Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw – a great victory of Polish soldiers over the Bolshevik forces. The battle was a turning point in the Polish-Bolshevik war and was decisive in stopping the march of communism towards Western Europe for two decades.
The Battle of Warsaw was one of the most decisive battles in the history of the world, of great importance for both Poland and Europe. The victory saved Polish independence and halted the westwards expansion of Bolshevism.
The losses on the Polish side amounted to about 4.5 thousand killed, 22 thousand wounded and 10 thousand declared missing. In turn, the Bolsheviks lost 25 thousand soldiers, with 65 thousand becoming prisoners of war. Two months later, on October 15, Polish and Soviet delegations concluded a ceasefire in Riga, and in March 1921 a peace treaty was concluded on the basis of the ceasefire. This treaty regulated Polish-Soviet relations and marked out the Polish eastern border until the invasion of Poland by the USSR on 17th September 1939.
“Defeat seemed to be inevitable. Many people thought that what happened cannot be reversed, and that Poland would fall under the blows of the Russian Soviet Republic, the Red Army. They thought that the communism coming from the east would take over our country, Germany and the whole of Europe. However, some people never doubted our country. Young boys from the countryside called by Wincenty Witos joined the army. They took up weapons. Even children took up weapons in order to defend Poland, to defend Warsaw, to defend our values, Christianity, and our tradition. And this is when, according to many historians, the greatest battle in history took place – the Battle of Warsaw. We won. We won thanks to our determination, faith, incredible self-denial, as well as grief, the will to survive, fury, and revenge for those who died”, said Polish president Andrzej Duda, at the state ceremonies in Warsaw.