Kiev Offensive (1920)

The Kiev Offensive (or Kiev Operation) was an important military operation, carried out by Polish Army and allied Ukrainian forces during the Polish-Bolshevik War, from April 1920 to June same year. Its stated goal was to create an independent Ukraine, though many ethnic Ukrainians viewed it as a Polish act of aggression and rallied to fight in the ranks of the Red Army. With not enough support from Ukrainian population and growing pressure from the Bolshevik counteroffensive, after initial successes Polish and allied Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat from Ukraine.

Before the Battle

On April 24 Poland begun the Kiev Operation, aimed at creating a independent Ukraine, to become part of Piłsudzki's Międzymorze Federation. Poland signed a military alliance with the Ukrainian People's Republic of Symon Petliura. Peltura, after defeat of his government from the bolsheviks hands found asylum in Poland and now headed the new Ukrainian Army. The joint Polish - Ukrainian political campaign which goal was to raise the patriotic spirits among the population the plans to form a strong Ukrainian army capable of taking over the positions against the Soviets in Ukraine, while initially succesfull, had to be abandoned due to lack of time. The local population was tired of several years of war and the Ukrainian Army reached the strenght of only 2 divisions.

The plan of Kiev Operation was to beat Soviet troops on the Polish southern flank and establish a friendly government in Ukraine. The main task of the advancing Polish armies was to outflank the Bolsheviks and destroy them in a single battle. After winning the battle in the South, Polish General Staff planned a speedy withdrawal of the 3rd Army and strengthening of the northern front where Piłsudski expected the main battle with the Red Army to take place. As it is often the case the actual course of events was different than envisioned.

Polish assault

The 3rd Army easily won border clashes with the Soviets and the combined Polish-Ukrainian forces captured Kiev on May 7 encountering only token resistance, but the Bolshevik army, although badly mauled, avoided total destruction. Polish offensive stopped at Kiev and only a small bridgehead was established on the eastern bank of Dnieper. This military thrust soon met with a Red Army counterattack. On May 24, the Polish - Ukrainian force was engaged by the Semyon Budionny and his famous 1st Cavalry Army for the first time. Polish-Ukrainian forces succeeded in slowing and even defeating the Red Army on several occasions. The morale was high, Polish-Ukrainian forces were eager to defend Dnieper Ukraine and confident in their ability to withstand the Soviet offensive.

Bolshevik counter-attack

Polish intelligence was aware of the Russian preparations for an all-out offensive and the Polish commander-in-chief, Józef Piłsudski ordered the commander of all the Polish forces on the Ukrainian Front, General Antoni Listowski to prepare his forces for a strategic withdrawal. From the perspective of staff maps in Warsaw it was clear that the renascent Polish Army was too weak to withstand both the offensive in the southern secor of the front in Ukraine, and the spring offensive prepared by the Bolsheviks in Belarus and to the north of the Prypeć Marshes. However, commander of the Polish 3rd Army located around Kyiv, General Edward Rydz, was seeking a way to repel the upcomming Russian assault rather than withdraw and even proposed the General Staff to regroup all of his forces to the city of Kyiv and defend there until relieved. This plan was turned down by Piłsudski, who knew that no relieve force could be prepared any time soon. He repeated his orders of withdrawal of Polish 3rd and 6th Armies from the area of Kiev.

The commander of the 3rd Army, General Edward Rydz, organised a series of tactical counter-attacks which resulted in a series of victories in the areas of Bila Tserkva, where the Bolshevik 44th Rifle Division lost the entire staff and one of its brigades and the Battle of Wołodarka, which routed the Bolshevik 4th Cavalry Division and made one of its cossack regiments switch sides. However, repeated attacks by the elite Budionny's cossack cavalry broken the Polish Ukrainian front on June 5th and on June 10th Polish armies were retreating along the entire front.

It was a bitter day for the Poles and Ukrainians on June 13 when Kiev was evacuated and left to the Soviets. Petlyura's Ukrainians, although small in numbers fought bravely and with fierce determination throughout the rest campaign. In face of almost unlimited Russian reserves and slow growth of Ukrainian army, Polish and Ukrainian forces were ordered to retreat and while the units mangaed to withdraw in order and relatively unscathed, they were tied in Ukraine and lacked sufficient strenght to support Polish Northern Front and strengthen defenses at the Auta River during the decisive battle that was soon to take place there.

However, the Bolshevik objectives were not accomplished either. Due to poor command and conflicts within the staff of the South-Western Front, the Polish 3rd Army managed to avoid encirclement and complete destruction and successfully retreated from Ukraine.

Opposing forces

The following is the Order of Battle of Polish and Bolshevik forces taking part in the struggles in Ukraine, as of April 25, 1920. It should be noted that the command structure changed during the operation.

Among Polish Airforce was the 7th Kosciuszko Squadron.

Poles

Bolsheviks

References

• Norman Davies (2003). White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0712606947
• Józef Piłsudski (1937 - 1991). Pisma zbiorowe (Collected Works). Warsaw: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza (reprint). ISBN 8303030590
• Mikhail Tukhachevski (1989). Lectures at Military Academy in Moscow, February 7-10, 1923 in: Pochód za Wisłę. Łódź: . ISBN