A SHORT HISTORY OF THE
MIŁOSZEWSKI AND RAFALĄT FAMILIES
4. Struggle for Independent Poland
In July 1919, Jan’s regiment was moved to the eastern borderlands to liquidate various Bolshevik bandit groups that had been making attacks in this very unstable region. The regiment operated in the Wiśniowec, Krzemieniec, Ostróg, Borszczów and Kamieniec Podolski areas. At this point in time the newly independent Poland had not yet been able to agree borders with its neighbours and military policing was required.
The Polish government under Marshal Józef Piłsudski wanted to create a buffer between Poland and the newly formed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was working with Ukrainian nationalists to help create an independent Ukraine, which would act as the buffer between Poland and the USSR. However, Piłsudski was unsuccessful with this strategy and the supporting Polish armies had to retreat from Kiev to Poland to defend the country against a concerted attack by the Bolshevik armies.
On 23rd December 1919, Jan and his regiment were transported to the Mława area. Then from Kościerzyna the regiment moved to the East Prussian border.
At that time Joseph Stalin was a political commissar in the Bolshevik armies. The defeat left a mark on him, which undoubtedly led to his anti-Polish views. These would later manifest themselves in the treacherous 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, also known as the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact, and subsequent invasion of Poland on 17th September 1939. He culminated his hatred by ordering the mass execution of over 15,000 Polish officers in what would be referred to as the Katyń Massacre.
With a peace settlement in sight, Jan accepted the offer to settle on land in the newly re-acquired 'kresy' (eastern borderland) region of Poland. The story of the settlers in the 'kresy' region is a little known element of Polish history.
The newly independent Poland reclaimed areas that had been confiscated over 120 years previously when the country had been partitioned between the Russians, Austro-Hungarians and Germans. Most of this land had been held as large estates. Now the situation was changed. The 'kresy' region shared a border with the hostile USSR, which came into being in 1922. The region was relatively lawless, whilst the land had been severely ravaged by the battles of the First World War. The newly formed Polish government realised that this dangerous borderland would have to be settled and law and order imposed. The soldiers that had fought for Poland’s freedom were an obvious first choice for settlers, especially those that had any agricultural skills. The Polish 'Sejm' (parliament) passed a law that allowed allocation of land in the 'kresy' region to soldiers as a reward for their services.
Poland's decisive victory in 1920 during the Polish-Soviet war, often referred to as the 'Miracle on the Vistula,' saw the defeat of the Bolshevik armies. The subsequent Polish-Soviet (Sikorski-Mayski) agreement led to the Bolsheviks' retreat and peace in the area. It has been argued that the success of the Polish armed forces prevented the spread of Communism to the rest of Europe.
In February 1920, the regiment was amalgamated into the 65th Starogard Regiment. At the height of the Polish-Bolshevik war, the regiment was moved to the front line. Jan and his regiment saw action in Malin, Sarne, Równe, Łuck and Beresteczko. In Brody the regiment was loaded onto trains and transported to the Warszawa area to take part in key battles, which successfully routed the Bolshevik armies. A ceasefire was agreed on 29th October 1920 and the regiment returned to Brodnica in Pomorze.