Battle of Olszynka Grochowska
Encyclopedia
Battle of Olszynka Grochowska was the largest battle of the November Uprising
and biggest friction in Europe since the battle of Waterloo
. It was fought between the armies of Poland and Russia on February 25 in the woods near Grochów
, at the eastern outskirts of Warsaw
.
saw no hostilities between Poland and Russia. Both the Polish commander Józef Chłopicki
and Russian tsar Nicholas I
were hoping for a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, none of the sides could propose a satisfactory compromise and in on January 25, 1831, Nicholas was deposed of the Polish throne.
This was seen as a de facto declaration of war and the Russian Army under Hans Karl von Diebitsch
was ordered to enter Poland and crush the rebellion. The Russian army entered Poland on February 4 and started a fast advance towards Warsaw
. Despite several minor battles and skirmishes, in which the Russian army suffered significant losses, the advance could not be stopped by the Polish forces, both numerically and technically inferior.
On February 24 the Russian Army reached the outskirts of Warsaw in two columns. Initially Diebitsch was planning an all-out assault on Warsaw on February 26. However, the successful Polish counter-attack in the Battle of Białołęka, in which the 13500 men strong Corps of General Ivan Shakhovskoy was defeated and forced to retreat, made Diebitsch change his plans and attack earlier than planned.
constituted the majority of Polish Army. Apart from the II Infantry Brigade under General Kazimierz Małachowski, dispatched to the north to take part in the Battle of Białołęka, the forces of General Józef Chłopicki included some 36000 soldiers and 115 cannons of various calibres. The majority of the Polish forces was composed of fresh, poorly trained and ill-equipped volunteers. However, the core of the Polish Army was composed of Napoleonic Wars
veterans.
The Russian forces had some 59000 men at arms and 178 cannons. In addition, at 15:00 the weakened corps of General Shakhovskiy arrived to the battlefield and took part in the assault. The forces of Field Marshal Diebitsch were organised into 5 Infantry Corps, with some cavalry units attached to them. However, the main part of the Russian cavalry was defeated in the Battle of Stoczek
and did not enter the combat.
on February 24 surprised the Russians. In the early morning of February 25, after both units taking part in the Battle of Białołęka were on the verge of breaking after a night-long city fight, the Poles threw in the reserve 1st Infantry Division under General Jan Krukowiecki
. The Russians started a retreat and the Poles started a pursuit, but the Polish advance was halted after an hour.
The sound of the nearby battle made Field Marshal Dybich change his plans and order an assault on Polish positions 24 hours earlier than planned. At noon the I Corps and the Corps of General Grigoriy Vladimirovich Rosen were ordered to assault the Polish 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions (Generals Skrzynecki
and Żymirski, respectively) in the woods east of Grochów
. At the same time the Corps of General Pahlen was ordered to outflank the Poles from the south and strike through the lines of the Polish 4th Infantry Division of General Szembek.
Although the Russians had numerical superiority and better equipment on their side, the Polish lines were well-hidden in the woods and the Russian artillery had difficulties helping the advancing infantry. Despite numerous assaults, both the woods and the Grochów
-Gocławek road was still in Polish hands by dusk. After suffering heavy casualties, the Russians withdrew from the battlefield. However, the Poles also lost large part of their forces and were unable to organise a successful pursuit.
and wounded
, and were forced to abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw
thus ending the Polish uprising with one blow. Polish losses were slightly smaller, but also significant: between 6900 and 7300 dead and wounded. However, Chłopicki did not start a pursuit after the fleeing Russians and did not take advantage of the success.
Because of that, the battle is described as a Polish marginal victory in most handbooks and monographies, both modern and contemporary. Some authors argue that, although the Russian forces were badly beaten and forced to retreat and abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw, the lack of Polish pursuit resulted in the battle being either a pyrrhic victory
or simply an unconcluded bloodbath. Finally, several Russian sources claim that the result of the battle was a Russian victory (Orlov, chapters I and II and Voronin)
It is notable that the battle hymn sung by the Polish troops during the engagement, the Song of Polish Legions is since then regarded as the Polish national anthem.
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
and biggest friction in Europe since the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. It was fought between the armies of Poland and Russia on February 25 in the woods near Grochów
Grochów
Grochów is a suburb of Warsaw, officially part of the borough of Praga Południe. Currently it is one of the most notable residential areas of right-bank Warsaw. It is heavily built up with blocks of flats. However, there are still many houses remembering the times from before the Second World War...
, at the eastern outskirts of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Before the battle
The first months after the outbreak of the November UprisingNovember Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
saw no hostilities between Poland and Russia. Both the Polish commander Józef Chłopicki
Józef Chlopicki
Józef Chłopicki was a Polish general who was involved in fighting in Europe at the time of Napoleon and later.He was born in Kapustynie in Volhynia and was educated at the school of the Basilians at Szarogrod, from which in 1785 he ran away in order to enlist as a volunteer in the Polish army....
and Russian tsar Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
were hoping for a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, none of the sides could propose a satisfactory compromise and in on January 25, 1831, Nicholas was deposed of the Polish throne.
This was seen as a de facto declaration of war and the Russian Army under Hans Karl von Diebitsch
Hans Karl von Diebitsch
Count Hans Karl Friedrich Anton von Diebitsch und Narden was a German-born soldier serving as Russian Field Marshal....
was ordered to enter Poland and crush the rebellion. The Russian army entered Poland on February 4 and started a fast advance towards Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Despite several minor battles and skirmishes, in which the Russian army suffered significant losses, the advance could not be stopped by the Polish forces, both numerically and technically inferior.
On February 24 the Russian Army reached the outskirts of Warsaw in two columns. Initially Diebitsch was planning an all-out assault on Warsaw on February 26. However, the successful Polish counter-attack in the Battle of Białołęka, in which the 13500 men strong Corps of General Ivan Shakhovskoy was defeated and forced to retreat, made Diebitsch change his plans and attack earlier than planned.
Opposing forces
The Polish forces dislocated to the east of WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
constituted the majority of Polish Army. Apart from the II Infantry Brigade under General Kazimierz Małachowski, dispatched to the north to take part in the Battle of Białołęka, the forces of General Józef Chłopicki included some 36000 soldiers and 115 cannons of various calibres. The majority of the Polish forces was composed of fresh, poorly trained and ill-equipped volunteers. However, the core of the Polish Army was composed of Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
veterans.
The Russian forces had some 59000 men at arms and 178 cannons. In addition, at 15:00 the weakened corps of General Shakhovskiy arrived to the battlefield and took part in the assault. The forces of Field Marshal Diebitsch were organised into 5 Infantry Corps, with some cavalry units attached to them. However, the main part of the Russian cavalry was defeated in the Battle of Stoczek
Battle of Stoczek
Battle of Stoczek was the first major battle of the November Uprising in Poland. It took place on February 14, 1831, near the town of Stoczek Łukowski, on the Brest-Warsaw road....
and did not enter the combat.
Battle
The Polish counter-attack in the area of BiałołękaBialoleka
Białołęka is one of 18 districts of Warsaw located in the northern part of the city. To October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The Białołęka name comes from nobleman Białołęcki, who bought the area before the First World War....
on February 24 surprised the Russians. In the early morning of February 25, after both units taking part in the Battle of Białołęka were on the verge of breaking after a night-long city fight, the Poles threw in the reserve 1st Infantry Division under General Jan Krukowiecki
Jan Krukowiecki
Count Jan Stefan Krukowiecki was a Polish general and chairman of the Polish National Government during the November Uprising and general during Napoleonic Wars fighting in the troops of Napoleon.-Early life and education:...
. The Russians started a retreat and the Poles started a pursuit, but the Polish advance was halted after an hour.
The sound of the nearby battle made Field Marshal Dybich change his plans and order an assault on Polish positions 24 hours earlier than planned. At noon the I Corps and the Corps of General Grigoriy Vladimirovich Rosen were ordered to assault the Polish 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions (Generals Skrzynecki
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki was a Polish general, Commander-in-Chief of the November Uprising .He was born in Żebrak, Siedlce County in 1787. After completing his education at the Lwów University, he entered the Polish Legion formed in the Duchy of Warsaw, as a common soldier and won his lieutenancy at...
and Żymirski, respectively) in the woods east of Grochów
Grochów
Grochów is a suburb of Warsaw, officially part of the borough of Praga Południe. Currently it is one of the most notable residential areas of right-bank Warsaw. It is heavily built up with blocks of flats. However, there are still many houses remembering the times from before the Second World War...
. At the same time the Corps of General Pahlen was ordered to outflank the Poles from the south and strike through the lines of the Polish 4th Infantry Division of General Szembek.
Although the Russians had numerical superiority and better equipment on their side, the Polish lines were well-hidden in the woods and the Russian artillery had difficulties helping the advancing infantry. Despite numerous assaults, both the woods and the Grochów
Grochów
Grochów is a suburb of Warsaw, officially part of the borough of Praga Południe. Currently it is one of the most notable residential areas of right-bank Warsaw. It is heavily built up with blocks of flats. However, there are still many houses remembering the times from before the Second World War...
-Gocławek road was still in Polish hands by dusk. After suffering heavy casualties, the Russians withdrew from the battlefield. However, the Poles also lost large part of their forces and were unable to organise a successful pursuit.
Aftermath
In the effect of a day-long struggle the Russian army lost at least 9500 killedKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
and wounded
Wounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....
, and were forced to abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
thus ending the Polish uprising with one blow. Polish losses were slightly smaller, but also significant: between 6900 and 7300 dead and wounded. However, Chłopicki did not start a pursuit after the fleeing Russians and did not take advantage of the success.
Because of that, the battle is described as a Polish marginal victory in most handbooks and monographies, both modern and contemporary. Some authors argue that, although the Russian forces were badly beaten and forced to retreat and abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw, the lack of Polish pursuit resulted in the battle being either a pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
or simply an unconcluded bloodbath. Finally, several Russian sources claim that the result of the battle was a Russian victory (Orlov, chapters I and II and Voronin)
It is notable that the battle hymn sung by the Polish troops during the engagement, the Song of Polish Legions is since then regarded as the Polish national anthem.
General
External links
- Map of the battlefield
- Re-enactment of the battle: http://wojsko-polskie.pl/wortal/gallery/v/obchody_swiat/olszynka/, http://www.kepa.waw.pl/olszynka.htm
