Mozyr Group
모지리 집단
The Mozyr Group was an improvised Red Army formation that linked the Western and Southwestern Fronts during the Polish–Soviet War in 1920. Its main force was the roughly 8,000-strong 57th Rifle Division, which held the southern gap entered by Piłsudski's Polish counteroffensive on 16 August 1920.
In depth
The Mozyr Group was commanded by Tikhomir Khvesin. While the Western Front's main forces advanced toward Warsaw, the group had to maintain the connection across a comparatively broad sector with limited strength. Polish intelligence identified this vulnerability, and Piłsudski's strike force from the Wieprz sector broke through it rapidly on 16 August. The breach threatened the Western Front's rear and communications and helped turn the Warsaw offensive into a disorganized retreat.
The operational name derives from the Belarusian city of Mozyr. Sources differ on exact strength and detailed organization, but they consistently present it as a weak connecting force centered on the 57th Rifle Division, whose vulnerability shaped the operational conditions of the Battle of Warsaw.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports the Mozyr Group's role as the weak link between the Soviet Western and Southwestern Fronts, its composition as the 57th Infantry Division of about 8,000 troops, and the Polish counteroffensive on 16 August 1920)
- warsawinstitute.org (supports the 16 August Polish offensive from the Wieprz and the destruction of the Mozyr Group)