The Polish-Lithuanian

War 1919-1920

Part 2 of 4 - ADVANCES and RETREATS

The Battle of the Niemen River was the second-greatest battle of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place near the Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok in today’s Poland and Belarus.

Su pagarbe Vincas Karnila, Associate editor
vin.karnila@VilNews.com

DIPLOMATIC DEVELOPMENTS

In April 1920 Poland launched the large-scale Kiev Offensive in hopes to capture Ukraine. Initially successful, the Polish Army started retreating after Russian counterattacks in early June 1920. Soon the Soviet forces began to threaten Poland's independence as they reached and crossed the Polish borders. On July 9, Polish Prime Minister Wladyslaw Grabski asked the Allied Powers in the Spa Conference (The Spa Conference was a meeting between the Supreme War Council and Weimar Republic in Spa, Belgium on 5–16 July 1920).

Wladyslaw Grabski

It was the first post-war conference to include German representatives. The attendees included British and French Prime Ministers Lloyd George and Alexandre Millerand, German Chancellor Constatin Fehrenbach. The Conference mainly discussed disarmament of Germany and war reparations required by the Treaty of Versailles) for military assistance in the war with the Soviets. The conference proposed that the Polish forces would withdraw behind the Curzon Line, the Soviet forces would stop 50 km (31 mi) to the east of the line, the Lithuanian forces would take control of Vilnius, and all other disputes would be settled via negotiations in London. Grabski opposed the transfer of Vilnius, but under pressure of British Prime Minister Lloyd George, agreed to the resolution on July 10.

Advance of Soviet forces (red arrows) against Polish troops in June–August 1920

At the same time the Soviets and Lithuania negotiated the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty, which was signed on July 12, 1920. Russia recognized Lithuanian independence and withdrew any territorial claims. The treaty drew the eastern border of Lithuania, which the Lithuanians continued to claim as their de jure state border until World War II. The Vilnius Region, including Braslau, Hrodna, Lida and Vilnius, was recognized to Lithuania. On August 6, after long and heated negotiations, Lithuania and Soviet Russia signed a convention regarding withdrawal of Russian troops from the recognized Lithuanian territory. However, the troops began to retreat only after the Red Army suffered a heavy defeat in Poland.

TERRITORIAL CHANGES

The Bolshevik forces reached the Lithuanian territory on July 7, 1920, and continued to push back the Polish troops and subsequently the Lithuanian Army moved to secure territories abandoned by the retreating Polish forces. They took Turmantas on July 7, Tauragnai and Alanta on July 9, Širvintos and Musninkai on July 10, Kernavė, Molėtai and Giedraičiai on July 11, Maišiagala and Pabradė on July 13. On July 13 the Polish command decided to transfer Vilnius to the Lithuanians in accordance with the resolution of the Spa Conference. Lithuanians tried to move in but their trains were stopped by Polish soldiers near Kazimieriškės. This delay meant that the Bolsheviks were the first to enter Vilnius on July 14. By the time the first Lithuanian troops entered the city on July 15, it was already secured by the Soviets. Poland sought to have Russians in the city as it would create much less complications when Polish Army counterattacked. Despite the Peace Treaty, the Soviets did not intend to transfer the city to the Lithuanians. Indeed there were indications that the Soviets planned a coup against the Lithuanian government in hopes to establish the Lithuanian SSR (Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic)

Despite the setback in Vilnius, the Lithuanians continued to secure territories in the Suwałki Region. Lithuanian forces took Druskininkai on July 17, Vištytis, Punsk, Giby, and Sejny on July 19, Suwałki on July 29 and Augustów on August 8. The Polish units, afraid of being surrounded and cut off from the main Polish forces, retreated towards Lomza. The Lithuanian authorities started to organize themselves in the regained areas.

LITHUANIAN NEUTRALITY

Poland claimed that Lithuania violated its claim to neutrality in the Polish–Soviet War and in effect became a Soviet ally. A secret clause of the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty allowed Soviet forces unrestricted movement within the Soviet-recognized Lithuanian territory for the duration of Soviet hostilities with Poland. This clause was more of a practical matter since Soviet troops already occupied much of the assigned territory and could not and would not withdraw while hostilities with Poland continued. Lithuanians were also simply unable to resist the Soviets and their troops. For example, when Lithuanians refused a permission to use a road, the Soviets ignored Lithuanian protests and transported their troops and equipment regardless. At the same time Polish soldiers were disarmed and interned bt Lithuania. The largest group, a brigade under colonel Pasławski, was interned on July 18, 1920, near Kruonis. On August 10, Lithuanians held 103 Polish officers and 3,520 private soldiers. Poland also claimed that the Lithuanian troops actively participated in military operations of the Red Army. This charge, based on memoirs of Soviet officials, lacks evidence. Further military clashes between Polish and Lithuanian troops in the Suwałki Region were interpreted by Poland to show that "the Lithuanian government has become an instrument of the Soviet government." Lithuania responded that it was defending its borders.

AUGUST to OCTOBER 1920 – STRUGGLES FOR THE SUWALKI REGION

POLISH ADAVANCE AND SOVIETS RETREAT

The Russians suffered a great defeat AT the Battle of Warsaw in mid-August 1920 and started withdrawing. They handed over Vilnius to the Lithuanians on August 26. The Lithuanians hastily made preparations to secure the border, as determined by the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty. The soldiers were ordered to maintain neutrality: avoid hostilities and intern any Soviet or Polish troops that would cross the border. On August 26, a Polish delegation, led by colonel Mieczyslaw Mackiewicz, arrived in Kaunas to negotiate the situation. The Poles, lacking authority to discuss political issues, were concerned with military aspects.

They sought permission to transport Polish troops through the territory of Lithuania, wanted access to a portion of the Warsaw–Saint Petersburg Railway and demanded that the Lithuanian troops would withdraw from the Suwałki Region behind the Curzon Line. The Lithuanians refused to discuss military matters without a clear political Polish–Lithuanian border that would be respected after the war. Due to these fundamental disagreements and Polish attacks, the negotiations broke down on August 30.

Map of the Suwałki Region. Its many forests and lakes complicated the military actions.

The Suwałki Region had strategic importance in the Polish–Soviet War. Following orders of Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Polish forces took Augustów from Lithuanians in a surprise attack on August 28. Confused and disoriented Lithuanians retreated from Suwałki and Sejny on August 30 and 31. The Lithuanians reorganized, gathered their forces (11 battalions with 7,000 soldiers) and organized a counterattack to "defend their border" on September 2. The goal was to take and secure the Augustów–Lipsk-Hrodna line. The Lithuanians succeeded in taking Sejny and Lipsk and by September 4 reached the outskirts of Augustów. On September 5, the Poles counterattacked and forced the Lithuanians to retreat. On September 9, the Polish forces recaptured Sejny but the Lithuanians pushed back and regained Sejny and Giby on September 13 and 14. Pending direct negotiations, hostilities were ceased on both sides.

 DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS and the LEAGUE OF NATIONS

On September 6, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Juozas Purickis proposed direct negotiations in Marijampolė. On September 8, during a planning meeting of the Battle of the Niemen River, the Poles decided to maneuver through the Lithuanian territory to the rear of the Soviet Army, stationed in Hrodna In an attempt to conceal the planned attack, Polish diplomats accepted the proposal to negotiate. The negotiations started on September 16 in Kalvarija but collapsed just two days later.

Juozas Purickis

On September 5, 1920, Polish Foreign Minister Eustachy Sapieha delivered a diplomatic note to the League of Nations alleging that Lithuania violated its neutrality and asking to intervene in the Polish–Lithuanian War.

Eustachy Sapieha

The League agreed to mediate and began its session on September 16. The resolution, adopted on September 20, urged both states to cease hostilities and adhere to the Curzon Line. Poland was asked to respect Lithuanian neutrality if Soviet Russia agreed to do the same. Also a special Control Commission was to be dispatched into the conflict zone to oversee implementation of the resolution. It was clear that the League had only a narrow goal to prevent armed hostilities and not to resolve the underlying territorial dispute. The Lithuanian government accepted the resolution, while Poland reserved full freedom of action in preparation for the attack on the Soviets.

BATTLE of the NIEMAN RIVER

On September 22, 1920, Poland attacked Lithuanian units in the Suwałki Region on a wide front. Overwhelmed by 4–5 times larger enemy forces, some 1,700–2,000 Lithuanian troops surrendered and were taken prisoners. Polish forces then marched, as planned on September 8, across the Neman River near Druskininkai and Merkinė to the rear of the Soviet forces near Hrodna and Lida. The Red Army hastily retreated. The Lithuanians had limited intelligence warnings about such attack and as a result chose an inadequate defensive strategy and spread their forces too thinly along the entire Polish–Lithuanian front without sufficient forces to protect bridges across the Neman.

Map of the Battle of the Niemen river. Polish forces maneuvered through the Lithuanian territory (front line in red) to the rear of Soviet troops despite the resolution by the League of Nations to cease hostilities

This attack, just two days after the resolution by the League of Nations to cease hostilities, put more pressure on Poland to settle the dispute peacefully. On September 26, Poles captured Hrodna and Polish Foreign Minister Sapieha proposed new negotiations in Suwałki. The Battle of the Niemen River drastically altered the balance of power. Vilnius, in Lithuanian hands since August 26, was exposed to a Polish attack. Indeed Poles had already decided to capture the city and used the negotiations in Suwałki to stall and buy time for necessary preparations. The Lithuanian side was ready to give up the Suwałki Region in exchange for Poland's recognition of the Lithuanian claims to Vilnius.

SUWALKI AGREEMENT

The negotiations between Poles, led by colonel Mieczyslaw Mackiewicz and Lithuanians led by general Maksimas Katche, began in the evening of September 29, 1920. Both sides agreed to an armistice, but only to the east of the Neman River (the Suwałki Region).

Maksimas Katche

Fighting to the west on the river continued around Marcinkonys, Zervynos, Perloja and Eišiškės. A major point of contention, both diplomatic and military, was the train station in rėna (Orany) on the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway. Major Lithuanian forces were still concentrated in the Suwałki Region and moving them to protect Vilnius without the railway would be extremely difficult. Fighting west of the Neman River ceased only on October 6, when Polish troops had already captured the train station in Varėna.

Selected demarcation lines between Poland and Lithuania. Line drawn by the Suwałki Agreement is in yellow; the final interwar border is in orange. The current borders of Lithuania, Poland and Balta Rusija that were established after the Second World War are indicated by the purple lines

Negotiations regarding the demarcation line were difficult. In essence, the Lithuanians wanted a longer demarcation line to provide better protection for Vilnius. The Poles agreed only to a short line in order to provide the planned attack on Vilnius with space for operation. The Polish delegation was also stalling to buy time for necessary preparations for an attack on Vilnius. While Vilnius was not a topic of debate, it was on everybody's mind. On October 4, the Control Commission, sent by the League according to its resolution of September 20, arrived to Suwałki. The Commission, led by French colonel Pierre Chardigny, re-energized the negotiations. On October 7, at midnight, the final agreement was signed. The treaty made not a single reference to Vilnius or the Vilnius Region. The ceasefire was effective only along the demarcation line, which ran through the Suwałki Region to the train station in Bastuny. Thus the line was incomplete, did not provide protection to the Vilnius Region, but indicated it would be left on the Lithuanian side.

In Part 3

OCTOBER to NOVEMBER 1920 – STRUGGLES for the VILNIUS REGION