two artillery groups, and two cavalry squadrons — was able to take the Soviets by surprise. After the first assault, the Bolshevik 44th Rifle Division had lost one of its brigades and its entire staff, which delayed the Soviet assault on the Polish northern flank, thus securing it. However, at the same time the southern flank, between the Polish 3rd and 6th Armies, was threatened by the First Cavalry Army, which had crossed the Dnieper River and was concentrating near Uman. From there, it easily broke the thin line of Polish defenses and began a fast advance toward the strategically important railway node of Koziatyn. The battle On 29 May 1920, the Soviet 1st Cavalry Army's 4th Cavalry Division attacked Polish positions at the villages of Volodarka, Berezno and Novokhvastiv. The area was defended by the Polish 44th Kresy Rifle Regiment, 16th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment, elements of the 1st Krechowce Uhlan Regiment, and the 7th Mounted Artillery Group. The Polish defenders formed strong pockets of resistance in the villages — a tactic that had shown itself to be superior to an attempted defense of an entire frontline. Due to this, the Soviet forces could not fully exploit their numerical advantage. In addition, poor command procedures caused the Soviet cavalry regiments to begin their attacks on the Polish positions in piecemeal fashion. Moreover, instead of simply bypassing the Polish positions, the Russian commander decided to attack them frontally. After the initial Cossack cavalry assault was repelled with heavy-machine-gun fire, the Polish cavalry counter-charged the Cossacks, and an intense hand-to-hand cavalry battle with sabres ensued. Both sides suffered major casualties. For example, the Polish 1st Krechowce Uhlan Regiment's third squadron lost 30 of 72 men and a similar number of horses. The Polish charge succeeded. When further reinforcements arrived and joined in, the Cossacks fled the field. After the Battle The following day, the 3rd Don Cossack Cavalry Brigade, comprising Cossacks who had formerly served in Gen. Anton Denikin's White Russian army and then been forcibly drafted into the Red Army, approached Polish positions and, after brief negotiations, switched sides to fight on the Polish side against the Bolsheviks, under the name of Free Cossack Brigade. Colonel Vadim Yakovlev would remain the brigade's commander until it was disbanded in 1923. Due to the Polish forces' strong resistance and high mobility, the 1st Cavalry Army's assault was repelled. Only the 6th Cavalry