Fights for Dvinsk

In September 1919, the troops of General Rydz-Smigly, after a month of fighting at Dvinsky, threw back the Soviet 15th Army for the Dvina . The defense of the fortress was led by Ans Ernestovich Dauman, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of Soviet Latvia. The Latvian army operated north of the city. Latgale partisan regiment was active in the rear of the Reds. Pilsudski sent to Latgale 20 thousand of his experienced legionnaires. They were supported by tanks from behind the Dvina.

The Dvinsk garrison consisted of three regiments of infantry, a communist company and a cavalry squadron - a total of less than 2,000 bayonets and sabers with 35 machine guns, 24 guns and one armored train. Also, in the vicinity of the city , the 2nd Latvian Regiment , the Latvian Special Purpose Regiment of the 15th Army and the Estonian Regiment fought.

On August 30, 1919, fighters of the 30th Rifle Regiment held the defenses on the left bank of the Dvina until the 2nd Latvian Regiment arrived in time for help. Together with the Latvian arrows, they again captured the Kalkuna station and the town of Niederkuna . Fierce fighting there lasted several days, villages passed from hand to hand more than once.

In mid-September, the 30th regiment was pushed to the bridgeheads, and on the left bank the Estonian regiment remained to defend Griva . However, on September 28, the Polish-Latvian units received reinforcements and tanks, captured Mane and went on the offensive. The Poles went to the line of the Dvinsk- Vishki railway.

The Poles faced a dilemma - if the Bolsheviks stayed on the Dvina, then the 15th Army would have direct contact with the 16th Army , which had fought with the Poles since February. If the city is captured by the troops of von der Goltz , then this will lead to undesirable for Poland the influence of the Germans in the Baltic countries. In connection with these reasons, the only opportunity for the Poles was an alliance with Latvia.

Initially, the start date of the operation was set for December 15, but was postponed for several reasons:

• there were no communication lines between the Latvian units and Poles (the lines were interrupted by the Bolsheviks and Lithuanian units).
• Latvian headquarters did not prepare cooperation plans.
• the Latvian government was afraid that the Poles of Latvia would come to join the former Polish Inflants to Poland.
• the Latvian army did not want to obey Polish orders.

On December 30, the parties agreed and set a start date for the operation at the beginning of January.

Polish-Latvian troops:

• The Rydz-Smigly Task Force (1st and 3rd Legion Infantry Divisions) - about 30 thousand soldiers.
• 3rd Latvian infantry division - about 10 thousand soldiers.
• 2nd tank battalion of the 1st tank regiment - about 25 tanks.

Red Army:

• units of the 15th army of unknown size ^[1] .

The operation began on January 3, when the Polish units (3rd Division and 1st Division), in the cold of −25 ° C, forced the frozen Dvina and, after a series of battles, took control of the city, while losing artillery, under which the ice broke during forcing. Part of the 1st division, advancing through Vishki , tried to prevent the salvation of the outgoing units of the Red Army. Polish troops advanced from the south, Latvian troops from the north. The fortress was commissioned without much resistance from the Russians. The Dvinsk garrison (including the Latvian arrows ) capitulated to the Latvian units.

Then, the combined forces continued the offensive, by the end of January, reaching the line of Driss - Osveiskie lakes - Pig. After this, the Polish troops retreated behind the Dvina, and their place was taken by the Latvian units (with the exception of the Dvina fortress , in which the Polish garrison was until July, when the advance of the Western Front began to threaten the encirclement).

On February 21, a military parade of the Polish Army took place in the city. Jozef Pilsudski, who arrived in Dvinsk, during a gala dinner with the Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian Army, General Janis Balodis, said ^[2] :

I am pleased to be surrounded by real happiness, to fight in accordance with the Polish tradition for our and your freedom - not only for the freedom of our people, but also for the freedom of our neighbor and friend

Original text (Polish)

Przyjemnie mi jest być w oddziale, który spotkało rzeczywiste szczęście walczyć zgodnie z tradycją polską za naszą i waszą wolność - nie tylko za wolność naszego naroduzaolola nizoadajola néziol zejolnzeglaj

Dvincians were very hospitable hosts and sincerely thanked the high-ranking guests for their release ^[3] .

The capture of the city by Polish-Latvian units brought the following benefits:

• continuous communications between Poland and Latvia are established.
• a significant reduction in the front line in the Dvina region.
• the moral upsurge of Polish soldiers, tired of the trench-position war.