Key 1920 battle against Bolsheviks reenacted near Warsaw

Almost 200 reenactors from Poland and abroad on Sunday flocked to Ossów, a village near the Polish capital, to recreate the country's victory over the Russian Bolsheviks 98 years ago, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

The August 14, 1920 Battle of Ossów was part of the wider Battle of Warsaw, which is considered to have saved Poland’s newly regained independence and prevented the Bolshevik revolution from spreading into western Europe.

Often described as the “Miracle of the Vistula,” the Battle of Warsaw was part of the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 and was fought from August 12 to 25, 1920 as Red Army forces commanded by Mikhail Tukhachevsky approached the Polish capital.

Polish forces led by Marshal Józef Piłsudski counterattacked, forcing the Soviets to withdraw.

Around 4,500 Polish soldiers were killed, 10,000 went missing and 22,000 were wounded, compared with estimated Russian losses of 10,000 killed, 500 missing, 30,000 wounded and 66,000 taken prisoner.

The 1920 Battle of Warsaw has been listed among the most important battles that have decided the fate of the world.

Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

August 15 marks Armed Forces Day in Poland, an annual celebration commemorating the 1920 victory.

Poland regained independence on November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended, after 123 years of partition by Russia, Austria and Prussia.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP