White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20 -

This book, written in 1972, is the definitive history of the background and events of the Polish-Soviet Russian War of 1919-20. The book gives a good review of the build-up to hostilities, and in particular the thinking in the camps of the main protagonists Lenin and Marshal Pilsudski of Poland, that led first to the attack upon the Ukraine by Poland and then the subsequent invasion of Poland by the Soviet Armies. Lenin nurtured dreams of inciting a communist revolution in proletarian Germany whilst the newly re-formed Polish nation had dreams of a group of sympathetic independent non-Bolshevik states being re-created in the Borders region of Byelorussia and the Ukraine. Davies deals well with the incompetent and ignorant posturing of the Entente led by Lloyd George and President Millerand but is less convincing on the activities of Stalin and his cronies in the Southern Armies compared to more recent volumes on the same subject. (Zamoyski, 'Warsaw 1920', 2008). Whilst the research is excellent the book is somewhat academic in feel and this results in a lack of three dimensional characterisation and pace. This publication is for the serious student of Polish history who wants detail and for whom these shortcomings would not be an issue. The final chapter 'Repercussions' is now dated (Pimlico 2003 Edition) and still refers to a communist Poland. The publisher has also let down this renowned author by producing this edition on poor quality paper.

Lord D'Abernon wrote the following (24/27 people found this helpful)

"On the essential point, there can be little room for doubt; had the Soviet forces overcome Polish resistance... Bolshevism would have spread thoughout Central Europe and might well have penetrated the whole continent."

Davies' brilliant; fact laden book describes a war which if lost would have surely turned Poland and Germany into "Soviet Republics", and conceivably any and all of those European countries whose armies would not have been able to stop the 5 million strong Red Army.

How the Poles manage to win this war borders on the supernatural, but won it they did, and bought themselves and Germany freedom from totalitarian communism for the next 19 years.

How ironic that it is the same Germany, whose independence is saved by the Polish army in 1920 - that invades Poland in 1939.

Well written book about a forgotten war. (32/32 people found this helpful)

I first found out about the Battle of Warsaw when reading JFC Fuller's brilliant "The Conduct of War: 1769-1961" over 15 years ago. Fuller referred to the battle as being one of the decisive battles of the Western World and how the Poles stopped the Red Army invading western Europe.

I had been intrigued ever since, and found out more when I read Norman Davies' book. He describes in detail how the war started from a series of border skirmishes and escalated into a full-scale conflagration, with the Poles invading the Ukraine, then the Russians invading Poland in return; before being routed on the Vistula.

Davies also discusses the aftermath of the war and how the Poles success in 1920 was ultimately to contribute to their disaster of 1939.

The unusual nature of the war - it was the last European war in which cavalry played a dominant role - is also well described.

For those interested in this forgotten but highly important piece of history, this book is definately recommended.

White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20

Reader Reviews:

The Definitive History of the Polish Soviet War of 1919-20 (3/3 people found this helpful)

Lord D'Abernon wrote the following (24/27 people found this helpful)

Well written book about a forgotten war. (32/32 people found this helpful)

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