Polish-German War

* Polish nationalist insurgency in Posen and Silesia defeated
* Soviet intervention in the German Civil War
* Soviet Galicia

**Support from:**
 Soviet Hungary

**Support from:**
**Commander-in-Chief**
Ludwig Renn
**Commanders**
Ernst Schneller
Fritz Selbmann
**Commander-in-Chief**
Józef Piłsudski
**Commanders**
Wojciech Korfanty
Alfons Zgrzebniok
Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski
Franciszek Latinik
Stanisław Taczak

The **Polish-German War** or **Polish-Spartacist War** was an armed conflict between the Polish Republic and the German Spartacists that coincided with the Polish-Soviet War. It ended with a Spartacist victory.

## Background

As the Spartacist Volksarmee steadily advanced eastward throughout late-1919 and early-1920, they came in conflict with the Polish nationalist rebels who had seized much of the Posen and Silesia region. After Poland invaded Soviet territory in the April Kiev Offensive, skirmishes developed between Spartacist and Polish forces. These skirmishes progressively grew into a greater conflict throughout May, culminating in the first real battle of the conflict at Graudenz (Grudziądz) on 17 May.

This action is considered to be the start of the Polish-German War. It is unclear which side truly started the conflict, though Spartacist offensive actions were later justified by their alliance with the Bolsheviks and by Polish attempts to seize German territory.

## Course of the war

As Spartacist forces seized territory in Silesia and East Prussia throughout May and June, their front with the Poles expanded. The Poles had, by this point, dedicated most of their combat-ready forces to the Soviet front in the east, which was collapsing at a rapid rate following Soviet counterattacks. In June 1920, their military strength in the west may very well have been as little as 50,000 (not including Polish rebels in Silesia and Posen), compared to around 100,000 forces at the disposal of the Volksarmee.

This was perceived as a major threat by Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, who ordered troops to reinforce the border with Germany as well as rebel-held territory in Silesia and Posen, despite various objections from his commanders. By early July, Polish forces in the west numbered around 100,000. However, many of these soldiers were poorly equipped and improperly trained reservists who had intentionally not been deployed as front line troops in the east.

Polish forces launched an offensive towards the town of Allenstein (Olsztyn) on 11 July, but they were forced to abandon their positions on 19 July as the Soviet Red Army advanced from the east.

### Spartacist offensive

By early August, Soviet forces had advanced deep into Polish territory and were at the gates of the Polish capital of Warsaw. Out of desperation, Piłsudski ordered the reassignment of the most experienced and combat-ready forces to Warsaw, which depleted Polish strength on the German front.

On 3 August, Spartacist forces launched an offensive towards Łódź, Kraków and Toruń. This plan was devised by Ludwig Renn, a prestigious field battalion commander and former nobleman who defected to the Reds, and who had orchestrated the recent victory at Berlin. Remaining Polish rebel forces in Silesia were rapidly defeated and driven across the border over the next few days. With the support of armoured cars, Spartacist forces advanced quickly towards Łódź, capturing it on 5 August with little resistance. Simultaneously, Spartacist forces advanced into the rear of the Polish forces at Toruń, and facing an attack from both sides, the Poles were forced to abandon their northern flank. Also at the same time, Spartacist forces advanced towards their third objective of Kraków. The Poles organized an effective resistance here, halting the Spartacist advance on that direction.

Nonetheless, the Spartacist advances posed a major threat to the Polish defence of Płock and also threatened to expose the poorly defended western flank of Warsaw, which lacked natural obstacles. Polish forces were hastily withdrawn back and were forced to leave behind much heavy equipment and supplies in the process, which were captured and used against them later. Polish logistics were haphazard, leaving no effective way of reorganizing a defence in time. The Polish loss of Płock and Toruń provided the Soviet Red Army with the much-desired capability to cross the Vistula river through the permanent bridges there.

With this, a victory was assured for the Spartacists. Poland no longer had the opportunity to use the Vistula as a defensive weapon. Through a coordinated offensive, Warsaw fell on 19 August, but not before most important Polish politicians and commanders fled through Romania. Hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers were captured in the process. With the defeat of the Polish forces at Warsaw, the Polish defence of Lwów collapsed, and it fell on 20 August. Spartacist forces simultaneously captured Kraków, taking over 10,000 prisoners in the process. The war ended on 21 August with the surrender of what remained of the Polish Army.