Self-Defence of Lithuania and Belarus
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Self-Defence of Lithuania and Belarus (Polish: Samoobrona Litwy i Białorusi) comprised voluntary paramilitary units formed in late 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, in Lithuania and Belarus. They were mostly composed of Poles in Lithuania and Belarus loyal to the nascent Second Polish Republic formed after over a century of the Partitions of Poland.[1] Their actions centered around Vilnius (Wilno), Minsk (Mińsk), and Grodno.
These territories were once the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (itself part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during 1569-1795), which had then become the Russian Empire's Western Krai. During the interwar period, those areas became the Second Polish Republic's Eastern Borderlands.
Besides fighting for Poland, the Self-Defence units sought to protect local populations against marauders and fight the Soviet Russian Red Army that pursued the retreating Germans.[1]
In January 1919, Polish Self-Defence was officially organized as the 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division, which took part in the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1920.[1]