Vilna offensive The Vilna offensive was a campaign of the Polish – Soviet War of 1919 – 1921 . The Polish army launched an offensive on April 16 , 1919 , to take Vilnius ( ) from the Red Army . After three days of street fighting from April 19 – 21 , the city was captured by Polish forces , causing the Red Army to retreat . During the offensive , the Poles also succeeded in securing the nearby cities of Lida , Pinsk , Navahrudak , and Baranovichi . The Red Army launched a series of counterattacks in late April , all of which ended in failure . The Soviets briefly recaptured the city a year later , in spring 1920 , when the Polish army was retreating along the entire front . In the aftermath , the Vilna offensive would cause much turmoil on the political scene in Poland and abroad . Prelude . Soviet Russia , while at the time publicly supporting Polish and Lithuanian independence , sponsored communist agitators working against the government of the Second Polish Republic , and considered that its eastern borders should approximate those of the defunct Congress Poland . Poles and Lithuanians , on the other hand , inspired by memories of the greatness of the erstwhile Grand Duchy of Lithuania , part of the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth , saw their borders as lying much farther east . The leader of the Polish forces , Józef Piłsudski , discerned an opportunity for regaining territories that were once the part of the Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth , and since then were the part of the Prussia Empire , shaken by the 1917 Revolution and the ongoing Russian Civil War . In the first weeks of 1919 , following the retreat of the German Ober - Ost forces under Max Hoffmann , Vilnius found itself in a power vacuum . It promptly became the scene of struggles among competing political groups and experienced several internal revolutions . On January 1 , Polish officers , led by generals Władysław Wejtko and Stefan Mokrzecki , attempted to take control of the city by establishing a " Samoobrona " ( " Self - Defense " ) provisional government . Their aim was to defeat the Communist " Workers ' Council " , a rival faction within Vilnius plotting to seize the city . " Samoobrona " rule of Vilnius did not last long . Four days later January 5 , 1919 , the Polish forces were forced to make a hasty retreat when the Russian Western Army marched in from Smolensk to support the local communists as part of the Russian westward offensive . Vilnius , the historical capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , became part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and was soon proclaimed capital of the Lithuanian – Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Lit - Bel ) on February 27 , 1919 . The Lit - Bel became the 8th government to control Vilnius in two years . During the month and a half that the Lit - Bel controlled the city , the new communist government turned Vilnius into a social experiment , testing various applications of left - leaning governmental systems on the city ' s inhabitants . Józef Piłsudski , Polish commander - in - chief , determined that regaining control of Vilnius , whose population consisted mostly of Poles and Jews , should be a priority of the renascent Polish state . He had been working on plans to take control of Vilnius since at least March ; he gave preliminary orders to prepare a push in that direction — and counter an expected Soviet westward push — on March 26 . One of Piłsudski ' s objectives was to take control of Vilnius before Western diplomats at the Paris Peace Conference could rule on whom the city , demanded by various factions , should be given to . The action was not discussed with Polish politicians or the government , who at that time were more concerned with the situation on the southern Polish – Ukrainian front . By early April , when members of the Kresy Defence Committee ( " Komitet Obrony Kresów " ) Michał Pius Römer , Aleksander Prystor , Witold Abramowicz , and Kazimierz Świtalski met with Pilsudski , stressing the plight of occupied Vilnius and its inhabitants ' need for self - government , Piłsudski was ready to move . The Offensive . Diversionary attacks . Piłsudski arrived at the front near Lida on 15 April , bringing reinforcements from Warsaw . His plan called for exploitation of the gap in the Soviet lines between Vilnius and Lida by an advance towards Vilnius using the road and railway . Amidst diversionary attacks , designed to draw Russian attention away from the main Polish thrust towards Vilnius , the main Polish attack began at dawn on 16 April . The forces moving on Vilnius included the cavalry group of Colonel Wladyslaw Belina - Prazmowski , composed of 800 men in nine cavalry squadrons and a battery of horse artillery ; and infantry under General Edward Rydz - Smigly , composed of 2 , 500 men in three battalions of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division and two batteries of heavy artillery . Soviet forces in the area were composed of the Western Rifle Division , a unit which had many pro - communist Polish volunteers , and other units of the Western Army . The Soviet garrison of Vilnius numbered about 2 , 000 newly trained troops . Soviet forces in the area around Vilnius are estimated at 7 , 000 infantry , a few hundred cavalry , and 10 artillery pieces . These forces were to be engaged and thus prevented from coming to the aid of the Vilnius garrison . The diversionary attacks went well , with Soviet forces acting under the impression that the Poles had targets other than Vilnius . Despite their diversionary intent , these attacks succeeded in their own right , with Generał Józef Adam Lasocki taking Lida in two days despite unexpectedly strong resistance , and Generał Stefan Mokrzecki taking Nowogrodek in three days and Baranowicze in four . Assault on Vilnius . On 18 April , Colonel Belina decided to use the element of surprise and move into Vilnius without waiting for the slower infantry units . Polish forces left the village of Myto in early morning . At 03 : 30 on 19 April , Maj . Zaruski took Lipówka near Vilnius . Belina ' s cavalry bypassed Vilnius and attacked from behind , taking the train station on the night of 18 to 19 April ; on 19 April , cavalry under lieutenant Gustaw Orlicz - Dreszer — future Polish general — charged into the suburbs , spreading panic among the confused garrison . He seized the train station and sent a train down the line to collect infantry . In this surprise raid about 400 prisoners , 13 trains , and various military supplies were captured . Piłsudski would declare Belina ' s cavalry action the " most exquisite military action carried out by Polish cavalry in this war " . Cavalrymen fought for control of the center of Vilnius and took Cathedral Square , the castle complex on the hillside , and the enemy quarters on the southern riverbank . They also captured hundreds of Bolshevik soldiers and officials , but their numbers were too small compared to the enemy forces , who had begun to reorganize , particularly in the north and west of the town , and prepare a counterattack . Belina sent a message reporting that " enemy is resisting with extreme strength " and asking for immediate reinforcements . At around 8 : 00 in the evening the train he had sent in the morning returned with the first infantry reinforcements . The Polish troops were also supported by the city ' s predominantly Polish population which formed a militia to aid them . By the evening of 19 April half of Vilnius was under Polish control , however , the Red Army troops and supporters were putting up a stubborn and coordinated defence . Only upon the arrival of the main force of Polish infantry under Generał Śmigły on 21 April did the Poles gain the upper hand , attacking those parts of the town still held by the Red Army . The Polish infantry was able to reinforce the cavalry in the city center , and during the night , with help of local guides , Polish forces crossed the river and took one of the bridges . On April 20 , the bridges were in the hands of the Poles , and more of the city fell under their control . During the afternoon of that day , after a three - day - long urban battle , the city was in Polish hands . Piłsudski arrived in Vilnius on the same day . Jewish deaths . As the Polish troops entered the city , the first pogrom in modern Vilnius started , as noted by the Timothy D . Snyder , citing Michał Pius Römer . Dozens of people connected with the Lit - Bel were arrested , and some were executed ; Norman Davies cites a death toll for all – Jews and non - Jews , under Polish rule – as 65 . Jews constituted close to one - half of Vilnius ' s population , according to the German census of 1916 , and many victims of fighting and subsequent repression in Vilnius were Jews . Henry Morgenthau , Sr . counted 65 , Joseph W . Bendersky counted over a hundred . There was a common belief among the Poles that most Jews were Bolsheviks and Communists , in league with the enemy of the Polish state , Soviet Russia . The Polish army stated that any Jews it killed were militants and collaborators engaged in actions against the Polish army . Having been fired at from Jewish homes , Polish soldiers took this as an excuse to break into many Jewish homes and stores , beating the Jews and robbing them , desecrating synagogues , arresting hundreds , depriving them of food and drink for days and deporting them from the city ; such abuses were , however , not supported by – and even specifically forbidden by – the Polish high command . The US Army representative on the scene , Colonel Wiliam F . Godson , agreed with the version of events presented by the Polish general staff . In his reports , Godson wrote that " Jews constituted at least 80 % of every Bolshevik organization " and that , unlike the " harmless Polish Jews " ( who really " had become Poles " ) , the " Litwaks or Russian Jews " are " extremely dangerous , " making the " Jewish question the most important one [ for the country ] " . Neglecting the plight of the Jews , Godson had only noted in his report the instances of Bolsheviks executing and mutilating civilians and Polish prisoners of war . The Nobel Prize - winning author Władysław Reymont , in an article published by " Gazeta Warszawska " , the main organ of the openly antisemitic National Democratic Party , also denied that pogroms had taken place . Henry Morgenthau , Sr . of the Anglo - American Investigating Commission in his report acquitted the Polish side of having organized pogroms , noting the wartime confusion and the fact that some Jews had indeed shot at the Polish forces . The report was , however , highly critical of the activities of the Polish Army in Vilnius , noting that 65 Jews with no proven connections to the Bolsheviks had been killed , and that many arrests , robberies and mistreatments had occurred , while soldiers guilty of these acts had not been punished . Soviet counteroffensive . The Polish victory infuriated the Soviets , leading to dozens of arrests and several executions among those connected to the Lit - Bel . ; the former Lit - Bel leaders began accusing one another of culpability for the loss of their capital . Lenin considered the city vital to his plans , and ordered its immediate recapture , with the Red Army attempting several counteroffensives in April 1919 . Near the end of the month about 12 , 000 infantry , 3 , 000 cavalry , 210 heavy machine gun s and 44 guns were assembled by Soviet forces in the area of Szyrwiany , Podbrodzie , Soły and Oszmiana . Polish forces in the area under general Stanisław Szeptycki numbered 11 , 000 ; Rydz - Śmigly had 8 infantry battalions , 18 cavalry squadrons and 18 guns in Vilnius itself . Rydz - Śmigły decided to engage enemy forces before they combined their strengths . On the night of April 28 – 29 , general Stefan Dąb - Biernacki took Podbrodzie , capturing one of the Soviet formations . Simultaneously , Soviet forces attacked near Deliny – Ogrodniki , south of Vilnius . Polish defenses and counterattacks managed to halt Soviet movements towards Vilnius , pushing them back towards Szkodziszki – Grygajce . In retaliation , Soviet forces launched yet another counterattack , this one from north of Vilnius . The results were significantly better than those of the previous offensive , with Soviet forces breaking through Polish defenses in the area . However , Red Army forces halted their movements short of Vilnius , not wishing to attack a hostile city during the night . Polish forces took advantage of the opportunity to strengthen their defenses . Shortly afterwards , Polish forces counterattacked , pushing the Red Army back towards Mejszagoła and Podberezie . Polish forces pursued and took those two settlements , as well as Giedrojsc and Smorgoń . By mid - May Polish forces had reached the line of Narocz lake – Hoduciszki – Ignalina – Lyngniany , leaving Vilnius well behind the frontline . Aftermath . Because of the successful surprise attack , the Polish army in Vilnius managed to appropriate sizable stocks of supplies and take hundreds of prisoners . When Piłsudski entered the city , a victory parade was held in his honour . The city ' s Polish citizens on the whole were delighted ; their politicians envisaged a separate Lithuanian state closely allied with Poland . Representatives from the city were immediately sent to the Paris Peace Conference , and the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius , which had been closed in 1832 following the November 1830 Uprising , was reopened . Acting in accordance with his vision of a Polish - led " Międzymorze " federation of East - Central European states , Piłsudski on April 22 , 1919 , issued a bilingual statement , in Polish and Lithuanian , of his political intentions — the " Proclamation to the inhabitants of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania , " pledging to provide " elections [ which will ] take place on the basis of secret , universal and direct voting , without distinction between the sexes " and to " create an opportunity for settling your nationality problems and religious affairs in a manner that you yourself will determine , without any kind of force or pressure from Poland . " Piłsudski ' s proclamation was aimed at showing good will both to Lithuanians and international diplomats ; the latter succeeded as the proclamation dealt a blow to the image of ' Polish conquest ' and replaced it with the image of ' Poland fighting with Bolsheviks dictatorship and liberating other nations ' ; however the Lithuanians who demanded exclusive control over the city were much less convinced . Piłsudski ' s words also caused significant controversy on the Polish political scene ; as they had not been discussed with the Sejm and caused much anger among Piłsudski ' s National - Democratic opponents ; Polish People ' s Party " Piast " deputies demanded incorporation of the Vilnius Region into Poland and even accused Piłsudski of treason . However , Piłsudski ' s supporters in the Polish Socialist Party managed to deflect those attacks . The Lithuanian government in Kaunas , which viewed the city as the historic capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , saw the Polish incursion as an occupation . The Lithuanian government demanded Vilnius back . Relations between the Polish and Lithuanian governments , unable to reach a compromise over Vilnius , continued to worsen , destroying the prospects for Piłsudski ' s plan of the Międzymorze federation and leading to open hostilities in the ensuing Polish – Lithuanian War . In 1920 , the Soviets recaptured Vilnius , followed by the Poles ' establishment of the short - lived Republic of Central Lithuania . The Polish capture of Vilnius set the stage for further escalation of Polish conflicts with Soviet Russia and Lithuania . In coming months , Polish forces would push steadily eastward , launching Operation Minsk in August . Notes . a For controversies about the naming and dating of this conflict , refer to the section devoted to this subject in the Polish - Soviet War article . b Speaking of Poland ' s frontiers Piłsudski said : " All that we can gain in the west depends on the Entente — on the extent to which it may wish to squeeze Germany , " while in the east " there are doors that open and close , and it depends on who forces them open and how far . " c Jews of Vilnius had their own complex identity , and labels of Polish Jews , Lithuanian Jews or Russian Jews are all applicable only in part .