1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division was a volunteer unit of the Polish Army formed around December 1918 and January 1919 during the Polish–Soviet War. It was created out of several dozen smaller units of self-defence forces created out of local volunteers in what is now Lithuania
and Belarus
amidst a growing series of territory disputes between the Second Polish Republic
, the Russian SFSR and several others local provisional governments and took part in several key battles of the war.
, a growing series of territorial disputes between Poland
, Soviet Russia and several other local provisional governments erupted in a series of wars in Central and Eastern Europe, the most prominent of these being the Polish–Soviet War. Starting in the last years of the First World War, many smaller units of self-defence forces were created out of local volunteers in those areas, among them likely the best known being the Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence
('Samoobrona Litwy i Białorusi'). Self-Defence units were organized in the areas of the Kresy
region with Polish majorities or significant minorities – usually urbanized areas like the cities of Vilnius
, Minsk
, Hrodna
, Lida
and Kaunas
, or towns like Ašmiany
, Wilejka, Nemenčinė
, Świr and Panevėžys
; until December 1918 those units had no central command or organization and many of them were named after the local cities or regions (like 'Samoobrona Lidy'). The first task of those units was curbing the crime wave by German deserters, and later, defence from the pro-Bolshevik
groups. Despite its name, most of the members of that organization were either Poles or polonized, and therefore supported the cause of attaching those territories with the newly recreated Polish state
.
, where a group of roughly 1500 Poles and Belarusians rose to arms to defend the city against the advancing forces of Soviet Russia
. However, due to Russian numerical superiority and lack of support from the side of the short-lived Belarusian National Republic
, the group withdrew towards central Poland. Other such self-defence groups, resistance organizations and veterans of the Green Army of the Russian Civil War
also reached Poland, where they were reformed into a single unit under the command of general Władysław Wejtko.
Another large group of volunteers to join the division were the remnants of roughly 2,500 men strong force created in Vilnius
to defend it against the Reds in January 1919. In the effect of four day long fights for the city and the area of Nowa Wilejka, the Polish forces were pushed back and the city had to be abandoned. The newly-formed division took part in the Battle of Brześć Litewski
of January 8 of that year, one of the first battles of the Polish–Soviet War.
The division, commanded by Gen. Jan Rządkowski
, took part in many of the largest battles of that conflict. Among others, it played a major role in the Battle of Radzymin
, a part of the Battle of Warsaw
, the decisive struggle of the war. It also took part in the Battle of the Niemen, where it suffered heavy losses. Finally, two days prior to the cease fire ending the war, the units of the division – then commanded by Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski
– took over Vilnius Region
from the Lithuanian forces and formed the core of the armed forces of the Republic of Central Lithuania
.
Following the elections held there and that state's merger with Poland in 1923, the division was partially demobilized, while its remnants were incorporated into the Polish 19th Infantry Division
stationed in Vilnius (Polish: Wilno).
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
amidst a growing series of territory disputes between the Second Polish Republic
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...
, the Russian SFSR and several others local provisional governments and took part in several key battles of the war.
Predecessors
With the end of the World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a growing series of territorial disputes between 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...
, Soviet Russia and several other local provisional governments erupted in a series of wars in Central and Eastern Europe, the most prominent of these being the Polish–Soviet War. Starting in the last years of the First World War, many smaller units of self-defence forces were created out of local volunteers in those areas, among them likely the best known being the Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence
Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence
Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence was a voluntary military formation composed primarily of Poles that was created in the aftermath of First World War during the formation of Second Polish Republic in the Kresy Polish-Russian borderlands....
('Samoobrona Litwy i Białorusi'). Self-Defence units were organized in the areas of the Kresy
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
region with Polish majorities or significant minorities – usually urbanized areas like the cities of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Hrodna
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
, Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
and Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, or towns like Ašmiany
Ašmiany
Ashmyany is a town in Hrodna voblast, Belarus , capital of the Ašmiany raion located 25 km from Vilnius. It lies in the basin of the Oshmianka River. It is also known as "Aschemynne" in the Chronicles of the Teutonic Knights. It was birth place of Lucjan Żeligowski, who was a Polish...
, Wilejka, Nemenčinė
Nemencine
Nemenčinė is a city in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania, it is located about north-east of Vilnius.-Names:Nemenčinė is the original name of the city reflected in historical documents and still in use today. It derives from a Lithuanian word referring to the river Nemenčia...
, Świr and Panevėžys
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
; until December 1918 those units had no central command or organization and many of them were named after the local cities or regions (like 'Samoobrona Lidy'). The first task of those units was curbing the crime wave by German deserters, and later, defence from the pro-Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
groups. Despite its name, most of the members of that organization were either Poles or polonized, and therefore supported the cause of attaching those territories with the newly recreated Polish state
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...
.
Operational history
The initial core of the future division was formed in December 1918 in MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, where a group of roughly 1500 Poles and Belarusians rose to arms to defend the city against the advancing forces of Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
. However, due to Russian numerical superiority and lack of support from the side of the short-lived Belarusian National Republic
Belarusian National Republic
The Belarusian People's Republic was a self-declared independent Belarusian state, which declared independence in 1918. It is also called the Belarusian Democratic Republic or the Belarusian National Republic, in order to distinguish it from Communist People's Republics...
, the group withdrew towards central Poland. Other such self-defence groups, resistance organizations and veterans of the Green Army of the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
also reached Poland, where they were reformed into a single unit under the command of general Władysław Wejtko.
Another large group of volunteers to join the division were the remnants of roughly 2,500 men strong force created in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
to defend it against the Reds in January 1919. In the effect of four day long fights for the city and the area of Nowa Wilejka, the Polish forces were pushed back and the city had to be abandoned. The newly-formed division took part in the Battle of Brześć Litewski
Battle of Brzesc Litewski
Battle of Brześć Litewski was a World War II battle involving German and Polish forces that took place between 14 and 17 September 1939, near the town of Brześć Litewski...
of January 8 of that year, one of the first battles of the Polish–Soviet War.
The division, commanded by Gen. Jan Rządkowski
Jan Rzadkowski
Jan Rządkowski was a Polish military officer and a General of the Polish Army. He is best known as the commanding officer of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Division during the Polish-Bolshevik War and then the commander of the armed forces of the Republic of Central Lithuania.Jan Piotr Rządkowski...
, took part in many of the largest battles of that conflict. Among others, it played a major role in the Battle of Radzymin
Battle of Radzymin (1920)
The Battle of Radzymin took place during the Polish-Soviet War. The battle occurred in the area around the town of Radzymin, some north-east of Warsaw, between August 13 and 16, 1920. Along with the Battle of Ossów and the Polish counter-offensive from the Wieprz River area, the battle was one of...
, a part of the Battle of 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...
, the decisive struggle of the war. It also took part in the Battle of the Niemen, where it suffered heavy losses. Finally, two days prior to the cease fire ending the war, the units of the division – then commanded by Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski
Lucjan Zeligowski
Lucjan Żeligowski , was a Polish general, and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's Mutiny and as head of a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania.-Biography:...
– took over Vilnius Region
Vilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
from the Lithuanian forces and formed the core of the armed forces of the Republic of Central Lithuania
Republic of Central Lithuania
The Republic of Central Lithuania or Middle Lithuania , or simply Central Lithuania , was a short-lived political entity, which did not gain international recognition...
.
Following the elections held there and that state's merger with Poland in 1923, the division was partially demobilized, while its remnants were incorporated into the Polish 19th Infantry Division
Polish 19th Infantry Division
Polish 19th Infantry Division was formed from parts of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division in 1923. At that time it was commanded for several years by gen. Walerian Czuma and stationed in Wilno....
stationed in Vilnius (Polish: Wilno).