1920 Fights of several weeks' duration at the outskirts of the city between the Polish Army and the Red Army during the Polish–Bolshevik War
The defense of Lwów in 1920 halted a Red Army assault on a major Polish city and contributed to the broader Polish victory in the Polish-Soviet War.
Key Facts
- Attacking force
- 1st Cavalry Army under Semyon Budyonny
- Assault reinforcement
- 8 additional divisions of Red Cossacks
- Polish defenders
- Equivalent of three Polish divisions plus one Ukrainian division
- Duration of assault
- Three days before Red Army retreated
- City award
- Virtuti Militari medal, 11 November 1920
- Red Army river crossing
- Crossed Bug River on August 16, 1920
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Polish-Soviet War, Alexander Yegorov's forces, including Semyon Budyonny's 1st Cavalry Army, targeted the city of Lwów from mid-June 1920 as part of a broader Soviet offensive into Polish-held territory. The city's inhabitants responded by raising three infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments and constructing defensive lines.
On August 16, 1920, the Red Army crossed the Bug River and launched a full assault on Lwów, reinforced by eight additional divisions of Red Cossacks. Heavy fighting ensued on both sides for three days, but the assault was ultimately halted and the Red Army withdrew from its positions around the city.
The failure to take Lwów, combined with the decisive Polish victory at the Battle of Warsaw and Polish successes at Komarów and Zadwórze, forced Russian forces to retreat entirely from the region. In recognition of the city's defense by locally raised volunteers, Lwów was awarded the Virtuti Militari medal on 11 November 1920.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Semyon Budyonny, Alexander Yegorov.