15 August, the anniversary of the victorious Battle of Warsaw of 1920, is celebrated as the Polish Armed Forces Day. Warsaw hosted a large-scale military parade and an event attended watched by the highest state authorities, city residents, tourists and guests from all over the world.
In the city center, 2,000 military personnel marched, 200 vehicles rolled and 100 aircraft flew over thousands of onlookers, honoring the army that 103 years ago rolled over the invading Bolshevik force. At the same time, it was a celebration of everyone who’s served or is serving in the Polish Army.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Speaker of the Seym Elżbieta Witek and Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak were among the state leaders who tributed the army on its day. The Institute of National Remembrance was represented by its President, Karol Nawrocki Ph.D.
Exactly 103 years ago, the Poles achieved one of their greatest military victories ever!Poles defeated the Bolsheviks in the Battle of Warsaw, considered to be the eighteenth most important battle of all times.
The Polish victory preserved the Polish independence and thwarted the Soviet plans to spread communism to Western Europe. The entire Polish society joined the defence, giving an outstanding testimony of solidarity. Thousands of men and women volunteered to join the ranks, donated money to the army or gave their ultimate sacrifice fighting for freedom. People representing all political fractions and all walks of life gave an outstanding support to the authorities.
The Battle of Warsaw in 1920 was not only a culminating moment of the Polish-Bolshevik war but also one of the decisive events in the history of Europe and the world.
The British diplomat Lord Edgar Vincent D’Abernon, an eyewitness to those events, claimed in his book The Eighteenth Decisive Battle of the World that the Poles had saved the Western civilization from the fanatical tyranny of the Soviet. Unfortunately, the European nations are not aware of this historical fact.
We invite you to read an article by the IPN scholar Mirosław Szumiło D.Sc., on the Battle of Warsaw, 1920.
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