Battle of Dytiatyn

Polish–Soviet War

1919
List of battles
Soviet westward offensive 1st Vilnius Bereza Kartuska Lida 2nd Vilnius Minsk Berezina Daugavpils
1920
Latyczów Koziatyn Kiev offensive Berezina Wołodarka Bystrzyk Grodno Boryspol Głębokie Dęblin and Mińsk Mazowiecki Nasielsk Radzymin Ossów Warsaw Cyców Lwów Zadwórze Białystok Komarów Kobryń Dytiatyn Niemen River

Battle of Dytiatyn was one of battles of the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921 also referred to as the Polish Thermopylae (together with Battle of Zadwórze and Battle of Wizna). It took place on 16 September 1920 between units of the 8th Polish Field Artillery Regiment from Płock and the 8th Mounted Red Cossack Division of the Red Army near the village of Dytiatyn (now in Ukraine, northwest of Halicz).

The Poles defended themselves on a grassy hill 383 m (1,257 ft) above sea level but after they ran out of ammunition they were massacred by some 3,500 Soviet mounted troops. The 'Red Cossacks' murdered 97 Poles and an additional number of wounded Poles were killed after the battle. Among the dead was the commandant of the regiment Colonel Wladyslaw Domanski. Altogether on that day some 240 Poles died. The 8th Mounted Red Cossack Division of the Red Army was destroyed a few days later near Tarnopol.

In the interbellum period, Polish military authorities established a cemetery and a monument to the massacred soldiers. It was completely destroyed after the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939.