| Chortkiv offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919) | |||||||
 Map of the Ukrainian offensive in June 1919 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} West Ukrainian People’s Republic |
 Second Polish Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Yevhen Petrushevych Oleksandr Hrekiv |
Józef Piłsudski Józef Haller | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 19,000–20,000 Ukrainians | 19,000-20,000 Poles | ||||||
The Chortkiv offensive (Ukrainian: Чортківська офензива, Чортків, Polish: Czortkowska ofensywa, Czortków; 7–28 June 1919) during the Polish-Ukrainian War in 1918–1919, was one of the most successful counteroffensive military operations of the Ukrainian Galician Army against the Polish Army. Around 19,000–20,000 Ukrainians pushed back the Poles along the entire front of the 90,000–100,000 thousand strong and well-armed Polish Army, reinforced by the French Third Republic. As a result, around 120 kilometers of the territory claimed by the West Ukrainian People's Republic was taken from the Poles by Ukrainian forces. However, the of lack of weapons and logistical problems on the Ukrainian side saved the Second Polish Republic from a more serious military defeat.[1]
The disputed territory was claimed by the nascent Ukrainian State of the last Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, which was allied with the Ukrainian People's Republic, and the recently re-established Second Polish Republic. The area of Western Ukraine was populated by a mixture of Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish people.
The offensive was initially successful, with the Ukrainian forces successfully taking and liberating a vast swathe of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic territory.[2] However, in the end of June the Ukrainian offensive was repelled by the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Polish forces, who were supported by the French Third Republic, that pushed the Ukrainians back. Eventually, the interwar future of Galicia was decided by the Allied Council of Foreign Ministers at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919–1920. The hostilities ceased after the Ukrainian Galician Army evacuated across the Zbruch River due to the lack of ammunition.[3][4]
Goals
The Ukrainian goal of the offensive was to push the Polish Army back to the Zolota Lypa River in order to improve the morale among the soldiers of the Ukrainian Galician Army and locals to mobilize a larger force and push the Poles back past Lviv, Peremyshl, Kholm, Lublin and other territories claimed by the West Ukrainian People's Republic after 1 November 1918.
Ukrainian offensive
On 8 June 1919, the Ukrainian Galician Army numbering around 19,000–20,000 men assaulted Chortkiv, forcing the Poles to retreat to the Holohory–Peremyshliany–Bukachivtsi line. Under the command of general Oleksandr Hrekiv, the Ukrainian forces came close to Lviv, the main city of the province, and were close to taking it from the Polish forces, which was their greatest success.[3]
The Ukrainian forces also gained victories at Yahilnytsia (7–8 June), Vyhnanka (8 June), Bilobozhnytsia (9–10 June), Kopychyntsi (10 June), Yazlovets (11–12 June), Buchach (12 June), Terebovlya (12–13 June), Monastyryska (13 June), Ternopil (14 June), Kozova (14 June), Nyzhniv (14–15 June), Pidhaytsi (15–16 June), Berezhany (20–21 June), Zboriv (21 June), Zaliztsi (21–22 June), Rohatyn (22 June), Zolochiv (22 June), Burschtyn (23 June) and Brody (24 June).[3][5]
Polish counterattack
As the Ukrainian Galician Army suffered from a lack of ammunition, on 28 June better equipped and much larger Polish forces broke through the Ukrainian lines at Janczyn and forced them to retreat and evacuate across the Zbruch River.[3][5] Due to the support of the French Third Republic in the war, the Polish Army was able to assemble a much larger and more powerful force of around 39,000–40,000 men against the Ukrainian Galician Army, and the Ukrainians were forced to return to their previous positions and abandon the cities and villages they had liberated during their recent offensive.[5] Eventually the Ukrainian forces were forced back toward the Dnipro Valley which then was controlled by the Ukrainian People's Republic, another nascent Ukrainian State.
Aftermath
Though the Ukrainian Galician Army initially experienced numerous early victories, the numerical and technical superiority of the Polish forces ended its control over Western Ukraine. On 18 July 1919, West Ukrainian People’s Republic stopped its existence as an independent state and was forcefully integrated into the Second Polish Republic.
Notes
- ↑ OLIINYK, Serhii (2019). "THE PODILIAN PAGE IN THE HISTORY OF THE UKRAINIAN GALICIAN ARMY IN THE MEMOIRS OF CONTEMPORARIES". Ukraine: Cultural Heritage, National Identity, Statehood. 32: 222–237. doi:10.33402/ukr.2019-32-222-237. ISSN 2223-1196.
- ↑ Subtelny
- 1 2 3 4 Kubiyovych
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- 1 2 3 Pidkova
References
- Chortkiv offensive at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- Subtelny, Orest (2000). Ukraine: A History. University of Toronto Press. pp. 370. ISBN 0-8020-8390-0.
- Kubiyovych, Volodymyr, Kuzelia, Zenon. Entsyklopediya Ukrainoznavstva (Encyclopedia of Ukrainian studies), 3 volumes (1994). Kiev. ISBN 5-7702-0554-7 (in Ukrainian)
- Ihor Pidkova (editor), Roman Shust (editor), "Dovidnyk z istorii Ukrainy Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine", 3 Volumes, "(t. 3) Archived 2020-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, Kiev, 1993-1999, ISBN 5-7707-5190-8 (t. 1), ISBN 5-7707-8552-7 (t. 2), ISBN 966-504-237-8 (t. 3). Article: Чортківський наступ 1919 Archived 2012-01-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Ukrainian)