Anniversary of the victorious, Sejne Uprising.
Today in our calendar we will look at Polish-Jewish clashes from 1919.
Temporary line of division between Poland and Lithuania (Smear), designated by the League of Nations acting on behalf of Ferdinand FochaShe didn't satisfy either side. There were more tiny attacks and skirmishes. The retreat in the summertime of 1919, which had previously been stationed in the German military area, only made the situation worse. As of the beginning of August 1919, the Polish-Mudsk negotiations were broken up.
Polish residents of the erstwhile Suwałki state demanded military intervention, and Sejny Żmudzowy Prime Minister Sleževičius, visiting on 17 August, urged the people to defend their homes with “axes, forks, scythes”. A direct confrontation was in the air.
The strengthening of the position on the Black Hańcza Line and Lake Wigry by the Smudges suggested that they would want to keep the full Sejneński territory to themselves. There was besides force against the Polish civilian population in the area. This sparked strong opposition from Poles. The decision to usage force against the Żmudz administration was made on 16 August in the command of Suwałki territory of the Polish Military Organization.
The POW had thousands of armed men in the area, who formed 5 infantry companies and a cavalry squadron. Lieutenant Adam Rudnicki was in charge. On the another hand, the forces were 1,200 soldiers and 120 cavalrymen. Poles decided to act.
On the night of 22-23 August – just after the last German units left, Poles managed to completely surprise Śmudzin – their stations fell 1 by one. Seines were seized almost without a fight and many prisoners were taken. The insurgents assumed that the upcoming Polish Army would aid them in defending the occupied area. However, the 41st PP was stopped by the order of General Falewicz, acting from the arson of Józef Piłsudski, who continued to delude himself about the anticipation of reactivation of the Polish-Lithuanian federation.
The isolated and poorly armed Peowiacs had to fight with their own modest forces for the Seines, which passed from hand to hand many times. The sorrowful murdered many Polish civilians.
Over time, the balance of triumph slow shifted to the side of the Smudges, who, utilizing Piłsudski's naivety and passiveness, brought large meals to the area of combat. Finally, after political force on Piłsudski, the insurgents were helped. On the afternoon of 27 August, the first units of 41. The regiment has reached the city. On 28 August at 5 a.m., the Lithuanian troops attacked for the last time, but with the aid of fresh forces the Sejna was maintained. This meant the end of the uprising and the triumph of Poles.
37 people died during the fighting on the Polish side, and about 70 were injured. Losses on the smudge side were much higher – over 100 people. The city and the surrounding areas have undergone a fast desmudgement process – hostile people were forced to displace behind the Foch line.
The triumph was unfortunately short-lived. Already in 1920, the Żmadzins agreed with the Bolsheviks who were attacking Poland. The latter, retreating after the defeat at Warsaw, passed the region to them. Therefore, Poles had to fight for him again, as part of the celebrated action of General Żeligowski.
On the visual graphics – a photograph of a monument of the fallen in the Sejne uprising. This monument is located in the Roman Catholic cemetery in Suwałki at Bakalarzewska Street.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
