Atlas of Battles

battle, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Wilno

Battle of Wilno was a battle fought on 18 September 1939 at Vilnius, in what is now Lithuania; it lasted 1 day. It was part of the 1939 Invasion of Poland. The recorded result: Soviet victory.

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Soviet Red Army entering the Lithuanian city of Vilnius after the joint German-Russian aggression against Poland.
Soviet Red Army entering the Lithuanian city of Vilnius after the joint German-Russian aggression against Poland.. Press Agency photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought18 September 1939lasted 1 day
WhereVilnius, Lithuania54.667N, 25.317E
OutcomeSoviet victory
BelligerentsSoviet UnionagainstSecond Polish Republic
Part of1939 Invasion of Poland1939

Where it sits in the 1939 Invasion of Poland

Battle of Wizna, 1939Battle of Łódź, 1939Battle of Cześniki, 1939Battle of Mikołów, 1939Battle of Pszczyna, 1939Battles of Parczew, Jabłoń and Milanów, 1939Battle of Westerplatte, 1939Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig, 1939Battle of Mława, 1939Charge at Krojanty, 1939Defense of the Coast of Poland in the September Campaign, 1939Battle of Mokra, 1939Battle of the Border, 1939Battle of Chojnice, 1939Battle of Lasy Królewskie, 1939Battle of Węgierska Górka, 1939Battle of Grudziądz, 1939Battle of Jordanów, 1939Battle of Częstochowa, 1939Battle of Borowa Góra, 1939Defense of Katowice, 1939Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski, 1939Battle of Różan, 1939Battle of Tuchola Forest, 1939Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, 1939Battle of Pułtusk, 1939Battle of Krasną, 1939Battle of Łomża, 1939Siege of Warsaw, 1939Battle of Radom, 1939Siege of Gdynia, 1939Defense of Ochota and Wola (1939), 1939Battle of Wola Cyrusowa, 1939Battle of Odrzywoł, 1939Battle of the Bzura, 1939Battle of Hel, 1939Battle of Kampinos Forest, 1939Battle of Kępa Oksywska, 1939Battle of Mrogą, 1939Trip to Wawrzyszew, 1939Battle of Przemyśl, 1939Battle of Kałuszyn, 1939Raid on Okęcie and Załuski, 1939Battle of Modlin, 1939Battle of Kobryń, 1939Battle of Jaworow, 1939Battle of Biłgorajem, 1939Battle of Wilno, 1939Battle of Wólka Węglowa, 1939Battle of Grodno, 1939Battle of Kamionka Strumiłowa, 1939Battle of Krasnobród, 1939Battle of Husynne, 1939Battle of Rawa Ruska, 1939Battle of Władypol, 1939Battle of Szack, 1939Battle of Wytyczno, 1939Battle of Kock, 193919391939Battle of Wilno, 1939
59 placed engagements of the 1939 Invasion of Poland in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date18 September 1939
to 19 September 1939
PlaceVilnius, Lithuania
54.667N, 25.317E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeWilno is transferred to the Republic of Lithuania
StrengthTwo cavalry divisions; three armoured brigades10 infantry battalions; (6,500 men); 18-22 guns (including AA guns); ~40 MGs
Casualties and lossesSoviet counts: 13 killed; 24 wounded; five BT tanks destroyed; one BA-10 armoured car destroyed; three other AFVs damaged
Commanders
  • Mikhail Kovalyov
  • Pyotr Akhlyustin
  • Semyon Zybin
  • Jarosław Okulicz-Kozaryn
Battle of WilnoBattle of WilnoOperation Ostra BramaBattle of VilniusBattle of VilniusBattles of Vilnius (1812)Battle of WerkiBattle of VilniusBattle of WerkiMinskKaunasHrodnaLidaPanevežysMaladzyechna100 km54.667N, 25.317E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1655 and 1944.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1939

Battle of Wilno is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 52 in present-day Lithuania.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4090297, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Wilno (1939), revision 1370594074, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.