Fascinating.

In this short(ish) book on the Communist aggression on the newly formed post-war Polish State, Zamoyski describes how The Red Army (only recently emerging from conquering Deniken's White) was prevented from spreading its Iron Hold into Western Europe by a series of decisive battles stretching between Minsk and The Wisła. 20 years later the Communists would try again.

Zamoyski explains why, and interestingly, why Poland was represented badly in the International Press. The fact that this battle is little known today perhaps represents the efficacy of Communist propaganda, whose legacy is the Western ignorance of their atrocities or failures (The Katyn Massacre springs to mind).

One thing that Zamoyski doesn't hide is his bias. And while I normally greatly enjoy participating in swooning Polish Patriotism, I strongly suspect that it is not the case that every Red soldier was a pillaging, raping, venomous, brute, and every Polish soldier a swashbuckling epitome of goodness. It is likely that there was a difference in the moral behaviours of both armies, but not in such a caricature. His choice of language was striking and a bit embarrassing.
(Let me note here that the only time that Zamoyski was critical of the Poles was with regards to their generally unfavourable treatment towards the Semitic population).

I did enjoy the portraits painted of various military leaders; Tukhachievsky (20-years old, and unrelenting), Budionny (flamboyant), Gai (tenacious and savage), a younger Stalin (petulant) with the Communists. Sikorski, Piłsudski, Haller, and even De Gaulle on the allied side.

Less did I enjoy the entire middle portion of the book, which was quite a slog to make my way through. It described the movements and positions of the various military regiments and battalions and their confused tactical decisions. I suppose that I should have expected this - the book's chosen subject matter was "battle," and I'm sure Nebel des Krieges had something to do with it too. Maybe my feminine tendencies make me prefer descriptions of people rather than descriptions of battle (oh wooow, the stereotypes are true. I hate myself.) Heck, I don't even really understand Military Divisions, and no matter how hard I try I don't think I ever will.

My only moment of boyish excitement came with descriptions of cavalry-on-cavalry warfare (in the North of the country as the Poles surrounded the retreating the infamous KonArmia (could that name be any more Commie?). Quite incredible to think that at the time where planes and tanks and guns and armoured trains were in use, that there was a significant battle between advanced countries that used this form of warfare. Indeed, that the cavalry would have been chosen over these technologies in some instances. That it was preferable. Zamoyski called it "The Last great Cavalry Battle." What a thing it would have been to behold.

Comprehension exploration of a relatively brief conflict, but the narrow area of focus means the reader isn't provided with enough time to come to understand the key figures on either side, and the constant switching between both Polish and Russian commanders and the various divisions they command quickly causes confusion. Additionally, the author stresses the importance of the outcome of the conflict on the future of Europe, but these consequences are never explored in-depth. Great for fans of military history, but inadequate for anybody hoping for a wider picture of the geopolitical scene.

A well written & enjoyable short military history that gives a good idea of the events and context they took place in. It could have expanded in certain areas, but then it would have lost its brevity. It is specifically a military history, so do not expect it to details outside of that sphere.

This book provides a concise history of a seminal battle between a newly independent Poland and Bolshevik Russia. Lenin sought to take advantage of the chaos that had taken hold in Central and Eastern Europe in the immediate aftermath of the First World War by overrunning Poland and thereby invading Germany and using it as a springboard for European domination and worldwide revolution.

Had the Poles been defeated in August 1920, the course of European history would have been very different. It is precisely because of the Poles' success in preventing a Bolshevik victory and Europe's preoccupation with postwar recovery that the Battle of Warsaw was overlooked and quickly forgotten. Yet the impact of that battle is evidenced by "the democratic and civic instinct" in Central and Eastern Europe today, which is "largely the product of the two decades of freedom secured by [Józef] Piłsudski and his armies on the Vistula in 1920."