Battle of Daugavpils
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n Operation Winter against the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. It took place in late December 1919 in the area around the city of Daugavpils
Daugavpils
Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
. The fighting in the area started on September 28, and ended in January 1920.
From the Polish perspective it was a part of the Polish-Bolshevik War, while in Latvia it is referred to as a part of Latvian War of Independence.
The Polish commander of the 1st Legions Infantry Division general (later Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, this rank is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army in other NATO armies.-History:...
) Edward Rydz-Śmigły in late autumn of 1919, proposed that a joint Polish-Latvian operation against the Bolshevik forces be commenced. The front lines in the area were relatively peaceful and the city of Daugavpils could be captured relatively easily, especially since the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
was concentrating its forces further southwards. However, lack of support from Polish headquarters, as well as a personal conflict with general Stanisław Szeptycki resulted in Rydz-Śmigły's plan being refused.
However, the situation changed in December 1919, after an military alliance had been signed between the governments of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. General Rydz-Śmigły was given the command over a small Operational Group
Operational Group
Operational Group was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the Invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size....
composed of his 1st Legions Division, as well as the 3rd Legions Infantry Division
Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division
Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed in 1919, as a third unit composed significantly of veterans of the Polish Legions in World War I , the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and...
and several minor Latvian auxiliary forces. In addition, the force included FT-17 tanks of the 2nd company, 1st Tank Regiment, commanded by the French Cpt. Jean Dufour.
The battle for the city and its surroundings took place under harsh weather conditions, the area was covered with more than 1 metres (3.3 ft) of snow and the temperature dropped below −30 C. The Polish-Latvian forces reached the area of the Daugavpils fortress almost unopposed; Poles attacking from the south and Latvians from the north. Polish forces moved into the city and took the fortress without much opposition from the Russians.
Soon afterwards the Poles relinquished control of the city to the Latvians. Thanks to that, the inter-war relations between Poland and Latvia were good, although Latvia refused to join Poland in its continued struggle against Soviet Russia. The problems that precluded the Polish and Latvian governments from expanding their relationship were the opposition from Lithuania (which was hostile towards Poland after the Polish-Lithuanian War
Polish-Lithuanian War
The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
) and a dispute about six Latvian rural municipalities and the city of Grīva
Griva
Griva was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.-1982—1992:The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla and Josip Sabo . The first lineup also featured Zoran Gogić , Laslo Novak , and Đorđe Jovanović...
with a big percentage of Polish inhabitants (south to the Daugava River).
Several forms of alliance were proposed by Poland, such as Latvia joining the Międzymorze
Miedzymorze
Międzymorze was a plan, pursued after World War I by Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, for a federation, under Poland's aegis, of Central and Eastern European countries...
federation of Poland. It chose to join the Baltic Entente
Baltic Entente
The Baltic Entente was based on Treaty of Understanding and Collaboration signed between Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on September 12, 1934 in Geneva. The main objective of the agreement was joint action in foreign policy. It also included mutual commitments to support each other politically, and...
instead.