Battle of Przemyśl ( 1918 ) The Battle of Przemyśl - a struggle for the control over the city of Przemyśl in former Austro - Hungarian Galicia and local river crossings on the San river , between Ukrainian and Polish militias and regular troops , from 2 to 12 November 1918 , during the Polish - Ukrainian War . Background . In 1918 the city of Przemyśl ( ) formed a part of the Austrian province " Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria " and was its third biggest city after Krakow and Lviv ( , ) . It was also the biggest Austro - Hungarian fortress north of the Carpathians ( and the site of a 1914 - 1915 famous siege in World War I ) , and contained key road and railway crossings on the San River , linking Krakow and Lviv . The San River also marked the border between the eastern and western parts of the province ; the western part was overwhelmingly Polish while the eastern part was ethnically more mixed . Ukrainians dominated the rural areas , while ethnic Poles were a majority in the cities , which also continued a substantial Jewish minority . At the turn of the 20th century Poles constituted 78 . 7 % of the population of western Galicia , Ukrainians 13 . 2 % , Jews 7 . 6 % , Germans 0 . 3 % and others 0 . 2 % . The population data for eastern Galicia was Ukrainians 64 . 5 % , Poles 21 . 0 % , Jews 13 . 7 % , Germans 0 . 3 % and others 0 . 5 % . According to the Austro - Hungarian census of 1910 , Przemyśl had 54 , 692 permanent inhabitants , of whom 47 % were Roman Catholics , 30 % Jews and 22 % Greek Catholis . In the waning days of the Habsburg Empire , both Polish and Ukrainian populations were preparing to form their own separate states in the former Austrian territories . The mixed ethnic populations resulted in large parts of Galicia being perceived as " Polish " or " Ukrainian " simultaneously , which was the main reason for the coming conflict . Conflict . Due to the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy , the soldiers garrisoning Przemyśl ' s fortress deserted in droves , and those not taking part in revolutionary activities were in the process of returning to their homelands . This , along with the disintegration of civil authority , created a vacuum in government . Polish , Jewish and Ukrainian areas of the city began to form their own militias , to protect their respective populations . On the night of October 29 Gen . Stanislaw Puchalski , recently appointed by the Polish Regency Council to command Polish forces in Galicia , arrived in the city with the task of organizing Polish military forces and a civil administration . In response to what they perceived as a coming Polish takeover , approximately 600 mostly Ukrainian soldiers from the former Austro - Hungarian 9th Infantry Regiment , stationed in nearby Żurawica and led by Ukrainian nationalists supporting the Ukrainian National Rada ( UNR ) movement , marched into the city , seizing military strongpoints and interning non - Ukrainian military personnel . Soon afterward , however , most of the Ukrainian troops left the city and headed home . On the night of October 31 / November 1 , 1918 , the Ukrainian National Rada in Lviv issued a proclamation in the name of the Ukrainian state in Galicia . Immediately afterward Ukrainian forces attempted to seize Lviv , resulting in the uprising of Lviv ' s Polish majority , which continued into 1919 . Ukrainian nationalists also attempted a takeover of Przemyśl , but they lacked sufficient troops to accomplish that goal and soon halted the action . The ongoing battle in Lviv and the attempt to seize Przemyśl further contributed to the antagonisms between Ukrainian and Polish residents in the city . Polish fighters from Polish Military Organisation ( POW ) began to seize the city ' s key points , such as the railroad station . By the end of November 1 most of Przemyśl ' s crucial areas were in Polish hands . To forestall further clashes , cease - fire talks were started between the two sides . The Poles were represented by Aleksander Skarbek and Zygmunt Lasocki , while the Ukrainians were represented by Volodymyr Zahaikevych . An agreement was soon reached , and a bilateral commission was created to govern the city . The commission was composed of four Polish and four Ukrainian members and also included one representative of Przemyśl ' s Jewish community . A mixed Polish - Ukrainian - Jewish police force was formed to maintain order within the city . However , this did not stop the growing tensions , which eventually resulted in demonstrations and sporadic clashes that resulted in injuries and deaths on both sides . On the night of November 3 / 4 , 220 armed Ukrainian farmers from the nearby villages of Medyka , Nehrybka , Pikulice and Sielec arrived in Przemyśl . Supported by the local Ukrainian militia and a group of 30 Ukrainian Sich Riflemen , they drove Polish forces out of the city center , and by 4 : 00 a . m . the Ukrainians controlled the eastern half of the city . They captured Puchalski and his staff and placed them in custody . The city ' s west bank known as the " Zasanie " , was still in Polish hands , defended by POW soldiers led by Lt . Leon Kozubski , together with a mixed force of volunteers — mostly scouts — students and youngsters . They were later dubbed the " Przemyśl Eaglets " ( ) , in honor of the more famous Lwów Eaglets . On November 4 a cease - fire was signed in which the Ukrainians agreed to release detained Polish officers , including Gen . Puchalski , and turn over a portion of food rations from the fortress ' stores to the Polish side . The San River was to form a provisional demarcation line . The armistice was not kept very long , however , and clashes between both sides continued , including a Ukrainian attempt to cross the river on November 6 . On November 10 approximately 400 Polish reinforcements from Krakow ( the so - called " San Group " ) with four artillery pieces arrived by train , commanded by Julian Stachiewicz . The armored train " Śmiały " also accompanied the troops . On November 11 an ultimatum was issued by the Polish leadership in which they demanded that the Ukrainian forces withdraw from Przemyśl , effectively ceding control of the city to the Poles . The ultimatum was rejected , and at noon on November 11 Polish forces unleashed an artillery barrage on the Ukrainian - controlled right bank of the San . This was followed by Polish forces using the bridges across the river — which the Ukrainians had failed to blow up — to assault the city . By that evening the Poles had taken over the main railway station , the market square and most of the town itself . By November 12 all Ukrainian forces had either withdrawn from or had been driven out of the city . The successful takeover of Przemyśl enabled the Poles to send reinforcements to the besieged Lviv — which up to that time was virtually cut off from central Poland — via the Przemyśl - Lviv railway line , enabling them to eventually free the city . Sources . Michał Klimecki - " Polsko - ukraińska wojna o Lwów i Galicję Wschodnią 1918 - 1919 " , Warszawa 2000 , ISBN 83 - 7233 - 145 - 6 .