Baltic regiment

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The Baltic regiment was a volunteer unit formed from Baltic Germans who fought against the Red Army under Estonian orders during the Estonian War of Independence from 1918 to 1920 . High Commander of the regiment was the Imperial Russian Colonel Constantin von White (1877-1959).

Emergence

At the end of the First World War , all of Estonia was occupied by the German 8th Army . On November 19, 1918, a contract was signed between the Reich Plenipotentiary for the Baltic States , August Winnig, and the young Republic of Estonia , which contained the delivery of captured Russian material to build the emerging Estonian army . Time was pressing after it became clear that the Soviet troops would follow the withdrawing German army to occupy the Baltic States .

The newly appointed Prime Minister and Minister of War Konstantin Päts felt compelled to fall back on all available resources to protect the national territory. For example, on November 26, 1918, in a meeting with representatives of various German-Baltic organizations, it was decided to create a protective guard made up of Baltic German volunteers.

From November 27th, the foundation of the later Baltic regiment as part of the 5th Estonian regiment was built in Rakvere (German: Wesenberg ). This group under the command of Colonel White withdrew fighting to the area around Imavere ( Eng . Immafer ). Here, on December 29th, the union with a second Baltic German group from the former Livonia governorate took place under the command of Captain Viktor von zur Mühlen . This unit was formed in Tartu (dt. Dorpat ) with the help of the German Empire and was actually intended for the Baltic State Army . The combined troops were about 450 men strong and were now called Baltenbataillon or Baltenregiment . In 1919 the troop strength rose to around 700 to 800 soldiers.

Many of the volunteers were corps students from the University of Dorpat and the Riga Polytechnic . They were often the sons of landowners. Most of the officers had served in the Tsar's army. The armament and material were partly bought from the withdrawing German army, and the uniforms and steel helmets were of German origin. Many of the horses, sleds, clothing, medical supplies, etc. were donations from the German-Baltic population.

history

From January 1919, a counter-offensive by the Estonian army, reinforced by Finnish volunteers, began in northeast Estonia . On January 19th, Narva was captured. The Baltic regiment was then used for several months in trench warfare on the Narva River . In cooperation with Bulak-Balachowitsch's cavalry regiment , an advance southward along the east bank of Lake Peipus followed from May 13th . By May 29, the city of Gdow (Russian Гдов ) was occupied and the Pskov - Luga railway line was interrupted. Then the regiment was moved east to the Wolossowo area in order to close front-line intrusions in the area of ​​the allied Russian North Corps . In August, the regiment fought as part of the 1st Estonian Division on the Luga River .

On October 8, 1919, the offensive of the now expanded Northwest Russian Liberation Army on St. Petersburg began . The Baltic regiment participated in the advance as part of the 5th Lieven Division . For this purpose, a reinforced company group under Rittmeister Grunewald was initially deployed to the front near Gatchina (Russian Га́тчина ), while the bulk of the regiment remained in the Jamburg area. Because of the blown up bridge over the Luga and logistical problems of the Northwest Army, only a slow reinforcement of this combat group followed.

The breakthrough through the Red Army front was unexpectedly easy, and Lieven's division reached Krasnoye Selo on October 17th . In the next few weeks, however, the advance slowed, as the Red Army was able to bring considerable reserves by rail. As early as the end of October, the leadership of the Baltic regiment saw the achievement of the goal of St. Petersburg as utopian. Therefore von der Mühlen refused an order from the army command to bring the remaining companies to Gatchina. Because of circumvention in the deep right flank of the army, this attack group had to be withdrawn from November 1st.

The Baltic regiment returned to the command of the Estonian army on November 9th. As part of the 1st Estonian Division, it moved south, where the Red Army had recaptured Gdow. A new front line was established on the Luga.

When the Northwest Army collapsed in December, peace negotiations between Estonia and Soviet Russia began to flow. Heavy fighting took place at the front over a strip of territory east of Narva that was claimed by both sides. After these attacks failed, Soviet Russia relented. There was an armistice and on February 2, 1920 the Peace of Tartu .

The great typhus - epidemic in the Northwest Army demanded only a few victims in the Baltic Regiment. During the armistice a 4th (Russian) company could be set up. On 13 March 1920 the regiment moved to coastal protection to northern Estonia and returned on July 23 in the garrison Rakvere (dt. Wesenberg ) back. On August 16, 1920, the regiment was dissolved.

Memorial stone

Memorial stone in Tallinn

A bilingual memorial stone in the courtyard of the Estonian Academy of Sciences today commemorates the Baltic regiment, which made a commitment to the young Republic of Estonia through its incorporation into the Estonian army.

See also

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Verbatim text of the contract in Wrangel: Baltenregiment, p. 6
  2. ↑ About boys in the Free Corps in the Baltic States 1918-1920
  3. ↑ memorial stone
  4. ↑ Heroes' Memorial Book of the Baltic Regiment Digital Archive of the Estonian National Library, accessed on November 21, 2019