Battle of Wilno (1939)
The Battle of Wilno (modern Vilnius, Lithuania) was fought by the Polish Army against the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, which accompanied the German Invasion of Poland in accordance with Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.: 82 On 18–19 September, Soviet forces took over the city of Wilno. Polish forces, concentrated in the west, were relatively weak in the east. The Polish commanders, unsure whether to actively oppose the Soviet entry into Poland, did not use the full defensive capabilities of the town and nearby fortifications, although the outcome of the battle would not have been likely any different, given the overwhelming Soviet numerical superiority.
| Battle of Wilno | |||||||||
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| Part of the Soviet invasion of Poland in the European theatre of World War II | |||||||||
Soviet troops entering Wilno, 1939 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Soviet Union | Poland | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Mikhail Kovalyov Pyotr Akhlyustin Semyon Zybin | Jarosław Okulicz-Kozaryn | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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Two cavalry divisions three armoured brigades |
10 infantry battalions (6,500 men) 18-22 guns (including AA guns) ~40 MGs | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Soviet counts: 13 killed 24 wounded five BT tanks destroyed one BA-10 armoured car destroyed three other AFVs damaged | |||||||||
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