Key Facts
- Dates
- August 13–16, 1920
- Distance from Warsaw
- ~20 km north-east of Warsaw
- Red Army divisions engaged
- 6 rifle divisions
- Polish defending force
- 1st Polish Army (corps-sized)
- Part of
- Battle of Warsaw (Polish–Soviet War)
Strategic Narrative Overview
On August 13, 1920, the Red Army launched a frontal assault on the Praga bridgehead east of Warsaw. Soviet forces captured Radzymin on August 14, breaching the 1st Polish Army's lines. The town changed hands multiple times in brutal fighting. The intensity of the struggle forced General Józef Haller to launch the 5th Army's counterattack ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, General Piłsudski's southern counteroffensive and General Sikorski's northern thrust aimed to outflank the attacking Soviet forces.
01 / The Origins
The Battle of Radzymin was part of the broader Polish–Soviet War (1919–21), a conflict arising from competing territorial ambitions in the power vacuum left by World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire. The Red Army drove westward in 1920, seeking to spread revolution into Central Europe, while Poland fought to secure its eastern borders. By August 1920, Soviet forces had advanced to the outskirts of Warsaw, threatening the Polish capital and the young republic's survival.
03 / The Outcome
Polish forces recaptured Radzymin on August 15, 1920, stabilising the front east of Warsaw. This success, combined with Piłsudski's strategic counteroffensive from the Wieprz River area, pushed Soviet armies back and ultimately crippled four Red Army formations. The battle proved one of the bloodiest engagements of the war and its outcome preserved Polish independence, ending the immediate Soviet threat to Warsaw and Central Europe.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Franciszek Latinik, Józef Piłsudski, Władysław Sikorski, Józef Haller.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.