Battle of Ossów
Battle of Ossów | |||||||
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Part of the Polish-Soviet War | |||||||
Soviet assaults near Radzymin and Ossów of 14 August were bloodily repelled | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Poland | Russian SFSR | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Kazimierz Sawicki | Grigory Khakhanyan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
4 regiments | 3 regiments | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
ca. 600 (including ca. 100 killed) | ca. 600 |
The Battle of Ossów took place in the fields near
Battleground
The battle was fought as the
In Polish plans, the Leśniakowizna-Ossów road was to be used as a means of retreat from the first line of defences towards Warsaw and the second line of trenches, located slightly to the west of Ossów itself.
Forces
By mid-August the area was manned by the 18th Infantry Division, a battle-hardened and well-equipped, yet tarnished [why?] and overstretched formation. The village itself was defended by remnants of the 33rd and 36th Infantry Regiments of the Polish Army. The earlier unit was considered a high-morale regiment due to a large number of conscripts from the region of Mazovia. The latter unit was considered elite as it was an all-volunteer body drafted from among the students of various Warsaw-based universities, (hence it was nicknamed the Academic Legion).
Immediately before the battle, the two regiments were reinforced with the newly created
On the Russian side of the front, there were elements of the
Battle
During the day Soviet units managed to capture the strategically important village of Ossów, but were repelled in the evening by a Polish counter-attack. The battle was one of the first skirmishes won by the Poles since the beginning of the Soviet offensive in late spring.
Aftermath
The death of chaplain Ignacy Skorupka during the Polish counter-attack became one of the symbols of the war.
52°18′41″N 21°14′38″E / 52.311441°N 21.243789°E