Battle of Annaberg

Góra Świętej Anny (Annaberg) from the south

Date	May 21–26, 1921
Location	Annaberg, near Annaberg O.S., Upper Silesia, Germany
Result	Indecisive

Belligerents

Polish insurgents

Selbstschutz Oberschlesiens and Freikorps

Commanders and leaders

Maciej Mielżyński

Karl Höfer
Bernhard von Hülsen

Strength

900

Casualties and losses

120

The Battle of (the) Annaberg (Polish: Bitwa o Górę Św. Anny) was the biggest battle of the Silesian Uprisings. The battle, which took place between May 21–26, 1921, was fought at the Annaberg (Polish: Góra Św. Anny), a strategic hill near the village of Annaberg O.S. (Góra Świętej Anny), located southeast of Oppeln (Opole) in Upper Silesia, Weimar Germany. After the hill had been captured by irregular Polish-Silesian units in the Third Silesian Uprising, German Freikorps pushed the Polish forces back. The final border was determined by political and diplomatic efforts.

By the Treaty of Versailles, the German Reichswehr was limited to a strength of 100,000. Several independent paramilitary Freikorps units were formed from the remnants of the German Imperial Army. The German Freikorps units often did not obey orders from the official government. The German government did however, assist with transportation and supplies. Freikorps units fought against the communist groups in Germany, and also against Polish insurgents in the East. While Germany had recognized the independent Polish state in the aftermath of Versailles, there were some disputed areas, some of which saw violent conflict.

On April 30, 1921, Polish-Silesian officials led by Wojciech Korfanty, upon finding that Germany would be granted most of the plebiscite area in disputed Upper Silesia, decided to start the Third Uprising, even though the government in Warsaw wanted to avoid hostilities at all cost. On May 2, acts of sabotage by the Polish Wawelberg Group units under Konrad Wawelberg severed all connections between Upper Silesia and Germany.

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