Battle of Byteń

Battle of Byteń - A battle between the Second Polish Republic with the western Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the initial period of the Polish–Soviet War. It ended in a Soviet victory.

Origin
In the last months of 1918 and in the first months of 1919, on the eastern borders of the new Second Polish Republic were stationed German Ober Ost troops. Their evacuation caused that the areas they left from the east were occupied by the Red Army. At the same time, units of the new Polish Armed Forces were approaching from the west. In February 1919, Polish divisions came into combat contact with Red Army units. The unexpected Polish–Soviet War begun. During this period, Polish troops conducted limited offensive operations.

Battles
On the 23rd of February 1919 gen. Antoni Listowski ordered mjr. Władysław Dąbrowski's branch to attack Byteń. Numbering about 750 soldiers, composed out of the 1st Wilno Batallion, 2nd Lida Batallion and the cavalry division, supported by the armored train "Kaniów", on the first day of the fight had already captured Zarzecze, after which intensifying the attack with the Lida batallion, he attacked the town. The cavalry went around from the north to prevent the army from escaping. From the south the attack was supported by the armored train. After taking over Byteń on the 24th of February, both batallions went to Pruzhany.

On the 1st of March Soviet troops of the Revolutionary Red Warsaw Regiment and a batallion of the 6th Grodno Revolutionary Regiment composed mostly of Polish communists attacked Byteń. Meanwhile, the Polish crew of Byteń which was a unit of the Vilnius Rifle Regiment consisting of around 120 soldiers was stationed there. The first attack was repelled, but when one of the machine guns was damaged, the enemy broke into the town. Ten Polish soldiers died and many were taken prisoner. The next day the Poles responded with a counterattack, but were repelled, suffering heavy losses. Byteń was recaptured in April during the Polish offensive in Belarus.