1918?20 conflict between the newly-declared Republic of Latvia and the Russian SFSR
The
Latvian War of Independence
(
Latvian
:
Latvijas Neatkar?bas kar?
), sometimes called
Latvia's freedom battles
(
Latvijas br?v?bas c??as
) or the
Latvian War of Liberation
(
Latvijas atbr?vo?anas kar?
), was a series of military conflicts in
Latvia
between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed
Republic of Latvia
was invaded by
Soviet Russia
, and the signing of the
Latvian-Soviet Riga Peace Treaty
on 11 August 1920.
[11]
The war can be divided into a few stages: Soviet offensive, German-Latvian liberation of
Kurzeme
and
Riga
, Estonian-Latvian liberation of
Vidzeme
,
Bermontian
offensive, Latvian-Polish liberation of
Latgale
.
The war involved Latvia (its
provisional government
supported by
Estonia
,
Poland
and the Western Allies?particularly the navy of
United Kingdom
) against the Russian SFSR and the
Bolsheviks
' short-lived
Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic
.
Germany
and the
Baltic nobility
added another level of intrigue, initially being nominally allied to the Nationalist/Allied force but attempting to jockey for German domination of Latvia. Eventually, tensions flared up after a German coup against the Latvian government, leading to open war.
Following a cease-fire, a ploy was developed by the Germans, nominally dissolving into the
West Russian Volunteer Army
led by Gen.
Pavel Bermont-Avalov
. This West Russian Volunteer Army included Germans and former Russian prisoners of war nominally allied with the
White Army
in the
Russian Civil War
, but both Bermondt-Avalov and von der Goltz were more interested in eliminating the nationalists than fighting the Bolsheviks.
Certain episodes of the Latvian Independence War were also part of the
Polish-Soviet War
, particularly the
Battle of Daugavpils
.
Soviet offensive
[
edit
]
On 18 November 1918 the
People's Council of Latvia
proclaimed the Independence of the Republic of Latvia and created the
Latvian Provisional Government
headed by
K?rlis Ulmanis
.
On 1 December 1918, the newly proclaimed republic was invaded by
Soviet Russia
. Much of the invading army in Latvia consisted of
Red Latvian Riflemen
, which made the invasion easier. The Soviet offensive met little resistance.
In the north
Al?ksne
was taken on 7 December,
Valka
on 18 December, and
C?sis
on 23 December, in the south
Daugavpils
was taken on 9 December, and finally
P?avi?as
on 17 December.
Riga
was captured by the Red Army on 3 January 1919. By the end of January, the Latvian Provisional Government and remaining German units had retreated all the way to
Liep?ja
, but then the Red offensive stalled along the
Venta
river.
The
Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic
was officially proclaimed on 13 January with the political, economic, and military backing of Soviet Russia and on 17 January, a constitution was made for the newly made puppet state.
During this period, on 15 January, occurred the battle of Lielauce, where the Latvian independent battalion, headed by Oskars Kalpaks managed to stop the Soviet offensive. This battle was crucial for the morale of the Latvian soldiers. The German forces on whom the Latvian temporarily relied, however, had lost a battle at Auce, so an order was received to retreat to the river Venta.
14 days later, on 29 January, the Latvian independent battalion was once again fighting a battle, this time near Skrunda. This time, however, Latvian troops were on the offensive. The Soviet forces had managed to establish a bridgehead over the river Venta, capturing the town of Skrunda on 22 January. The Venta defensive line had to be reestablished, so a counter-offensive maneuver was ordered to be overtaken. The Latvian independent battalion managed to retake the town in 3 hours. After the battle was won, the Soviet offensives ceased.
Liberation of Kurzeme and the coup d'etat
[
edit
]
Soldiers mobilized by the Provisional Government of Latvia marching along J?ras Street in
Limba?i
in 1919
On 18 February, an agreement was signed between Latvia and Estonia, starting formation of the
North Latvian Brigade
led by
Jor?is Zemit?ns
on Estonian territory.
On 3 March, the
German
and Latvian forces commenced a counterattack against the Red Latvian Riflemen.
Tukums
was recaptured from the Bolsheviks on 15 March, and
Jelgava
on 18 March.
On 16 April, the
Baltic nobility
organised a
coup d'etat
in Liep?ja and a puppet government headed by
Andrievs Niedra
was established.
[12]
The provisional national government took refuge aboard the steamship
Saratov
under British protection in
Liepaja
harbour.
[13]
On 22 May,
Riga
was recaptured by the Freikorps and organised persecution of suspected Bolshevik supporters began, with an estimated 174 (according to the head of R?ga's Gendarmerie) to 4,000?5,000 people (according to local social democrats and communists) being shot.
[14]
At the same time the Estonian Army including the North Latvian Brigade loyal to the Ulmanis government started a major offensive against the Soviets in north Latvia. By the middle of June, the Soviet rule was reduced to the area surrounding
Latgale
.
German?Estonian conflict
[
edit
]
After the capture of Riga the Baltische Landeswehr and Iron Division advanced north towards
C?sis
. The objective of the Landeswehr and Iron Division had now clearly become the establishment of German supremacy in the Baltic by eliminating the Estonian military and Latvian national units, not the defeat of the Bolsheviks. The Estonian commander General
Johan Laidoner
insisted the Landeswehr withdraw to a line south of the
Gauja
River. He also ordered the Estonian 3rd Division to seize the
Gulbene
railroad station.
On June 19, 1919, the Landeswehr and the Iron Division launched an
attack to capture C?sis
. Initially, the Freikorps captured the town of
Straupe
and continued their advance toward the town of
Limba?i
. The Estonian division launched a counterattack and drove the Landeswehr out of the town. On June 21, the Estonians received reinforcements and immediately attacked the Landeswehr, who withdrew from an area to the northeast of C?sis. The Iron Division attacked from Straupe towards Stalbe in an effort to relieve pressure on the Landeswehr. On the morning of June 23, the Landeswehr began a general retreat toward Riga.
[15]
The Allies again insisted that the Landeswehr and Iron Division withdraw their remaining troops from Latvia, and on July 3 intervened to impose an
armistice
between Estonia, Latvia, and the Landeswehr and Iron Division when the Latvians were about to march into Riga.
By its terms the legitimate government of Ulmanis was to be restored, the Baltic German Landeswehr be placed under the command of the British officer
Harold Alexander
and the Iron Division to leave Latvia. The government of Ulmanis returned to Riga on 8 July 1919 and the Landeswehr became a component of the Latvian National Army.
Bermondt offensive
[
edit
]
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The Iron Division, however, did not leave Latvia. Instead Major
Bischoff
created a German and Russian united Legion from over a dozen Freikorps units and Russian volunteers, then he turned the units over to the
West Russian Volunteer Army
which was commanded by
Pavel Bermondt-Avalov
. In total, the Iron Division transferred over 14,000 men, 64 aircraft, 56 artillery pieces, and 156 machine guns. Six cavalry units and a field hospital were also transferred. Together with the other German units Bermondt had 30 000 men strong army only 6000 of whom were Russians.
On October 8 the West Russian Volunteer Army started offensive against Riga. The offensive in the beginning saw huge potential, the Latvian government evacuated from Riga, and the left bank of
Daugava
river in Riga got captured by the Bermondt forces. However, on October 15 Latvians crossed Daugava river north of Riga and captured
Bolder?ja
and
Daugavgr?va fortress
. On November 10?11, 1919, the Latvian Armed Forces started a day long counter-offensive, the outnumbered Latvians managed to push the Bermondt forces out of Riga, after which the Latvian government returned to Riga.
Jelgava was also captured
by the Latvians in loss-making fights and by early December the entire West Russian Volunteer Army got pushed out of Latvia.
Liberation of Latgale
[
edit
]
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Signing of the Latvian-Soviet Russian Peace Treaty in Riga, 1920
In January 1920 the joint forces of Latvia and Poland launched an attack on the Bolsheviks in Latgale and
took Daugavpils
. The Soviet Latvian government escaped to
Velikiye Luki
where it announced its dissolution on January 13. Units from the Estonian and Lithuanian armies also saw action alongside the Latvians, as well as Latvian partisans. The push continued until Latvian forces took hold of Zilupe on February 1 with some skirmishes continuing a few days afterwards, since a secret truce had been agreed on by the Latvians and Soviet Russia on January 30.
Peace talks began on 16 April 1920 with the
Latvian?Soviet Peace Treaty
being signed on 11 August 1920, officially ending the war.
Timeline
[
edit
]
1918
[
edit
]
1919
[
edit
]
- 5 January: The first military unit of Latvia ? the 1st Latvian Independent Battalion, under command of
Oskars Kalpaks
? is formed. The provisional government retreats from
Jelgava
to
Liep?ja
.
- 31 January: Most of Latvia is under the control of the Red Army; the Latvian government and German forces control the area around
Liep?ja
.
- 18 February: An agreement is signed between Estonia and Latvia, which provides for the formation of the North Latvian Brigade, led by
Jor?is Zemit?ns
, on Estonian territory.
- 3 March: The united German and Latvian forces commence a counterattack against the forces of Soviet Latvia.
- 6 March:
Oskars Kalpaks
, commander of all Latvian forces subordinated to German headquarters, is killed by German
friendly fire
. He is replaced by
J?nis Balodis
.
- 10 March:
Saldus
comes under Latvian control.
- 21 March: 1st Latvian Independent Battalion is reformed into the Latvian Independent Brigade.
- 16 April: The puppet Latvian Government established by the
Baltic nobility
[13]
organizes a
coup d'etat
in Liep?ja, the provisional national government of Latvia takes refuge aboard the steamship
Saratow
under Allied protection.
[12]
- 16 May: The Estonian Army starts a major offensive against the Soviets in north Latvia.
- 22 May: The
Baltische Landeswehr
, under the command of Major
Alfred Fletcher
, captures Riga.
- 23 May: The Latvian Independent Brigade marches into Riga.
- 3 June: The
Baltische Landeswehr
reaches
C?sis
.
- 6 June: The Landeswehr's North Latvian campaign begins, commanded by Major
Alfred Fletcher
.
- 23 June: The Estonian 3rd Division commanded by Gen.
Ernst Podder
, including the 2nd Latvian C?sis regiment of the North Latvian Brigade
defeats
the Landeswehr in the
Battle of C?sis
.
- 3 July: Estonia, Latvia and the pro-German Provisional Government of Latvia sign the
Ceasefire of Strazdumui?a
.
- 6 July: The North Latvian Brigade enters Riga.
- 10 July: The North Latvian Brigade and the Independent Latvian (or South Latvian) Brigade are merged to form the Latvian Armed Forces (Latvian Army) on the order of its first
Commander-in-Chief
, General
D?vids S?mansons
.
- 5 October: The German mission under General
Rudiger von der Goltz
secretly leaves Riga for
Jelgava
(
German
:
Mitau
), where the German-established
West Russian Volunteer Army
prepares for an attack on Riga.
- 8 October: The West Russian Volunteer Army, comprising German, Freikorps and White-movement Russian forces, attacks Riga, taking the
P?rdaugava
district.
- 20 October: Battle of
Talsi
.
- 3 November: The Latvian Army, supported by Estonian
armored trains
and the British
Royal Navy
, launches its counterattack.
- 5 November: Battle of Liep?ja (
German
:
Libau
).
- 11 November: The Latvian Army, supported by Estonian armored trains, the Royal Navy and the
French Navy
, defeats the West Russian Volunteer Army in Riga. The date is celebrated as
L??pl?sis Day
ever since.
- 21 November: The Latvian Army
liberates Jelgava from the West Russian Volunteer Army
.
- 22 November: The Lithuanian Army defeats the remnants of the West Russian Volunteer Army in
Lithuania
near
Radvili?kis
.
-
6 March 1919
: After the Soviet attack, most of Latvia is under control of the Bolsheviks (pink)
-
16 April 1919
: In March the united German and Latvian forces (orange and yellow) launch counterattack, taking most of
Courland
-
22 June 1919
: The 3rd Estonian Division (purple) confronted German forces at C?sis in the beginning of June and gained victory on 23 June
-
11 November 1919
: Latvian army has taken most of
Vidzeme
and is attacking the West Russian Volunteer Army, which is forced to retreat.
-
-
May Day
demonstration in Soviet Latvian controlled Riga, 1919
-
A 1919 stamp of Latvia marking the first anniversary of independence
-
Memorial marking the location of the start of the advance of Latvian troops led by
Oskars Kalpaks
against Soviet forces in March 1919,
N?kr?ce Parish
1920
[
edit
]
In fiction
[
edit
]
Literature
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Latvijas Atbr?vo?anas ka?a v?sture
Archived
2023-10-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Latvian)
- ^
Colonel Jaan Maide.
Ulevaade Eesti Vabadussojast (1918?1920) (Overview on Estonian War of Independence)
(in Estonian). Archived from
the original
on 2010-08-22.
- ^
Wright, pp. 543-544
- ^
[1]
Archived
2010-08-22
at the
Wayback Machine
(in Estonian)
- ^
[2]
Archived
2015-12-22 at the
Wayback Machine
(in English)
- ^
Mangulis, Visvaldis. Latvia in the Wars of the 20th Century. Princeton Junction: Cognition Books, 1983, xxi, 207p.
- ^
[3]
Archived
2015-12-22 at the
Wayback Machine
(in English)
- ^
Latvijas Br?v?bas c??as
, page 15
(in Latvian)
- ^
[4]
Archived
2022-11-02 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Latvian)
- ^
Hans von Rimscha, Hellmuth Weiss (1977).
Von den baltischen Provinzen zu den baltischen Staaten 1918-1920
. J. G. Herder-Institut. p. 61.
- ^
(in Latvian)
Freibergs J. (1998, 2001)
Jaun?ko laiku v?sture 20. gadsimts
Zvaigzne ABC
ISBN
9984-17-049-7
- ^
a
b
?ili??, J?nis (18 April 2019).
"The republic on the sea: The 1919 coup that exiled the Latvian government to a steamboat"
.
Public Broadcasting of Latvia
. Retrieved
21 April
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Lt Col Andrew Parrott.
"The Baltic States from 1914 to 1923: The First World War and the Wars of Independence"
(PDF)
.
Baltic Defence Review
. 2/2002. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2009-03-19.
- ^
?ili??, J?nis (24 May 2019).
"Shooting the Bolsheviks: White terror after freeing R?ga"
.
Public Broadcasting of Latvia
. Retrieved
26 May
2019
.
- ^
Estonian War of Independence 1918–1920
. Jyri Kork (Ed.). Esto, Baltimore, 1988 (Reprint from
Estonian War of Independence 1918–1920
. Historical Committee for the War of Independence, Tallinn, 1938)
- ^
Rustei?is, Aleksandrs (1930-03-03),
L??pl?sis
(Action, Fantasy, History), Lilita B?rzi?a, Voldem?rs Dimze, Kristaps Kreicbergs
, retrieved
2023-07-21
- ^
"L??pl?sis (1930)"
.
Filmas.lv
(in Latvian)
. Retrieved
2023-07-21
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Gen. Furst Awaloff
(1925).
Im Kampf gegen den Bolschewismus. Erinnerungen von General Furst Awaloff, Oberbefehlshaber der Deutsch-Russischen Westarmee im Baltikum
. Verlag von J.J. Augustin, Gluckstadt und Hamburg.
- Gen. Graf Rudiger von der Goltz
(1920).
Meine Sendung in Finland und im Baltikum
. Verlag von K.F. Koehler, Leipzig.
- BischoffJosef, Die letzte Front. Geschichte der Eiserne Division im Baltikum 1919, Berlin 1935.
- Darstellungen aus den Nachkriegskampfen deutscher Truppen und Freikorps, Bd 2: Der Feldzug im Baltikum bis zur zweiten Einnahme von Riga. Januar bis Mai 1919, Berlin 1937; Bd 3: Die Kampfe im Baltikum nach der zweiten Einnahme von Riga. Juni bis Dezember 1919, Berlin 1938.
- Die baltische Landeswehr im Befreiungskampf gegen den Bolschevismus. Ein Gedenkbuch, herausgegeben vom baltischen Landeswehrein, Riga 1929.
- Kiewisz Leon, Sprawy łotewskie w bałtyckiej polityce Niemiec 1914?1919, Pozna? 1970.
- Łossowski Piotr
, Mi?dzy wojn? a pokojem. Niemieckie zamysły wojenne na wschodzie w obliczu traktatu wersalskiego. Marzec-kwiecie? 1919, Warszawa 1976.
- Paluszy?ski Tomasz, Walka o niepodległo?? Łotwy 1914?1920, Warszawa 1999.
- Von den baltische Provinzen zu den baltischen Staaten. Beitrage zur Entstehungsgeschichte der Republiken Estland und Lettland, Bd I (1917?1918), Bd II (1919?1920), Marburg 1971, 1977.
- Claus Grimm: "Vor den Toren Europas ? Geschichte der Baltischen Landeswehr" Hamburg 1963
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