Battle of Pakosław
Battle of Pakoslaw | |||||||
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Part of the Pulawy Legion | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
German Empire | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Antoni Reutt (lieutenant colonel) (WIA) | unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Up to 1000 | unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
42 killed, 60 wounded and 11 missing | unknown |
The Battle of Pakoslaw took place in the night of May 19–20, 1915, near the village of
Background
The Pulawy Legion, formed in January 1915, had by March 1915 some 1,000 soldiers and officers, and was attached to the Moscow
The Battle
In the night of May 19–20, the Pulawy Legion was ordered to march across the swamps near Pakoslaw, towards German positions. Polish soldiers had to abandon their personal belongings, including haversacks and mess kits, so as not to reveal their positions to the enemy. Also, smoking was prohibited.
Before midnight, Poles found themselves in close vicinity to German trenches and began their attack. Suffering heavy losses, the Poles managed to cross German barbed wire and capture first line of enemy trenches, where hand-to-hand combat ensued. Some Polish platoons lost up to 75% of soldiers, and under the circumstances, they began to retreat. Commandant of the Legion, Antoni Reutt, was himself injured.
After the battle, the Legion was sent to Russian rear for rest and training, after which it became an experienced unit. Meanwhile, Russian-German front in the area of Ilza stagnated for over a month, with soldiers dug in trenches.
Aftermath
In mid-June 1915, Russian headquarters decided to use the Legion to protect other units while they regrouped. On June 15, Colonel
In late June 1915, Germans managed to break through Russian defences and the whole Russian front collapsed. The Pulawy Legion suffered heavy losses, and by September, it had only 100 soldiers. As a result, it was dissolved in mid-October, and the survivors joined the Brigade of Polish Riflemen.[1]
In the 1920s, ashes of the soldiers of the Pulawy Legion were collected from the battlefield and buried in a mass grave near the folwark at Pakoslaw. Also, a monument of the Legion was unveiled in Pakoslaw.
In Culture
The Battle of Pakoslaw is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "PAKOSLAW 19–20 V 1915".
References
Sources
- Mieczysław Wrzosek, Polski czyn zbrojny podczas pierwszej wojny światowej 1914–1918, Państwowe Wydawnictwo "Wiedza Powszechna", Warszawa 1990