyców took place during the Polish-Bolshevik War on August 15 and 16, 1920. It is one of the battles that constitute a larger operation commonly referred to as the battle of Warsaw
. It occurred in the fields surrounding the village of Cyców
, some 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Lublin
.
The Polish plan for the Battle of Warsaw was based on two assumptions: that Warsaw would withstand a direct assault by Red Army's forces and that the corps-sized Assault Group under direct command of Gen. Józef Piłsudski gain enough time to concentrate behind Wieprz river and prepare a counter-offensive. For the latter to be possible, the Polish forces near Lublin and Zamość
(Polish 3rd Army) had to prevent the Bolshevik South-Western Front from reaching the battlefield.
On August 15th, the forces of 58th Rifle Division (514th and 155th Rifle Regiments, reinforced with cavalry and artillery, some 1550 first-line troops and 235 cavalrymen altogether) arrived to the area north of Cyców. The Polish forces in the area consisted of elements of the 4th Cavalry Brigade (3rd and 7th Uhlans' Regiments), reinforced with mounted artillery battalion and two reserve battalions of infantry. Altogether, Maj. Cyprian Bystram (CO of 3rd Uhlans' Regiment and temporary commander of the Polish 4th Brigade) had 928 cavalrymen and 900 infantrymen at his command.
The Russian forces assaulted the Polish infantry along the road leading towards Lublin, near Garbatówka. The Polish units, composed mainly of rear echelon troops and lightly wounded servicemen from nearby field hospitals, offered stiff resistance for the remainder of the day. Despite numerical superiority, it was not until the following morning that the Russians finally broke through the Polish lines and entered Cyców, in pursuit of the fleeing remnants of the Polish infantry battalions. At Głębokie however, the Polish infantry made another stand, this time helped by mobile artillery of the 2nd Artillery Battalion.
The Russian forces were stopped and Polish cavalry
arrived to the battlefield just in time. Before the Russians could regroup, they were charged by the two cavalry regiments and routed. The remnants of the Russian division were surrounded the following day by the 3rd Legions Infantry Division and annihilated.
The battle of Cyców is featured on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw
.
Battle of Warsaw (1920)
The Battle of Warsaw sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, was the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. That war began soon after the end of World War I in 1918 and lasted until the Treaty of Riga resulted in the end of the hostilities between Poland and Russia in 1921.The...
. It occurred in the fields surrounding the village of Cyców
Cyców
Cyców is a village in Łęczna County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Cyców. It lies approximately east of Łęczna and east of the regional capital Lublin....
, some 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
.
The Polish plan for the Battle of Warsaw was based on two assumptions: that Warsaw would withstand a direct assault by Red Army's forces and that the corps-sized Assault Group under direct command of Gen. Józef Piłsudski gain enough time to concentrate behind Wieprz river and prepare a counter-offensive. For the latter to be possible, the Polish forces near Lublin and Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
(Polish 3rd Army) had to prevent the Bolshevik South-Western Front from reaching the battlefield.
On August 15th, the forces of 58th Rifle Division (514th and 155th Rifle Regiments, reinforced with cavalry and artillery, some 1550 first-line troops and 235 cavalrymen altogether) arrived to the area north of Cyców. The Polish forces in the area consisted of elements of the 4th Cavalry Brigade (3rd and 7th Uhlans' Regiments), reinforced with mounted artillery battalion and two reserve battalions of infantry. Altogether, Maj. Cyprian Bystram (CO of 3rd Uhlans' Regiment and temporary commander of the Polish 4th Brigade) had 928 cavalrymen and 900 infantrymen at his command.
The Russian forces assaulted the Polish infantry along the road leading towards Lublin, near Garbatówka. The Polish units, composed mainly of rear echelon troops and lightly wounded servicemen from nearby field hospitals, offered stiff resistance for the remainder of the day. Despite numerical superiority, it was not until the following morning that the Russians finally broke through the Polish lines and entered Cyców, in pursuit of the fleeing remnants of the Polish infantry battalions. At Głębokie however, the Polish infantry made another stand, this time helped by mobile artillery of the 2nd Artillery Battalion.
The Russian forces were stopped and Polish cavalry
Polish cavalry
The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
arrived to the battlefield just in time. Before the Russians could regroup, they were charged by the two cavalry regiments and routed. The remnants of the Russian division were surrounded the following day by the 3rd Legions Infantry Division and annihilated.
The battle of Cyców is featured on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns that were erected after World War I.-History:...
.