Battle of Olszynka Grochowska

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Battle of Olszynka Grochowska
Part of November Uprising
Arsenal taken
Olszynka Grochowska, an 1886 painting by Wojciech Kossak
Date February 25, 1831
Location East of Warsaw, Poland
Result Draw1
Belligerents
Flag of Poland Poland Flag of Russia Imperial Russia
Commanders
Flag of Poland Józef Chłopicki
Flag of Poland Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
Flag of Poland Jan Krukowiecki		 Flag of Russia Hans Karl von Diebitsch

Flag of Russia Grigoriy Vladimirovich Rosen
Strength
36,000 men, 115 cannons 59,000 men, 178 cannons
Casualties and losses
6,900 - 7,300 At least 9,500
 
November Uprising
Stoczek – 1st Wawer – Nowa Wieś – Kałuszyn – Białołęka – Olszynka Grochowska – 1st Puławy – 2nd Puławy – Kurów – Markuszów – 2nd Wawer – Dębe Wielkie – Domanice – Iganie – Poryck – Wronów – Kazimierz Dolny – Boremel – Sokołów Podlaski – Firley – Lubartów – Połaga – Tykocin – Nur – Wilno – Ostrołęka – Rajgród - Warsaw

Battle of Olszynka Grochowska was the largest battle of the November Uprising and biggest friction in Europe since the battle of Waterloo.[citation needed] It was fought between the armies of Poland and Russia on February 25 in the woods near Grochów, at the eastern outskirts of Warsaw.

Contents

[edit] Before the battle

The first months after the outbreak of the November Uprising saw no hostilities between Poland and Russia. Both the Polish commander Józef Chłopicki and Russian tsar Nicholas I were hoping for a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, none of the sides could propose a satisfactory compromise and in on January 25, 1831, Nicholas was deposed of the Polish throne.

This was seen as a de facto declaration of war and the Russian Army under Hans Karl von Diebitsch was ordered to enter Poland and crush the rebellion. The Russian army entered Poland on February 4 and started a fast advance towards Warsaw. Despite several minor battles and skirmishes, in which the Russian army suffered significant losses, the advance could not be stopped by the Polish forces, both numerically and technically inferior.

On February 24 the Russian Army reached the outskirts of Warsaw in two columns. Initially Diebitsch was planning an all-out assault on Warsaw on February 26. However, the successful Polish counter-attack in the Battle of Białołęka, in which the 13 500 men strong Corps of General Ivan Shakhovskoy was defeated and forced to retreat, made Diebitsch change his plans and attack earlier than planned.

[edit] Opposing forces

The Polish forces dislocated to the east of Warsaw constituted the majority of Polish Army. Apart from the II Infantry Brigade under General Kazimierz Małachowski, dispatched to the north to take part in the Battle of Białołęka, the forces of General Józef Chłopicki included some 36 000 soldiers and 115 cannons of various calibres. Large part of the Polish forces was composed of fresh, poorly trained and ill-equipped volunteers. However, the core of the Polish Army was composed of Napoleonic Wars veterans.

The Russian forces had some 59 000 men at arms and 178 cannons. In addition, at 15.00 the weakened corps of General Shakhovskiy arrived to the battlefield and took part in the assault. The forces of Field Marshal Diebitsch were organised into 5 Infantry Corps, with some cavalry units attached to them. However, the main part of the Russian cavalry was defeated in the Battle of Stoczek and did not enter the combat.

Battle of Grochów 1831
Battle of Grochów 1831

[edit] Battle

The Polish counter-attack in the area of Białołęka on February 24 surprised the Russians. In the early morning of February 25, after both units taking part in the Battle of Białołęka were on the verge of breaking after a night-long city fight, the Poles threw in the reserve 1st Infantry Division under General Jan Krukowiecki. The Russians started a retreat and the Poles started a pursuit, but the Polish advance was halted after an hour.

The sound of the nearby battle made Field Marshal Dybich change his plans and order an assault on Polish positions 24 hours earlier than planned. At noon the I Corps and the Corps of General Grigoriy Vladimirovich Rosen were ordered to assault the Polish 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions (Generals Skrzynecki and Żymirski, respectively) in the woods east of Grochów. At the same time the Corps of General Pahlen was ordered to outflank the Poles from the south and strike through the lines of the Polish 4th Infantry Division of General Szembek.

Although the Russians had numerical superiority and better equipment on their side, the Polish lines were well-hidden in the woods and the Russian artillery had difficulties helping the advancing infantry. Despite numerous assaults, both the woods and the Grochów-Gocławek road was still in Polish hands by dusk. After suffering heavy casualties, the Russians withdrew from the battlefield. However, the Poles also lost large part of their forces and were unable to organise a successful pursuit.

[edit] Aftermath

In the effect of a day-long struggle the Russian army lost at least 9,500 killed and wounded, and were forced to abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw thus ending the Polish uprising with one blow. Polish losses were slightly smaller, but also significant: between 6,900 and 7,300 dead and wounded. However, Chłopicki did not start a pursuit after the fleeing Russians and did not take advantage of the success.

Because of that, the battle is described as a Polish marginal victory in most handbooks and monographies, both modern[1][2] and contemporary.[3][4][5] Some authors[6][7] argue that, although the Russian forces were badly beaten and forced to retreat and abandon their plans of capturing Warsaw, the lack of Polish pursuit resulted in the battle being either a pyrrhic victory or simply an unconcluded bloodbath. Finally, several Russian sources claim that the result of the battle was a Russian victory (Orlov, chapters I and II and Voronin)

It is notable that the battle hymn sung by the Polish troops during the engagement, the Song of Polish Legions is since then regarded as the Polish national anthem.

[edit] References

[edit] Inline

  1. ^ (Polish) (1993) in Jerzy Topolski: Dzieje Polski. Warsaw, PWN, 416-418. ISBN 83-01-08891-5. 
  2. ^ (English) Piotr Wandycz (1996). The lands of partitioned Poland, 1795-1918. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 167. ISBN 0-295-95358-6. 
  3. ^ (English) "Three Chapters on the History of Poland" (1846). A Whig Journal III (1): 637—638. 
  4. ^ (English) Louis Blanc (1841). "Battle of Grochow", The History of Ten Years, 1830-1840 (Vol. 1). New York: Chapman and Hall, 382-384. ASIN B0006BWS4Y. 
  5. ^ (English) "DIEBITSCH". New American Cyclopaedia (VI). (1859). 
  6. ^ (Polish) Józef Andrzej Gierowski (1989). Historia Polski; 1505-1764. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 259-260. ISBN 83-01-08840-0. 
  7. ^ (Polish) Stefan Kieniewicz (1997). Historia Polski 1795-1918. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 104-105. ISBN 83-01-12137-8. 

[edit] General

  1. (Polish) Andrzej Garlicki (2003). Historia 1815-1939; Polska i świat. Warsaw, Scholar, 444. ISBN 83-7383-041-3. 
  2. (English) "Modern Synchronology", Synchronology of the Principal Events in Sacred And Profane History. Kessinger Publishing Company, 324. ISBN 1-4179-5419-1. 
  3. (Russian) N.A. Orlov. Усмирение Польского восстания в 1831 г. (Suppression of the Polish rebellion of 1831). 
  4. (Russian) ?. Польское восстание 1830 и 1863 г. (Polish uprisings of 1830 and 1863).
  5. (Russian) Vsevolod Voronin. Польское восстание 1830-1831 гг. (Polish uprising of 1830-1831). Slovo, Orthodox educational portal.

[edit] External links