city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
of
Lwów
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
(modern Lviv, Ukraine) was attacked by the
forces
In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...
1st Cavalry Army
__NOTOC__
The 1st Cavalry Army (), or ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horsearmy"), was a prominent Red Army military formation that served in the Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War, Polish-Soviet War.
History
Formation
On 17 Novem ...
of
Semyon Budyonny
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian and ...
was trying to reach the city from the north and east. At the same time Lwów was preparing its defenses. The inhabitants raised and fully equipped three regiments of infantry and two regiments of cavalry as well as constructed defensive lines. The city was defended by an equivalent of three Polish divisions aided by one Ukrainian infantry division. Finally after almost a month of heavy fighting on August 16 the Red Army crossed the
Bug River
The Bug or Western Bug is a major river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus (border), Poland, and Ukraine, with a total length of .Red Cossacks, started an assault on the city. The fighting occurred with heavy casualties on both sides, but after three days the assault was halted and the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
retreated. With the crushing defeat of the main forces of the Red Army in the battle of Warsaw, and the Polish victories at Komarów and Zadwórze, the Russian forces were forced to retreat from Lwów.
For the heroic defense with large units of locally raised volunteers the city was awarded with the
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
Semyon Budyonny
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian and ...
, Jakira (cavalry), Grigory Kotovsky (cavalry). Budyonny's insistence (bordering on insubordination) on capturing Lwów led to the weakening of Soviet forces near Warsaw and was a factor in their eventual defeat.
Battle
Around the time of Battle of Radzymin in mid-August, the Polish line of defense in the upper
Bug River
The Bug or Western Bug is a major river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus (border), Poland, and Ukraine, with a total length of .battle of Zadwórze) and retreated towards Lwów. The Polish 1st Cavalry Division engaged Soviet units under Budyonny near and Żółtańce.
On 12 Aug., Budyonny received orders for the Konarmiya "to destroy the enemy on the right bank of the Bug in the shortest possible time and, having forced the river, to follow on the heels of retreating Third and Sixth Polish Armies and seize the city of Lwow." Budyonny started a three prong attack on 13 Aug., and was at Lopatyn on 14 Aug. On 15 Aug., his 6th Cavalry Division swam the river and came within nine miles of Lwow, despite being counter-attacked by the Poles, including by twenty planes. However, on 16 Aug., he received orders from
Tukhachevsky
Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Тухачевский, Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevskiy, p=tʊxɐˈtɕefskʲɪj; – 12 June 1937), nicknamed the Red Napoleon, was a Soviet general who was prominen ...
ordering Budyonny to march to Ustilug- Wlodzimierz. Budyonny continued to advance so that Lwow was surrounded on three sides. Yet on the evening of 19 Aug., Budyonny received news of the Polish counter-offensive, and abandoned the siege of Lwow on 20 Aug.Davies, N., 1972, White Eagle, Red Star, London: Macdonald & Co,
Related battles
Several battles near Lwów were decisive for the outcome of the entire war. They included:
* The Battle of Zadwórze on 17 August ended in the near total destruction of Polish forces, but at the same time halted the Soviet advance preventing the forces of Siemion Budionnyi from either advancing towards unprepared Lwów or breaking off and helping the Soviet forces fighting in the Battle of Warsaw.
* The
Battle of Komarów
The Battle of Komarów, or the Battle of Zamość Ring, was one of the most important engagements of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place between 20 August and 2 September 1920, near the village of Komarowo (now Komarów-Osada, Komarów) near Za ...
on 31 August 1920, the world's largest cavalry battle, since 1813 and the last great battle in which cavalry was used as such and not as mounted infantry. The Battle of Komarów was a complete disaster for the Russian 1st Cavalry Army which sustained heavy casualties and barely avoided being totally surrounded. After that battle, the 1st Cavalry Army morale had collapsed and the army which was one of the most feared of the Soviet troops was no longer considered an effective fighting force.
Battle of Lwów (1939)
The Battle of Lwów (sometimes called the ''Siege of Lwów'') was a World War II battle for the control over the Poland, Polish city of Lviv, Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) between the Polish Army and the invading Wehrmacht and the Red Army. The city ...