Fight for Lida

An important task of the Polish troops was the capture of Lida. The high command of the Polish army considered Lida so important point in terms of the Neman operation that Pilsudski issued a special decree on September 25 to capture this city.

The offensive on Lida was conducted from the west by two columns of the 21st Mountain and 22nd Volunteer Divisions. However, the brigade of the 1st Lithuanian-Belorussian Division from the west and from the north-east direction of the 1st Infantry Division of the Legions, supported by the 4th Cavalry Brigade, approached Lida faster. The 3rd Infantry Division of the Legions was also moving towards Lida, but was still near the Neman .

The capture of Lida also depended on whether the main forces of the 3rd Bolshevik army could make it to the city before the advancing Polish units, which were smaller in number. The order to start the operation to capture Lida, the commanders of a number of Polish units were late for more than a day. But they compensated for the loss of time by the quick execution of the order and the fastest movement of their units.

On the morning of September 28, the vanguard of the 3rd Legion Infantry Brigade approached Lida. At 10 a.m., the 6th regiment of this brigade, supported by artillery, began the battle for Lida. The regiment struck the first blow from the north. The Red Army, which was stronger, was already largely demoralized. Because of this, the battle did not last long, and the Polish brigade managed to occupy the city. The headquarters of the 3rd Army of the Red Army , who arrived on the eve of Lida, together with its commander Lazorevich, at the last moment left his place of residence, leaving the divisions of the 3rd Army without a single command. Before the Polish troops managed to gain a foothold in new positions, the 3rd Army hit them.

The first to enter the battle was the 4th Infantry Division, which suffered less losses in the battle of Bloody Bor than other divisions of the 3rd Army. The surprise attack of this division fell on the positions of the 2nd battalion of the 6th regiment of the Legions and the 2nd battalion of the 1st regiment of the Legions. The Red Army quickly captured the barracks, the railway station and broke into the city center. Lida’s defense was led by the commander of the 1st Legion Division, Colonel Domb Bernatsky. Street battles ensued, in which both sides suffered heavy losses. The batteries of the 1st artillery regiment of the Legions fired direct fire.

At 13 o’clock the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the Legions entered the battle. A counterattack of fresh battalions mixed the ranks of the Red Army soldiers. Having suffered significant losses, the 4th Infantry Division retreated from Lida, moving south. Together with her, the 168th Infantry Brigade left, the vanguard of the 56th Infantry Division coming from the west. Near Lida, this brigade was ambushed by the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 6th Regiment of the Legions and was defeated. At this time, the Polish 4th Cavalry Brigade, bypassing Lida from the east, defeated the retreating units of the 6th Infantry Division of the Bolsheviks near the village of Dubrovno.

Late in the evening of September 22, another unit of the 3rd Bolshevik army approached Lida from the west - the 21st Infantry Division and about 22 hours launched an attack with the support of artillery. The Red Army captured the local barracks, but were then driven back by the Polish units. The 21st Infantry Division, which had suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Bloody Bor on the eve, retreated into the forest west of Lida. By 24 hours on September 28, Lida was completely cleared of the Red Army.

The personnel of the 21st Infantry Division was demoralized by heavy losses, military setbacks and grueling campaigns. There were not enough rounds and ammunition. The vexed Red Army arrested the commissars , who ordered them to continue the fight, gave them to the Poles and surrendered in the morning of September 29 ^[1] .

Although Lida managed to keep, the Polish troops could not finally defeat the 3rd Bolshevik army. The Polish command poorly coordinated the actions of their troops, as a result of which the 1st Division of the Legions and the 4th Cavalry Brigade took part in the battles for Lida, and the rest of the units did not have time to approach the city. Nevertheless, the 3rd Army had to change the route of retreat, thereby opening the way for Polish troops to the rear of the 15th and 16th armies of the Bolsheviks.

In the battles for Lida, a decline in the fighting spirit of parts of the Bolsheviks was revealed, as a result of which there was a mass surrender - up to 10,000 soldiers ^[2] . It was captured 40 guns, 67 machine guns, 2350 convoy carts with equipment and supplies, as well as 1 car and 2 motorcycles ^[2] . Further persecution of parts of the Bolsheviks by the 2nd Cavalry Brigade on September 29 south-east of Lida showed that they had almost no resistance. On this day, another 500 Red Army soldiers surrendered, 9 guns and 36 machine guns were taken ^[3] .

After the fighting for Lida and its environs, the entire northern wing of the Western Front virtually ceased to exist. A threat was created surrounding the 15th and 16th armies of the Bolsheviks. This forced Tukhachevsky to give an order for a quick departure to the east. The Neman operation of Polish troops finally dispelled the hopes of the political and military leadership of the RSFSR to win the war with Poland .

• A.P. Gritskevich. The Western Front of the RSFSR 1918-1920. - Harvest, 2005 .-- S. 332-334.