Chortkiv offensive
Encyclopedia
The Chortkiv offensive (7-28 June 1919), sometimes also referred to as the June Offensive, was a surprise military operation by the Ukrainian Galician Army
(UHA) in the Polish-Ukrainian War
for Eastern Galicia.
The disputed territory was claimed by the nascent Ukrainian state, the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, and the recently re-established Poland
that laid claim on entire Galicia, including its largely Ukrainian
populated eastern part.
While the initial success of this desperate attack of the underarmed Ukrainian force was its finest hour in the war, in the end the offensive was successfully repelled by the numerically superior Allied
-equipped Polish force that pushed the Ukrainians back. Eventually, the interwar future of entire Galicia was decided at the Allied Council of Foreign Ministers
that on 18 June 1919 gave Poland a carte blanche to conduct the operations all the way to the Zbruch River
.
in order to give the Ukrainian forces more space for maneuver in the war for the disputed territory.
, forcing the Poles to retreat to the Holohory–Peremyshliany
–Bukachivtsi
line. Under the command of Oleksander Hrekov
, the Ukrainians came close to Lviv
, the main city of the province, which was their greatest success.
The Ukrainian forces also gained victories at Yazlovets
(10 June), Buchach
(11 June), Pidhaitsi
, Nyzhniv and Ternopil
(14 June) and Berezhany
(21 June).Pidkova
. Eventually the Ukrainians were forced back toward the Dnipro Valley then controlled by the Ukrainian People's Republic
, another nascent Ukrainian state that was fighting for its survival.
Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army , was the Ukrainian military of the West Ukrainian National Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. -Military equipment:...
(UHA) in the Polish-Ukrainian War
Polish-Ukrainian War
The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...
for Eastern Galicia.
The disputed territory was claimed by the nascent Ukrainian state, the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, and the recently re-established Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
that laid claim on entire Galicia, including its largely Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
populated eastern part.
While the initial success of this desperate attack of the underarmed Ukrainian force was its finest hour in the war, in the end the offensive was successfully repelled by the numerically superior Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
-equipped Polish force that pushed the Ukrainians back. Eventually, the interwar future of entire Galicia was decided at the Allied Council of Foreign Ministers
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
that on 18 June 1919 gave Poland a carte blanche to conduct the operations all the way to the Zbruch River
Zbruch River
Zbruch River is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.It flows within the Podolia Upland starting from the Avratinian Upland. Zbruch is the namesake of the Zbruch idol, a sculpture of a Slavic deity in the form of a column with a head with four faces, discovered in 1848 by...
.
The goals
The goal of the Chortkiv offensive was to push the Polish army back to the Zolota Lypa RiverZolota Lypa River
Zolota Lypa is a river in western Ukraine. It flows through Berezhany district, forming the large Berezhany lake north of Berezhany. It is a left tributary of Dniester, belonging to the Black Sea basin....
in order to give the Ukrainian forces more space for maneuver in the war for the disputed territory.
The offensive
On 8 June the 19,000 strong UHA took the city of ChortkivChortkiv
Chortkiv is a city in the Ternopil oblast in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chortkiv Raion . Population: 29,057...
, forcing the Poles to retreat to the Holohory–Peremyshliany
Peremyshliany
Peremyshliany is a town in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine. It is administrative center of the Peremyshliany Raion. Population is 7,565 .It had a Jewish population of 2,934 in 1900.-Famous natives:* Naftule Brandwein, klezmer musician* bl...
–Bukachivtsi
Bukachivtsi
Bukachivtsi is an urbanized settlement in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast near Rohatyn. Population: 1,504 .-External links:**Bukachevtsy ShtetLinks site on JewishGen -...
line. Under the command of Oleksander Hrekov
Oleksander Hrekov
Oleksander Petrovych Hrekov was a general of the Imperial Russian Army, Ukrainian People's Army, military professor and one of the most prominent personalities in the History of Ukraine...
, the Ukrainians came close to Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, the main city of the province, which was their greatest success.
The Ukrainian forces also gained victories at Yazlovets
Yazlovets
Yazlovets is a village in the Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine and a Roman Catholic pilgrimage center of local significance. It's located at around , 16km south of Buchach and presently has around 600 inhabitants....
(10 June), Buchach
Buchach
Buchach is a small city located on the Strypa River in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine...
(11 June), Pidhaitsi
Pidhaitsi
Pidhaitsi is a small city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Pidhaitsi Raion , and is located at around . Pidhaitsi is situated ca. 15.5 mi south of Berezhany, 43.5 mi from Ternopil and ca. 62 mi south-east of Lviv. In 1939...
, Nyzhniv and Ternopil
Ternopil
Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia...
(14 June) and Berezhany
Berezhany
Berezhany is a city located in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Berezhanskyi Raion , and rests about 100 km from Lviv and 50 km from the oblast capital, Ternopil. The city has a population of about 20,000, and is about 400 m above sea level...
(21 June).Pidkova
Polish counterattack
As the UHA suffered from a lack of ammunition, on 28 June a larger Allied-equipped Polish force broke through the Ukrainian lines at Yanchyn and forced the UHA to retreat to the Zbruch RiverZbruch River
Zbruch River is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.It flows within the Podolia Upland starting from the Avratinian Upland. Zbruch is the namesake of the Zbruch idol, a sculpture of a Slavic deity in the form of a column with a head with four faces, discovered in 1848 by...
. Eventually the Ukrainians were forced back toward the Dnipro Valley then controlled by the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
, another nascent Ukrainian state that was fighting for its survival.