At the beginning of the 20th century, almost 260,000 Russian troops were stationed in the Polish theatre of war, including 216,000 in Congress Poland itself, of which 170,000 on the right bank of the Vistula, while on the left only 46,000 – mainly cavalry, used to identify the opponent’s direction of the attack. In a situation where the left bank of the Vistula was as densely populated in places as in England and Belgium, and in growing urban centres there was developed industry, the right bank was mainly villages and agricultural areas.
