Battle of Koziatyn

Battle of Koziatyn
Part of Polish–Soviet War
DateApril 1920
Location
Result Polish victory
Belligerents
 Poland  Russian SFSR
Commanders and leaders
Jan Romer Sergei Mezheninov
Ieronim Uborevich
Strength
1 cavalry division 2 infantry divisions
Casualties and losses
9 killed
33 wounded
Unknown 8,000 captured 500 killed

The Battle of Koziatyn (also known as the Raid on Koziatyn and Koziatyn Envelopment) of 25–27 April 1920 was one of the most spectacular raids of the Polish cavalry during the Polish–Soviet War. In the effect of a pincer maneuver some 160 kilometres behind the front line, the Polish Army was able to seize the strategically important town of Korosten. The town, a major railway hub and a Red Army supply depot, was captured with negligible Polish losses.

The battle, along with a similar Raid on Korosten, resulted in a complete disruption of the Soviet 12th and 14th Armies of the South-Western Front.[1] The Soviets lost approximately two divisions and a large amount of materiel, and roughly 8000 Soviet soldiers became prisoners of war.[2] This allowed the Polish forces to capture Kiev soon afterwards. The maneuver is taught in military colleges around the world as an example of a blitzkrieg-like offensive executed before the advent of tank warfare.[3][4]

  1. ^ Andrzej Koryn (October 1, 1990). "Wojna polsko-sowiecka 1920 roku: przebieg walk i tło międzynarodowe". materiały sesji naukowej w Instytucie Historii PAN, 1-2 października 1990 (in Polish). Warsaw. pp. 65–68 (470). ISBN 8300034870.
  2. ^ Taras Hunczak, ed. (1983). Ukraine and Poland in Documents, 1918-1922 (in Polish). New York: Shevchenko Scientific Society. pp. 80–85. ISBN 0-88054-102-4.
  3. ^ "Raid de la D.C.1 polaca sobre Koziatyn". Revista Militar (in Spanish). Universidad de Buenos Aires: 1099–1101. 1928.[1]
  4. ^ Wiktor Kucharski (1984). Kawaleria i broń pancerna w doktrynach wojennych 1918-1939 (in Polish). Warsaw-Cracow: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. pp. 144–145. ISBN 83-01-04861-1.