July 17th, 1935:
Jasunski faces a difficult choice, he and Radowski consider their three possible lines of attack. They can move west and attack the city, this given the repulse of the 1st Group/7th Ulans isn't a particularly promising prospect. Their second option is to make a detour southward and link up with the Polish 1st Infantry Division, while decidedly better then attacking the city, Jasunski isn't all that sure the Polish will want to co-operate with him, given that his rank makes him the senior officer, abait in an as yet unrecognized state's provisional military. The third option is less complicated but more dangerous, that is to attack the Russian 7th Cavalry Corps, that lies between him and the Polish infantry division. Given the obvious power of the Russian unit and the fact that it is supported by at least two Lithuanian field corps, this option is by far the riskest.
Jasunski makes his decision in a matter of minutes, the 3rd Infantry Division will attack the Russians. The Polish are in an extremely awkward position before and in Vilnius, if the Russians knock the Polish 1st Infantry Division out of play their main line of withdrawal into Wilno territory (and ultimately Polish territory) will be closed. A message from Maj.General Kawecha warns Jasunski that his own line of retreat is cut by the Lithuanian Northeastern Front's renewed advance. Kawecha warns his army commander that he is falling back towards the Amantas Line, the Lithuanian troops are much to close to it for comfort.
This news doesn't alter Jasunski's decision if his attack fails he can still withdraw by a more southeasterly route and eventually gain the cover and relative safety of the Amantas Line.
For the Central Front, the action starts off with three Lithuanian formations making an unexpected attack on the immobile Polish 9th Infantry Division, far to the south of Vilnius guarding the other flank of the Polish escape and communications corridor. These units are the Lithuanian Reserve Corps, composed of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st and 3rd Life Guards Battalions (now swelled to regimental status by new recruits) and the Lithuanian Naval Brigade, and the III and VI Field Corps. The III and VI Field Corps launch a cautious attack upon the Polish 9th's right flank. This assault is ment more to draw the Poles attention then seriously endanger their position. Thirty minutes later the Lithuanian Naval Brigade hits the Polish 9th's left flank, this attack is more substancial and seriously threatens to turn the Poles' left.
The Polish 9th Infantry Division holds on grimly against this two assaults. However the Polish divisional commander is wary, he suspects the Lithuanians are up to something, as he doesn't think the III and VI Field Corps would engage him again, if they weren't being supported by a larger force. The Lithuanian 1st Cavalry Division slams a series of dismounted attacks into his center, slowly driving his troops back from their forward positions. The 9th is rapidly becoming endangered by this attack as more and more of it's reserves are being committed to halt it, allowing the Lithuanian units on the flanks to gain ground. Within two hours, the Poles realize they are losing the battle.
In Vilnius, the Poles of the 7th, 12th, and 14th Infantry Divisions are coming to the same conclusion. The Lithuanian I and II Field Corps has hit the Polish 7th with a full scale assault, while the Lithuanian I Army Corps directed it's attention upon the 12th, and the II Army Corps hit the 14th. General Tamassaulo held, the XI Field Corps and the Vilnius Corps in reserve with a mind to exploiting either a local success or perhaps launching another attack along a different line of approach. The Russian 7th, 33rd and 52nd Rifle Divisions, filter back through the Lithuanian positions and also go into reserve positions. The Polish High Command, realizes the danger of it's position pulls back the 20th Infantry Division, before it is attacked and isolated from the other Polish units. With the committment of the 1st, a reserve for emergencies is more badly needed then before.
General-major Zhukov is surprised when scouts report the presence of a enemy force to his rear, just as he is putting the finishing touches on his planned attack on the Polish 1st Infantry Division. He is even more surprised when it is reported to him, that the force approaching his rear lines is Wilno rather then Polish. Zhukov however isn't so easily detered by sudden reversals of fate, and details the attached Lithuanian II and VII Field Corps to deal with the advancing Wilno attack. The Lithuanian battalions reverse their planned advance and move to meet the 3rd Wilno Division. The Russian 7th Cavalry Corps in the meantime begins to hammer the Polish 1st, with it's ownl artillery and the supporting guns of the 34th Howitzer Artillery Brigade. Zhukov masses his armoured units with several mounted squadrons, the rest dismount and prepare to go in on foot. Once the artillery has softened up the Poles, the dismounted cavalry squadrons will go in pinning the Polish in place for the fast moving armoured stroke. Zhukov and his men confidently expect to repeat the successes of last night.
Jasunski and his men however have other ideas. Seeing that 1st Infantry Division will be soon in dire straits, he orders Radowski to hit the two Lithuanian field corps as hard as he can with the units of his division. Jasunski takes personal charge of his army support units, the 6th, 7th (what's left of it) and 8th Ulan Regiments, the 1st, 2nd Rifle and 1st Letowska Guards Battalions and the 1st Reserve Artillery Battalion. He moves away from the 3rd Wilno Division as it collides with the Lithuanian attack, swings wide to the south and makes for the rear of the 7th Cavalry Corps.
The Russians their attention fixed on the Polish in front of them, are surprised when artillery fire begins to fall amoung their positions, that is obviously not coming from the Polish 1st Infantry Division. Moments later the ground begins to shake as nearly two thousand Wilno Ulans make a mounted charge into their midst. All hell breaks loose inside the 7th Cavalry Corps lines, as Russian units try and turn to face the new threat, without quite turning their backs on the threat they thought they were dealing with. The wave of Wilno cavalry crashes over the rear lines, overruning reserve units and batteries, General-major Zhukov himself is nearly captured or killed several times in the ensuing mayhem. The hardpressed Russians are given a reprieve when Lithuanian armoured cars and Lipka Tartars, detached by their field corps commanders, charge into the midst of the Wilno Ulans, turning the tables on them. Jasunski who has led this wild attack, claws his way free of it and orders his three infantry units into the fray.
The 7th Cavalry Corps's carefully planned assault is in ruins, but Zhukov isn't a man to give up so easily. He rallies his troops and hits back against the Wilno infantry, even turning the 122-mm howitzers of his supporting artillery brigade upon them. The brutal combination of close-range artillery and machinegun fire is too much for the 1st and 2nd Rifles, and the 1st Letowska Guards. Whole platoons are shot flat by the Russian fire, companies disintigrate as they loss officers and ncos in a matter of minutes. As the Wilno infantry flee, Zhukov turns his attention on the Wilno Ulans, who realize it is time to beat a hasty retreat.
To complicate things, the Polish 1st Infantry Division launches several attacks of it's own, they don't achieve much - the mounted Russian cavalry units and tanks reposit in repeated fients and sorties against them often stopping the Polish in their tracks - however they do give the Russians another thing to worry about.
Radowski and his men, fight the Lithuanians of the II and VII Field Corps to a standstill, many of his men have run out of ammunition and are fighting their enemy with rifle butts, bayonets, knifes, entrenching spades, rocks even their own fists. Slowly Radowski realizes his men are being pushed back, the Lithuanians have more fire-power and more ammunition, his casualties are apalling, easily matching those suffered by the other units of the Army of the Northeast at Giedrikas. Radowski orders his men to withdraw, he has no idea if Lt.General Jasunski has succeeded in aiding the Poles, and desperately hopes that the Army reserve units are in a position to safely retreat themselves.
At noon, General Tamassaulo releases the 16th Rifle Corps to rejoins the attack, with the guns of it's three artillery brigades well to the fore, hitting the center of the Polish line in Vilnius. Already under terrible pressure - and with battle losses quickly bleeding combat units white - from the Lithuanian attacks, the Polish front begins to slowly bend, then with alarming rapidcy buckle, then it begins to warp, and finally tear apart. The 1st, 7th, 12th Infantry Divisions find themselves being ejected from Vilnius by the weight of the Russo-Lithuanian attack. The Polish 14th Infantry Division already outside the city, launches a series of furious counter-attacks, and while they ultimately fail at the price of heavy losses in men and materials, they allow the other three mauled Polish divisions a chance to reform a coherent defense.
The Polish High Command sizes up the situation for it's attack force, it is not a good one. The 1st Polish Infantry Division, while aided by the Wilno attack is in serious trouble. The Russian 7th Cavalry Corps has finally cleared it's lines and belatedly begun it's planned attack. General Tamassaulo has released the XI Field Corps to strengthen Zhukov's assault. For the moment though, the 1st is holding it's side of the Polish line of communications corridor open. As too is the hard pressed 9th Polish Infantry Division, although it's commander warns that his troops could give way any minute.
In a daring move, the Polish 20th Infantry Division turned south, it becomes a battering ram - opening the way - for the retreating Polish force, while rearguard units from the 7th, 12th and 14th Infantry Divisions valiantly hold the following Russians and Lithuanians now streaming out of Vilnius at bay. The 9th is forced into retreat by the Lithuanian Reserse Corps, but the Lithuanians exhausted and low on ammo are forced to fall back before the fast advancing 20th. Lithuanian skirmishers trying to block or at least slow the Polish division's passage are batted or brushed aside. As the other divisions clear the escape corridor, the 20th Infantry Division turns again and holds it's ground in the face of mounting Lithuanian and Russian attacks, keeping open an escape route for the 1st Polish Infantry.
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "Agent148" (Feb 16th 2008, 3:12am)