25 – Liberation of Warsaw, Chapter 25
“Warsaw is occupied by our 8th Army.”
The 8th Army from East Prussia, and the 1st and 2nd Armies from Silesia and Poznań, invaded Poland. The only forces standing in the way of the advancing German army were the remnants of the Northwest Front.
“They have twice as many troops as us. Do they really think we can stop them with less than half their numbers?”
The German army advanced more than 30 kilometers every day.
In the previous encounter, where they faced strong resistance, they covered 120 kilometers in a week. But now, with minimal resistance, the German army’s advance was swift and fierce.
“No time to rest. Keep advancing! The first unit to reach the Vistula River must be ours!”
“Those crazy Germans.”
Under the command of Major Vasiliy Egorovich Plug, the Russian 10th Army held their ground, buying time for reinforcements. But crushing their resistance was not difficult.
The German army even managed to break through the formidable Osovets Fortress, which guarded the main road to Warsaw.
“Now all that’s left is the advance on Warsaw.”
As the liberation of Poland drew near, Piotr Piusutski raised the flag of an independent nation in the western Polish town of Kałusz.
“The moment has come for a free Poland! Free homeland of Poland, we have returned!”
“The first leader of the new nation must be a hero of Poland. Long live His Majesty Józef Poniatowski!”
The new government claimed to have a constitutional monarchy, with Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski as the symbolic head of state and commander-in-chief.
Piusutski declared that under the banner of Poniatowski, a united Poland would be rebuilt, honoring the unfortunate hero who had died with dreams of Polish independence, but who had also been associated with the Kingdom of Prussia and had not had such a bad relationship with Germany.
This was a clear attempt to dilute the critical perspective of the Polish people regarding cooperation with Germany.
Piusutski’s political skills were more impressive than expected. His chosen method revealed a level of political maturity that only a seasoned politician could possess.
Honestly, it was worthy of admiration.
Although it was only nominal, it was difficult to just seat anyone after bringing out Poniatowski. Who should be seated as the next batter after the Polish national hero, so that the Poles would truly surrender?
A German king?
If our Germany decides to push for it, we can seat him.
But to do so, we needed to show significant achievements. Like giving the Poles more of the territory they desired. But that was a difficult picture.
Our Prussia or Austria, who could give up territory, didn’t have much intention to give it to Poland.
They weren’t even interested in the Polish throne.
The ones who were interested were the royal families of the Habsburg Empire, which was part of the German Empire. The Wittelsbach family of Bavaria and the Wettin family of Saxony were the main contenders for the throne.
However, they found it difficult to promise any special benefits to Poland.
Of course, even if we didn’t give anything, it wasn’t like Poniatowski could refuse the German king and establish a king of Poland.
If the German royal family were to be seated as kings in the newly established neighboring country, it would be difficult for Poland to escape our influence even if they tried to establish their own king.
If Poniatowski, who clearly knew that, would most likely accept the monarch we proposed at some point, even to avoid isolation.
In any case, Poniatowski, who restored the monarchy, became the head of the kingdom without a king and the commander-in-chief, becoming the official supreme authority.
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“It is an emergency situation. Let us support General Poniatowski, the head of the monarchy. That is the will of the Polish nation!”
With this, Poniatowski, as the head of the monarchy without a king, occupied a position similar to Admiral Horthy Miklós of Hungary during World War II or Franco of Spain.
On behalf of Foreign Minister Gottlieb von Jagow, I officially announced Germany’s position to recognize the Provisional Kingdom of Poland as an independent state and establish formal diplomatic relations.
“The Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary government declare their recognition of the Provisional Kingdom of Poland as a state and the dispatch of ambassadors.”
An hour later, they expressed their approval with similar content. It was an action taken in the dimension of fulfilling the promise with Poniatowski.
With this, Poniatowski’s Provisional Kingdom of Poland was recognized as a government approved by the two great powers in the international community.
Soon, we planned to go through the approval process with our allied countries and friendly nations as well.
For the Russian Empire government, it was an event that would surely anger them. After all, it meant splitting their own territory and declaring independence.
“Of course, Petrograd won’t just stand idly by.”
If we no longer adhere to the unspoken rule of not recognizing Poland’s independence, then Russia had no reason to abide by the rules either. It was obvious that Russia would retaliate by declaring a “sovereign state of Poland,” which included the Polish territory under our control.
Or, perhaps Tsar would not go that far right away?
Come to think of it, Russia’s obsession with Poland was different from mere territorial ambition.
If we were to compare, it was somewhat similar to the Soviet Union’s obsession with putting all of Eastern Europe under its influence, in order to protect the core of the nation from security threats.
“When Poland is free from their influence, Moscow and Petrograd do indeed feel threatened.”
Their obsession was sufficiently supported by historical facts.
When the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was powerful, it was brought to its knees by its own cavalry, and when Sweden subjugated Poland, it was by the hands of Sweden. When Napoleon established the Duchy of Warsaw and used Poland as a springboard, we had to fight the Patriotic War.
Russia faced invasions from the West when it couldn’t control Poland.
As long as they couldn’t forget that historical memory, there was no possibility of allowing Poland’s independence.
However, now that we have brought up the time bomb of Polish independence, Russia also had to show some kind of reaction.
“I’m curious about Nicky’s response.”
We wondered what decision the Russians would make.
*
The capital of the Russian Empire’s Kingdom of Poland, Warsaw.
The fall of Warsaw was imminent. The only decision the Russian army could make was to retreat.
“We are withdrawing from Warsaw.”
According to the decision of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov, the supreme command headquarters, Stavka, which had been stationed in Warsaw, withdrew eastward across the Vistula River. Due to the absence of Nikolai Ruzsky, who also served as the Governor-General of Warsaw, all matters related to the civilian withdrawal were decided by the Governor of Warsaw, Yakov Yulievsky.
“How should we handle the introduction to the citizens?”
“Only selected individuals were allowed to board the train.”
For practical reasons, the mayor gave up on issuing an introduction order for nearly a million Warsaw citizens. The railway was already overwhelmed with the demands of the Russian army, so evacuating the citizens was practically impossible. Only a small number of high-ranking officials, the wealthy, and the nobility were allowed to occupy the limited space on the train.
When the German army approached the city, the Warsaw Citizens’ Committee naturally assumed administrative power. The committee advocated for the preservation of civilian life and infrastructure related to daily life, using the slogan of “uninterrupted normalcy” to protect the city from the flames of war. They appealed to the mayor of Warsaw and the Russian military authorities for the preservation of infrastructure, such as water and electricity.
“General, the civilians’ lives must continue even in wartime.”
“That’s an unreasonable request. Giving water and electricity to the enemy, isn’t that an act of treason?”
“The citizens are right. We must think about when we return here in the future.”
Mayor Yakov Yulevsky agreed with this, but the Russian military saw this request as inconvenient. The reason was that it would be strategically disadvantageous if the enemy could immediately use clean water and electricity upon occupying the city.
“In that case, the Russian army will compensate for any losses incurred.”
After negotiations with the military authorities, the Citizens’ Committee managed to secure their demands by compensating for the potential losses the Russian army might incur due to the preservation of these facilities.
To do this, the practical leader of the committee, Zygmunt Rubomirski, emptied his own coffers and paid the Russian army.
On the 10th day, when the last of the Russian army left Warsaw, the mayor officially handed over administrative power, including all authority, to the Citizens’ Committee.
Zygmunt Rubomirski, armed with the authority handed over from Russia, controlled the city while waiting for the occupying forces to enter. Most people spent their time indoors, praying out of fear of the German army.
On the morning of the 11th, when the vanguard of the German army entered Warsaw, the citizens were taken aback by what they saw.
“That’s our national flag, isn’t it?”
“Why is the German army here?”
The flag of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was deeply cherished by the Poles, was being carried into Warsaw by the German army. A military band followed behind the flag bearer, playing the Polish national anthem as they marched.
It may have seemed strange to the Poles, but it didn’t take long for them to understand the situation.
“Those people are the Polish Legion. General Piłsudski’s Polish Legion!”
“So, they’re the liberating army.”
With a little thought, it was clear that there was no reason for German soldiers to march and sing the Polish national anthem in Polish.
“Our Polish army marching into Warsaw, who would have thought I would live to see such a day.”
“It is God who has protected Poland.”
Many citizens couldn’t hide their joy. They ran out into the streets to welcome the liberating army, believing that today marked the end of Russian oppression. Young maidens adorned soldiers with bouquets and kissed them on the cheeks. Bolder ladies even kissed and embraced the soldiers.
Amidst the excited atmosphere, the ranks quickly became chaotic. The expressions of the Polish officers leading the procession on horseback slightly wrinkled. If it had been only the Polish army marching in, there would have been no problem, but there were also German soldiers present.
Of course, the German soldiers in the procession were all officers belonging to the military advisory group, not ordinary German soldiers.
“It’s a bit chaotic and lacks dignity, Lieutenant.”
Walter Model, a German officer who was riding on a white horse side by side with the Polish officer, responded.
“If we have fulfilled our roles, wouldn’t it be fine to loosen up a bit? Today is a good day. You should be lenient.”
The Polish officer, who had expected the Prussian officer to be rigid, couldn’t hide his surprise at the unexpectedly lenient response.
“That’s an unexpected remark, Lieutenant. I didn’t expect to hear such words from you.”
“Our Germans aren’t inflexible enough to stick to principles on a day like this.”
As he said, there was political consideration from the German army in this procession. If only the military aspect had been considered, the German 8th Army unit would have been the first to enter Warsaw. But the German army conceded this momentous occasion to Pilsudski. As a result, the newly formed Polish army had the honor of liberating Warsaw.
Although the overall occupation was delayed by a day, the Polish army’s entry into Warsaw was a politically significant event. It provided a good opportunity to lower the Polish people’s hostility towards Germany and boost support for Poland.
After the cavalry and military band, as well as the Polish infantry, entered, Polish cavalry dressed in German uniforms came in carrying several flags. In between them, a splendidly dressed Polish officer on a white horse displayed a majestic appearance.
The shining medals and the rank insignia on his shoulders revealed his status.
“Hail General Pilsudski!”
Pilsudski calmly drove the carriage while receiving the cheers of the citizens. The Polish corps marched as if performing a ceremony, and then scattered into their designated areas in front of the city hall.
At the front of the city hall, Bishop Aleksander Kakowski and Prince Zdzisław waited for the occupying forces. They were taken aback and pleasantly surprised when they saw Pilsudski leading the way with the Polish flag.
They showed expressions of relief and almost moved to tears.
“General, how did you come here?”
“Should I be absent from the place where our country’s independence is achieved?”
Piłsudski quickly descended from his horse and bowed to the bishop, then nodded slightly to Prince Józef and the archbishop.
Although he was the creator of the new regime, leading the Citizen Committee and exerting influence in Warsaw, he had no intention of being disrespectful to the giants who were there.
Of course, the two members of the Citizen Committee had no intention of treating Piłsudski lightly either. The prince and the archbishop escorted Piłsudski into the town hall in Warsaw where the citizens’ representatives were.
Piłsudski gladly accepted their invitation.
Not long after he entered the town hall, the Warsaw Citizen Committee unanimously declared their intention to join the Kingdom of Poland as part of the newly established regime.
Thus, Warsaw officially returned as the capital of the new Polish nation. It had been 119 years since the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth collapsed in 1795.
*
1) On August 31, 1914, the Russian Empire government renamed the city of Saint Petersburg, which had a strong German influence, to Petrograd, considering the heightened anti-German sentiment within the country due to the war.