The Battle of Rarańcza was fought between Polish Legionnaires, and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, from February 15 to 16, 1918, near Rarańcza in

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

, and ended with a Polish victory.

Background

The

Brest-Litovsk Treaty The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria), by which Russia withdrew from World War I. The treaty, whi ...

, which was being negotiated on February 9, 1918, did not appear to benefit the idea of a

nation state A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the State (polity), state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly ...

for Poland. This treaty, signed between the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

(including

) and the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

on February 9, 1918, transferred the province of Chełm to the Ukrainian state. Poles, meanwhile, believed that the town of

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

and surrounding lands should be under Polish control. The Polish forces, part of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

stationed on the border of

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

, were increasingly restless. They were relatively spread out throughout the region over a frontline 250 km in length. They consisted of the

Polish Auxiliary Corps Polish Auxiliary Corps (, , ) was the name of the Polish military formation in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Formed from the Polish Legions, it was created on 20 September 1916 and existed until 19 February 1918. In the aftermath of the Oath crisi ...

(known as the II Brigade of Polish Legionnaires up till the recent

oath crisis The Oath crisis (; German language, German: ''Eidkrise'') was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions in World War I, Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central P ...

), as well as some additional Polish units. The Poles, having received the information about the treaty on February 12, and expecting, in the aftermath of the treaty further weakening of the Polish units, decided on the February 14 to join forces with the Polish First Army Corps in Russia by crossing the Austrian-Russian

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...

s. Only a few, including general Zygmunt Zieliński, proposed taking no action, however even Zieliński unofficially supported the

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

Battle

Polish units, mostly the 2nd and 3rd Regiment under the command of Józef Haller de Hallenburg, attempted to break through the Austrian lines on February 15 to 16, 1918. Austrian forces were ordered to stop them, and fighting ensued in several places (while in others Austrian units withdrew). The main Polish units broke through the

near a town called Rarańcza, located in

, but the rear units with wagons were stopped by an armored train, and eventually disarmed and arrested.

Aftermath

The Legionnaires won the battle, but estimates of their losses vary: according to historian Jerzy Lerski they suffered "great losses", but Gawlik states there were only 16 casualties, while over 900 soldiers of the Auxiliary Corps and other Polish soldiers from other formations - about 4,000 total - were arrested). 86 officers and NCOs were later put to trial by the Austro-Hungarian government, but

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

of Austria-Hungary ordered the trial to be stopped, and a few weeks later Austria-Hungary was no more. Some (according to Gawlik, about 1,600) of Haller's troops were able to make it through the front lines into already abandoned Russian trenches, and on March 5 were absorbed into the

Polish Second Corps The 2nd Polish Corps (), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought with distinction in the Italian Ca ...

, whilst many were captured and imprisoned by the Austrians. The remaining troops under general Haller would be defeated in May by the Germans in the

battle of Kaniów A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Footnotes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rarancza, Battle of Battles of the Russian Civil War in 1918 Battles of the Eastern Front (World War I) Battles of World War I involving Austria-Hungary Battles of World War I involving Poland Polish Legions in World War I Battles of the Russian Civil War involving Poland Central Powers intervention in the Russian Civil War February 1918 History of Chernivtsi Oblast