Battle of Lida (1919) (original) (raw)

The Battle of Lida took place on 16 and 17 April 1919 around the city of Lida during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–20. During World War I Lida was occupied by the German troops. In 1919 the Red Army briefly established Soviet power here. Polish troops under General Józef Adam Lasocki reached the outskirts of the town, which was an important railroad junction, in early March 1919. On April 15 they resumed their advance and on April 17 they captured Lida, as a screening operation to the taking of Vilnius, which was the main target of Polish operation.