Battle of Radviliskis in 1919
I Wars of Independence
On November 21–22, 1919, the most important and successful battles of the Lithuanian army took place against the Bermont units, which had been entrenched in the Šiauliai–Radviliškis–Joniškis region since July 1919.
The Battle of Radviliškis began on November 21, 1919 at 3 a.m. Lithuanian forces led by the future Gen. Kazys Ladyga began to surround the city of Šiauliai from the north and south, and at the same time the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment attacked the city of Radviliškis. Bermont troops were entrenched in both cities. The soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Regiment managed to break into the city of Radviliškis and occupy the cemetery, but when reinforcements did not arrive in time, they were forced to retreat to the positions they had held before the attack. At about 9 a.m., the attack began again, but due to strong resistance from the Bermont troops, it was again unsuccessful. The next day, the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Regiment joined the attackers and on November 22, 1919 at 7 a.m., they began the Radviliškis attack, but it also went with difficulty. At the beginning of the attack, the Bermontites were fired upon by an artillery battery, the 7th Company invaded the town, but when reinforcements did not arrive, it was forced to retreat. The 3rd Company, approaching Radviliškis from the west, was stopped. Finally, the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment occupied the Radviliškis Manor, and on the evening of November 22, 1919, the 3rd, 7th and 9th Companies invaded Radviliškis, which finally occupied the town.
Having lost the battles and lost Radviliškis, the Bermontites retreated towards Šiauliai. Lithuania received a large amount of war booty, which was taken to Kaunas by a special train. On November 22, 1919, the chairman of the Entente Military Control Commission, Gen. H. Niessel, demanded to stop the offensive and retreat to their previous positions. Having not received support from the Lithuanian government, K. Ladyga ordered a retreat the next day. However, the victory in the Battle of Radviliškis accelerated the Bermontites' withdrawal from Lithuania.
More information sources
- Vytautas Lesčius, The Lithuanian Army in the Struggle for Independence 1918–1920, Vilnius, 2004.
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Related objects
Radviliškis windmill
The octagonal 4-story wooden mill stands near the outskirts of Radviliškis, in the village of Vaidulių.
The Radviliškis windmill was built in the 19th century. at the end of 1984-1985 - restored. It is said that in 1919 November 22 near the mill, the famous battle of the Lithuanian volunteer army took place with the Bermontinkai, a Russian military unit with a provocative orientation. After the Bermontians captured Radviliškis, an important railway junction, Lithuania's independence was in danger. The 2nd Algird regiment, led by lieutenant colonel V. Grigaliūnas-Glovacki, was entrusted with recapturing Radviliškis.
About 30 Lithuanian soldiers were killed in the battle, but the fighting ended with a Lithuanian victory. According to the volunteers who took part in the fighting, the whole company went out to attack the mill occupied by the Bermonters, the commander armed with a rifle always attacked first, and the others followed his example, so the mill was captured, and Radviliškis was also captured the next evening.
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the battle against the Bermontians, in 1989 a chapel pillar was built near the mill and 70 oak trees were planted. The oak grove was added in 2019 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle.
Although there are versions that the battle itself could have taken place a little further away, at another mill, it was the Radviliškis mill that became the symbol of the battle. Historical reconstructions of the battle took place at the Radviliškis windmill more than once, in 2010 and 2014. the battle was recreated by military history club reenactors from Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Poland.
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If necessary, we will fight: Battle of Radviliškis with the Bermontites in 1919.
On November 21-22, 1919, fateful battles took place in the city of Radviliškis between the Lithuanian army and the Bermontinians - a joint force of Russian prisoners of war and German volunteers, which ended in a significant Lithuanian victory.