Battle of Graudenz

The Battle of Graudenz was a minor battle that took place in the town of Graudenz (Polish: Grudziądz) during the Polish-German War.
== Background ==
Polish forces captured Graudenz in February 1920 largely without opposition due to the general lawlessness created by the German Civil War. Due to Germanization policies under the German Empire, nearly 90% of the town was ethnically German. The occupying force experienced a number of problems with the local populace, who engaged in sabotage and protest.
As Spartacist forces advanced through West Prussia in April and May, they encountered relatively little resistance from Polish forces. The commanders of the Spartacist force that would eventually assault the town were initially unaware that they were to be facing forces from the Polish Army. Instead, they believed them to be a group of Polish nationalist rebels similar to those in Posen and Silesia.
== Battle ==
On 17 May, a force of around 4,000 soldiers from the Spartacist Volksarmee, attached to the 2nd Berlin Infantry Division, advanced towards the town. After seizing the small village of Dolna Grupa to the west, the Spartacist forces moved towards the village and captured the only nearby bridge across the Vistula river, the Weichselbrücke Graudenz. Polish forces in the town were apparently aware of the Spartacist advance but lacked the means to sabotage the bridge. Instead, they prepared an ambush in the town itself.
The defending Polish force, numbering around 6,000 soldiers, was larger than the Spartacist commanders had believed. A detachment of the Spartacist forces triumphantly advanced into the town. Reports were later given of civilians rushing to warn of the Polish presence, but this was not apparently seriously acknowledged. As the Spartacists moved towards the town centre, the Polish defenders opened fire and quickly forced a frenzied retreat. The Polish forces had access to a single artillery gun, which apparently played a major part in inflicting initial casualties on the Spartacists. Following the retreat, a Polish detachment briefly pursued the Spartacists, but after encountering casualties they opted to fall back. In order to avoid Polish sabotage, the Spartacists maintained control of the bridge but halted their attempts to take the town for the moment. The battle lasted for only around an hour.
On the side of the Spartacists, seventeen of their soldiers were counted as killed and twenty-nine as wounded. Two of their soldiers were captured but were later recovered. On the side of the Poles, four soldiers were counted as killed and ten as wounded.
Although the battle was very insignificant on a tactical level, it became known in historical accounts as the first "real" battle between Spartacist and Polish forces, and as such, it traditionally marks the start of the Polish-German War. The town was captured by Spartacist forces five days later after most of the Polish garrison withdrew.
Category:Polish-German War