The Chortkiv offensive ( uk, Чортківська офензива) (7–28 June 1919), sometimes also referred to as the June Offensive, was a surprise military operation by the
Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army ( uk, Українська Галицька Армія, translit=Ukrayins’ka Halyts’ka Armiya, UHA), was the Ukrainian military of the West Ukrainian National Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. It w ...
(UHA) on the newly founded Second Polish Republic
Polish-Ukrainian War for
Eastern Galicia
Eastern Galicia ( uk, Східна Галичина, Skhidna Galychyna, pl, Galicja Wschodnia, german: Ostgalizien) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil), having also essential h ...
.
The disputed territory was claimed by the nascent Ukrainian state, the
Western Ukrainian People's Republic
The West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) or West Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR), known for part of its existence as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic, was a short-lived polity that controlled most of Eastern Gali ...
, which also was disputed by the Ukrainian People's Republic and the recently re-established
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. The area claimed between these three groups was a mixture of Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish peoples intermixed throughout the area.
The attack was initially successful, with Ukrainian forces successfully taking a vast swathe of territory,
[Subtelny] however in the end the offensive was repelled by the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Polish forces that pushed the Ukrainians back. Eventually, the
interwar
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
future of Galicia was decided at the
Allied Council of Foreign Ministers that officially hostilities were ceased, however operations existed all the way to the
Zbruch River
The Zbruch ( uk, Збруч, pl, Zbrucz) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.[Збруч]
.
[Kubiyovych][Encyclopedia of Ukraine]
The goals
The goal of the Chortkiv offensive was to push the Polish army back to the
Zolota Lypa River
Zolota Lypa ( uk, Золота Липа, pl, Złota Lipa) is a river in Western Ukraine. It flows through the Ternopil and Chortkiv Raions, forming the Berezhany Lake north of the city of Berezhany. It is a left tributary of Dniester, belonging t ...
in order to improve morale among the Ukrainian army and locals by mobilizing a larger army to push the Poles back past Lviv, Przemysl, Chelm, Lublin, and other claimed territories by the Western Ukrainian Republic.
The offensive
On 8 June the 19,000 strong UHA assaulted the city of
Chortkiv
Chortkiv ( uk, Чортків; pl, Czortków; yi, ''Chortkov'') is a city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chortkiv Raion (district), housing the district's local adminis ...
, forcing the Poles to retreat to the
Holohory–
Peremyshliany
Peremyshliany ( uk, Перемишляни, pl, Przemyślany, yi, פּרעמישליאַן) is a town in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Peremyshliany urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Po ...
–
Bukachivtsi
}
Bukachivtsi ( uk, Букачівці; pl, Bukaczowce) is an urban-type settlement in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Bukachivtsi settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Pop ...
line. Under the command of
Oleksander Hrekov
Oleksander Petrovych Hrekov ( uk, Олександр Петрович Греков) (4 December 1875 – 2 December 1958) was a general of the Imperial Russian Army, Ukrainian People's Army, military professor and one of the most prominent persona ...
, the Ukrainians came close to
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, the main city of the province, which was their greatest success.
[
The Ukrainian forces also gained victories at Yazlovets (10 June), ]Buchach
Buchach ( uk, Бучач; pl, Buczacz; yi, בעטשאָטש, Betshotsh or (Bitshotsh); he, בוצ'אץ' ''Buch'ach''; german: Butschatsch; tr, Bucaş) is a city located on the Strypa River (a tributary of the Dniester) in Chortkiv Raion of T ...
(11 June), Pidhaitsi
Pidhaitsi ( uk, Підгайці, Pidhajci, pl, Podhajce, yi, פּידײַיִץ, Podhaitza) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located ''ca.'' 15.5 mi south of Berezhany, 43.5 mi from Ternopil ...
, Nyzhniv and Ternopil
Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...
(14 June) and Berezhany
Berezhany ( uk, Бережани, ; pl, Brzeżany; yi, ברעזשאַן, Brezhan; he, בּז'יז'אני/בּז'ז'ני ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It lies about fr ...
(21 June).[Pidkova]
Polish counterattack
As the UHA suffered from a lack of ammunition, on 28 June a better equipped and much larger Polish force broke through the Ukrainian lines at Janczyn and forced the UHA to retreat to the Zbruch River
The Zbruch ( uk, Збруч, pl, Zbrucz) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.[Збруч]
.[ Eventually the Ukrainians were forced back toward the Dnipro Valley then controlled by the ]Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...
, another nascent Ukrainian state that did not hold the same territorial aspirations as its ethnic neighbor.[
]
Aftermath
Though the UHA initially experienced numerous early victories, the numerical and technical superiority of the Polish forces ended its rule. Thus the predominantly Ukrainian provinces of former Austrian Galicia were forcefully integrated into the Polish Republic.
Notes
References
''Chortkiv offensive''
at th
''Encyclopedia of Ukraine''
*
* Kubiyovych, Volodymyr, Kuzelia, Zenon. ''Entsyklopediya Ukrainoznavstva'' (Encyclopedia of Ukrainian studies)'', 3 volumes (1994). Kiev.
*Ihor Pidkova (editor), Roman Shust (editor),
Dovidnyk z istorii Ukrainy
, 3 Volumes,
Kiev, 1993-1999, (t. 1), (t. 2), (t. 3). Article
{{coord missing, Ukraine
Polish–Ukrainian War
Battles involving Poland
Battles involving Ukraine
Ukrainian Galician Army
Conflicts in 1919
Chortkiv
1919 in Poland
1919 in Ukraine
June 1919 events