Comment: Fights with the Bolsheviks troops conducted in 1919 and in spring of 1920 were very successful for Poland which in result took control over vast territories of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. However in summer of 1920 Russians undertook a counteroffensive. Started on the 4th of July led to defeat and retreat of Polish forces which in some places turned into flight. On the 1st of August troops of the West Front commanded by marshal Michail Tuchaczewski crossed the Bug. On the 12th of August they approached Warsaw. The marshal, a commander-in-chief of Bolshevik forces, was convinced that the opponents would be persistently defending their capitol. Since he planned to capture a ford through the Vistula which was blocking his way in west and simultaneously strike a decisive blow to Polish forces he ordered to attack Warsaw with most of his troops.

Rapid progress of the Bolsheviks caused panic among Poles and made the invaders sure of early victory. On the 13th of August the 21st Riflemen Division of the Third Army and the 27th Division of the Sixteenth Army managed to break the first line of Polish positions near Radzymin and got 17 versts (about 18 kilometers) close to Warsaw. On the next day last reserves of the defenders were directed to the area but Russians were within an ace of victory. Only persistence and great devotion of Polish soldiers stopped them. The danger was finally diverted by an offensive turn from the Wieprz area against a flank of Bolsheviks forces engaged in battle of Warsaw. On the 17th of September the Bolsheviks began a late retreat, in course of which most of their troops were destroyed.

The splendid victory, named "the miracle by the Vistula", became a turning point of the whole war. 66 thousand Russian soldiers were captured, huge spoils included 231 cannons, 1023 heavy machine guns, as well as insignia, banners etc. Among spoils there were also documents, one of which was a proclamation addressed to defenders of Warsaw prepared for a planned siege and an assault.

Attention should be paid to the fact that self-confident Russians already put a date "August 1920" leaving only space for a day. The document was drawn up on days of the biggest victories of Russians, that is probably about the 12th-13th of August, and was found in a staff of the Sixteenth Army of Nikolaj Sollohub captured by Bialystok on the 22nd of August. (Anna Eliza Markert)

External description: Original, typescript, in Russian, 1 sheet size 215 x 350 mm.

Location: Archive of Historical Records, Archive of Romuald Sreniawa-Szypiowski, cat. no. rob. III/100, p.2.