Battle of Grochów

Battle of Grochów

Part of: November Uprising

“Battle of Grochow”
historical painting by Bogdan Willewalde

date	February 25, 1831
place	Grochów near Warsaw
output	Unsuccessful

Parties to the conflict
Russia	Poland
Commander
Hans Karl von Diebitsch-Sabalkanski	Józef Chłopicki
Troop strength
71,000 men including 16,700 horsemen 252 guns A quarter of the Russian troops were not used	56,000 men including 12,000 horsemen 120 guns 8,000 militias
losses
9400 = 13.1%	12,000 = 21.6% or 7,300 = 13.1%

The Battle of Grochów on February 25, 1831 was one of the greatest battles during the November Uprising between the insurgent Polish troops and the army of the Russian Empire . It is considered a draw because the Poles were able to hold their own against a strongly superior opponent for a long time, even if they eventually had to retreat via the Vistula .

prehistory

After the start of the uprising, the Polish leadership shied away from a winter offensive in the direction of Lithuania . Instead, the Russian army had reorganized its units and had them march towards Warsaw , as possession of the capital was seen as crucial to the war.

The advance began on February 5th at temperatures around −20 degrees Celsius. The frozen rivers initially made the advance easier until the thaw set in on February 7th.

The first skirmishes took place on February 15th and 17th and on the 19th there was a battle near Wawer . After heavy fighting, the Poles had to retreat to a position near Grochow.

There the Russian and Polish armies faced each other. The Russian troops comprised around 60,000 men under the command of Field Marshal Hans Karl von Diebitsch-Sabalkanski and Georg Andreas von Rosen . The Polish army was about 40,000 strong and was de facto under the command of General Józef Chłopicki . The official commander in chief Michał Gedeon Radziwiłł did not play a significant role. Other high-ranking generals on the Polish side included Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki and Jan Krukowiecki . Both armies had numerous guns. On the Polish side there were about 100, on the Russian side 250 pieces. In addition to regular units that had submitted to the Polish national government at the beginning of the uprising, around 8000 peasants only equipped with scythes fought on the Polish side.

For five days, from February 20 to 24, 1831, the armies faced each other. There were several smaller skirmishes. The Russian field marshal was waiting for reinforcements from the Grenadier Corps. The Russian army suffered from a massive shortage of supplies during this time. There has been a lack of bread for the past two days.

On the very first day the Russians tried to take a strategically important alder grove, but had to withdraw after losing 800 men.

course

Plan of the battle (Polish). (The Polish units are shown in red, the Russian units in blue)

Russian cavalry attack, painting by Bogdan Willewalde

After the arrival of the grenadiers, whom he expected on February 25, Diebitsch intended to force the Poles with fresh troops into a decisive battle. The battle began at 9 a.m. During the service on the Russian side, the Polish troops initially attacked with light infantry and gunfire. By then the expected Russian grenadiers had not arrived. Nevertheless, the Russian commander accepted the battle. Russian units tried several times in vain to storm the alder grove with heavy losses. At times, victory for the Poles seemed near. Both generals took an active part in the fight at times. On the part of the Poles, it was problematic that some commanders did not obey the general's orders.

The Russians only managed to take position at one o'clock. A total of 10,000 men on both sides are said to have died in the grove. The Polish troops withdrew to prepared defensive positions. They were attacked by the Russian cavalry. This in turn suffered heavy losses from grape-shooters . The Polish cavalry also stopped the Russian cavalry and prevented the Russians from gaining a clear victory. Eventually the Polish army withdrew to Praga and then across the Vistula to Warsaw. The Russian field marshal refrained from attacking Praga immediately and thus quickly put down the Polish uprising. With the onset of darkness at 5 p.m. the real battle ended.

consequences

The next day the Russians took part of Praga. The Poles set fire to another part of the city. On the 27th the Russians occupied the whole of Praga, while the Poles maintained the fortified bridgehead to Warsaw.

In the bloody battle the Russians lost 9,400 and the Poles 7,300 men. Other data speak of a total of 25,000 dead on both sides. The Polish commander in chief was also badly wounded.

After the battle there was an extensive interruption of the fighting for about four weeks, which both sides used to reorganize their units.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Numbers according to: Otto Berndt: The number in the war. Statistical data from recent war history in graphic representation . Vienna, 1897
2. ↑ A. Puzyrewski: Wojna polsko-rosyjska 1831 roku , Wydawnictwo Przęglądu Tygodniowego, Warsaw 1888 (Polish)

literature

• Jerzy Jan Lerski: Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. Westport 1996, p. 179
• Military Weekly No. 811 of January 7, 1832, pp. 4637-4640
• Gustav Hermes: History of the Polish Revolution in 1830 and 1831 and its Heroes. Berlin 1843, p. 138ff .
• Sarmaticus: From the Vistula to the Dnieper. Geographical, war history and operational study. Hanover 1886, p. 276ff.