Everything about Battle Of Olszynka Grochowska totally explained
Battle of Olszynka Grochowska was the largest battle of the
November Uprising and biggest friction in Europe since the
battle of Waterloo. It was fought between the armies of Poland and Russia on
February 25 in the woods near
Grochów, at the eastern outskirts of
Warsaw.
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 couldn't 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.
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 didn't enter the combat.
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.
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 didn't start a pursuit after the fleeing Russians and didn't take advantage of the success.
Because of that, the battle is described as a Polish marginal victory in most handbooks and monographies, both modern and contemporary. Some authors 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.
Further Information
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