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• As opposed to the battles fought on the Northern Front (...)
• Only the Jarocin Company attempted to attack the city (...)

As opposed to the battles fought on the Northern Front, which were of the utmost significance for the uprising and determined the further development of the situation, the aim of the clashes on the Western Front was to increase the territorial acquisitions of the Poles. In this context, the need for the neutralisation of the strong Zbąszyń garrison, which was supported by the local German population, was particularly important. The attempt at capturing the city, made on 5 January, ended in failure. In this situation, in parallel to the determination of the plan of an offensive on the Northern Front, preparations for offensive action in the west were initiated. This was not an easy task, because as the operations in this direction started to expand, the insurgents had to fight in regions which were inhabited more and more numerously by the German population. On top of this, large German forces were stationed in Wolsztyn, Kargowa, Zbąszyń and Międzychód which had to be taken into account, because any fighting in these regions would not necessarily have positive results for the Poles.

On 10 January 1919, a meeting chaired by the commander of the Western Front, Second Lieutenant Kazimierz Zenkteler, was held in Grodzisk and action aimed at the seizure of Międzychód and Zbąszyń was planned. The first of these tasks never went beyond the initial phase of preparations. On the other hand, a lot of attention was devoted to the issue of the seizure of Zbąszyń. The composition of two groups which were supposed to attack the town from the east and south was established. However, even at that time, the situation was becoming more and more complex. The Germans had gained detailed information about the planned action and decided to pre-empt it and attack the eastern group using their forces concentrated in Kopanica, situated 18km away from Zbąszyń, in a southerly direction. Given the circumstances, the Poles changed their existing plan. The group which was supposed to take part in the action near the area of Zbąszyń was sent into action against the German forces stationed in Kopanica. As a result of this, the following units were designated to take action against the garrison in Zbąszyń.

1. the Opalenica Company (about 200 people, commander: Second Lieutenant Edmund Klemczak),

2. the Jarocin Company (about 150 people, commander: Zbigniew Ostroróg–Gorzeński),

3. the Śrem Battalion (commander: Stefan Chosłowski) composed of:

– the 1st Company (about 130 people, commander: Józef Muślewski),

– the Kórnik Company (about 160 people, commander: Stanisław Celichowski),

– a heavy machine gun section (commander: Daniel  Kęszycki),

– a cavalry unit (20 people, commander: Witold Unrug),

– a sanitary section,

– a supply section.

The German garrison from Zbąszyń had machine guns and artillery at its disposal and, in addition to this, it was supported by the local German population. Any other more detailed data on this subject are not available.

From the very beginning, the operation did not go according to the accepted plan, and information on this subject is inaccurate and incomplete. The Kórnik Company was supposed to proceed with the attack at midnight and the Jarocin Company was to attack the building of the railway station from the east. Some of the forces, with an undetermined composition, were to bypass the Zbąszyń Lake and attack the city from the west. However, the Kórnik Company did not reach the ordered deployment line as it encountered strong resistance from a reinforced German garrison from Strzyżewo, along its marching route to its assigned destination. The Opalenica Company which was designated to support it during the fight, could not help despite the great determination of its soldiers. As a result of this, both Kórnik Company and Opalenica Company had to get involved in blocking the garrison from Strzyżewo and could not participate in the attack on Zbąszyń.