Latvian War of Independence

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The armed conflicts on the territory of Latvia from the proclamation of the republic on November 18, 1918 to the conclusion of peace with Soviet Russia on August 11, 1920 are referred to as the Latvian War of Independence . The fighting in today's Latvia is also known as the "Latvian War of Liberation" (Latvijas Atbrīvošanas Karš). In addition to enforcing state independence from Russia, this term also emphasizes that the centuries-old supremacy of the Baltic Germans has been eliminated. In the Soviet Union and the Latvian SSR , the period was viewed as part of the foreign intervention in the Russian Civil War .

The Latvian War of Independence was also a civil war. In 1919 there were at times three different Latvian governments. The Moscow-backed socialist government of Pēteris Stučka initially had the greatest support from the Latvian people. The bourgeois government with Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis relied on the victorious Allied powers of the First World War, but was at times dependent on German and Estonian arms aid against Soviet Latvia. After a military coup by the German-Baltic minority against Ulmanis, there was a third government for a short time with Andrievs Niedra as prime minister, which relied on the German military power present.

After several military defeats, Soviet Russia came to terms with the new bourgeois states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in order to free up forces for other fronts of the Russian civil war. With the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty on June 28, 1919, German power politics in the Baltic States also lost its foundation. An adventurous attempt by the German military who was present to continue fighting the interests of the Allies with the help of white Russian forces failed in the autumn of 1919 because of the now established bourgeois Latvian army. A large-scale offensive by all anti-Soviet forces did not materialize in the Baltic States. When the Soviet victory in the civil war became apparent, the western allies gave up their policy of intervention so that the existence of the three Baltic states was also secured from this side.

chronology

1918

  • March 1918: After the failure of the negotiations with Soviet Russia , the German 8th Army occupies the entire territory of Latvia.
  • November 11, 1918: The Compiègne armistice ends the First World War.
  • November 18, 1918: The Latvian People's Council proclaims the independent Republic of Latvia. UK provisional recognition .
  • November 26, 1918: Recognition of the government by the German occupying power with handover of civil administration.
  • November 27, 1918: Germany is obliged to defend Latvian territory against Soviet Russia under Section 12 of the Compiègne Armistice.
  • December 1918: Soviet troops invade Latvia.
  • December 17, 1918: the Latvian Council Republic is proclaimed .
  • December 29, 1918: Treaty between the bourgeois Latvian government and imperial German volunteer associations to protect Latvian territory from the Bolsheviks.

1919

  • January 4, 1919: Riga is occupied by Soviet troops.
  • January 1919: Advance of the Soviet troops in the territory of Latvia to the river Venta (German: Windau).
  • January 1919: Counter-offensive by the Estonian army in the east and south of Estonia.
  • January 7, 1919: National-Latvian units are established in Estonia.
  • March 3, 1919: Counter-offensive by combined German, Baltic and National-Latvian troops in Courland.
  • April 16, 1919: Baltic putsch in Liepāja (German: Libau).
  • May 22, 1919: Conquest of Riga by the Baltic State Armed Forces and German Freikorps
  • June 6, 1919: Skirmishes between the Baltic State Armed Forces and the Estonian Army near Cēsis.
  • June 22, 1919: Battle of Cēsis (Eng .: Wenden).
  • July 3, 1919: Strasdenhof armistice .
  • July 6, 1919: Latvian North Corps invades Riga. Formation of a new bourgeois government and the Latvian army.
  • July 19, 1919: Agreement on the evacuation of the German troops.
  • August / September 1919: formation of the Russian Bermondt Army with German Freikorps in Courland.
  • October 8, 1919: Bermondt Army attacked Riga.
  • November 3, 1919: Latvian Army offensive in Courland .
  • November 26, 1919: Latvia declares war on the German Reich and breaks off diplomatic relations.

1920

  • January 3, 1920: Latvian-Polish offensive in Latgale .
  • January 13, 1920: The Latvian Council Government resigns.
  • February 1, 1920: Armistice between the Republic of Latvia and Soviet Russia.
  • July 15, 1920: Peace treaty between Latvia and Germany.
  • August 11, 1920: conclusion of the Riga peace with Soviet Russia.

prehistory

Social conditions in the 19th century

Between 1817 and 1819 the peasants' liberation took place in the Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire , and in 1861, along with the rest of Russia, also in the Latgale region . This made it possible for many Latvians to exercise higher professions and to acquire an education. In cities like St. Petersburg and Riga a national intelligentsia was formed . Demands for national self-determination were made for the first time in the Jungletten movement .

The social differences in the Russian Empire ran largely along the ethnic groups in the Baltic States. The hatred of the many landless people was directed against the rule and culture of the German-Baltic barons, pastors, lawyers, etc. Revolutionary slogans found a broad echo among the common people. When the revolution broke out in 1905 , the conflict between the Baltic Germans and Latvians led to bloody conflicts for the first time.

First World War to 1917

The people of Latvia suffered particularly from the war, as the front line ran through the country for a long time. When the German army conquered Courland in 1915, tens of thousands of residents were forcibly evacuated into inner Russia. The German-Baltic minority in the country was subject to severe reprisals from the tsarist authorities, although most of the men capable of military service fought loyally against Germany in the Russian army . The German and Russian armies partly supplied themselves from the country, and tens of thousands of impoverished refugees had to be supplied. As in the rest of Europe, the war-weary population saw the old ruling classes as the culprits for the misery.

In 1916 national Latvian rifle regiments were formed for the first time , which proved themselves in the fight against Germany, but also suffered high losses, especially during the Aa battles (Митавская операция, Ziemassvētku kaujas) from January 5 to 11, 1917.

After the February Revolution of 1917

After the February Revolution in Russia, Latvian political parties were also formed. The most important were the Latvian Bolsheviks , the Latvian Mensheviks and the Latvian Farmers' Union . When it became clear that the Kerensky government would not tolerate Latvia's cultural and political autonomy, the farmers' association set itself the goal of achieving full state independence for Latvia from Germany and Russia for the first time. He tried to find support, especially in England.

The Baltic Germans also tried to achieve a state separation from Russia , based on the German Empire, through the formation of a United Baltic Duchy .

After the October Revolution of 1917

The rule of the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution did not last very long in the Baltic States. In March 1918 the entire area was occupied by the German 8th Army .

The bulk of the Latvian rifle regiments went over to the Bolsheviks at an early stage and were used in the civil war.

With the victory of the Entente Cordiale in World War I, the prerequisites for Latvia's independence were in place:

Section One: Defense against the Soviet Invasion

Latvian State Foundation and Development 1918

On November 11, 1918, the Compiègne armistice ended the hostilities of the First World War. The new German government gave instructions to evacuate the occupied eastern territories. In contrast to Ukraine and Poland , the government considered keeping the Baltic States occupied for longer if possible. The German army command, however, considered a quick evacuation due to mutinies of their troops as inevitable. The bulk of the soldiers were striving for home and saw no point in selling their skin for the interests of the "Baltic barons" after the lost war. Newly formed soldiers' councils began negotiations independently with the Bolsheviks, who were already marching west.

On November 18, 1918, the Latvian People's Council in Riga declared the Republic of Latvia independent and elected Kārlis Ulmanis as Prime Minister. Provisional recognition by the United Kingdom pending a peace conference had already been ensured by the now Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics . On November 26th, the recognition also took place on the part of Germany.

The Latvian government faced many problems. Since she had neither money nor means of power, she was dependent on cooperation with the German occupying forces . The representatives of the Jewish , German-Baltic and Russian national minorities did not recognize her, and she had little support from the Latvian population either. The mass of workers and landless hoped that the Bolsheviks would distribute land and rule the proletariat. In addition, the Soviet invasion troops mainly consisted of their own Latvian rifle regiments .

The British used a squadron in the Baltic Sea as an instrument of power . Landing their own troops, however, was not considered. Until the new states were able to defend themselves, the defeated German troops should instead be used to protect Latvian territory, based on Article 12 of the Compiègne armistice. The Allies interpreted Article 12 of the Compiègne Armistice in such a way that the Germans were not entitled to withdraw from the Baltic States without express instructions from the Allies. This gave the German government the impression that Germany should be obliged to “pull the chestnuts out of the fire” for the Allies in the fight against Bolshevism in the Baltic States, as Reich Colonial Minister Johannes Bell put it.

In order to fulfill this task of securing the transport of the army and maintaining political influence in the Baltic States, the Reich Plenipotentiary for the Baltic States August Winnig , AOK 8 and the Soldiers' Council of Riga recruited volunteers from the disbanding army units. According to a contract concluded on December 7, 1918 between the Latvian government and August Winnig, the troops of the Latvian Republic as the Baltic State Army were to be increased to a strength of 18 Latvian, 7 German-Baltic and one Russian company. The German Reich was to provide equipment and food for the time being, and an officer from a neutral state was to be appointed as the commander.

The Policy of the Foreign Powers in the Baltic States

Situation in December 1918
  • In the course of the planned expansion of the world revolution , Latvia was viewed by the Bolshevik leadership as a bridge to Western Europe. As early as October 1918, plans began to advance through Latvia to East Prussia . Mainly the red Latvian rifle regiments should be used for this. On December 17, Pēteris Stučka declared a Latvian Soviet Republic as the sole power in Latvia.
  • All the leaders of the White Movement emphasized the territorial integrity of Russia and did not recognize the establishment of states in the Baltic States .
  • The Allied policy of World War I was not uniform in relation to the Baltic States. The area was divided into a French (Poland, Lithuania, Memel area ) and an English (Latvia and Estonia) sphere of interest. England also pursued economic interests in the Baltic States. The Latvian government should be supported in the fight against the Soviets. Definitive de jure recognition was refused, however, as the border states were expected to disappear after a victory of the white troops in the civil war. The leading American politicians saw humanitarian aid as the best weapon against Bolshevism and therefore switched primarily to the sending of food and aid supplies through the American relief organization .
  • Initially, the Baltic States were of no particular importance for the German government of the People's Representatives . The German-Baltic minority was too insignificant. In order to protect East Prussia from the Soviet army, volunteer troops were recruited from December 1918. However, the leading German representatives in the Baltic States pursued an independent policy. The main aim of this was to alleviate the defeat in the war by gaining a position of military power and led to increasing opposition to its own government.

Offensive by the Soviet troops until January 1919

Situation in January 1919

For the attack on the Baltic States, troops with a strength of around 22,000 men were provided on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief Jukums Vācietis . The 7th Bolshevik Army was to advance along the railway lines on both sides of Lake Peipus , the Western Army was to operate along the Daugava on Riga. In the battles on November 26th near Pleskau and on November 29th near Narva , the German troops showed little willingness to resist, some of whose soldiers' councils handed over positions and sold military goods on their own. On December 17th, the important Walk railway junction was captured. This threatened to cut off the German forces further north. In view of the low resistance, the bulk of the Soviet 7th Army was turned south towards Riga. The remaining Soviet troops in the north should therefore later prove to be too weak to take all of Estonia.

Greeted with banners by the Latvian population, the Soviet troops continued their advance on Riga. The German 8th Army offered no resistance and attempts by mixed voluntary troops from the Baltic State Armed Forces and the Iron Brigade to build a front failed. The English warships present in the port of Riga did not intervene actively in the fighting.

In its plight, the Latvian bourgeois government signed a treaty on December 29, 1918, which guaranteed Latvian citizenship to all Reich German volunteers who would take part in the fight against Bolshevism. Two days later, one of the three Latvian companies in Riga changed sides and had to be disarmed by German-Baltic troops with the help of English naval artillery. On January 4, 1919, Riga was evacuated. At the last hour, refugees were being transported on ships and by rail. Considerable war goods were left behind. The English warship also left the port.

The Soviet troops entered Riga on January 4th and had already occupied Jelgava on January 9th . Then the offensive gradually died down and the front came to a halt at the Venta . On the northern front in Estonia, the Soviet troops even had to fend off a counteroffensive from January 7th and were driven from Estonian territory until February 4th after the Battle of Paju .

Situation in Libau

The members of the Latvian bourgeois government who had not fled abroad were now in Libau and had been in an even worse position due to the loss of the national territory. Militarily, the government was completely dependent on Germany. Attempts to raise Latvian troops in the unoccupied area have met with little success. The Latvian armed forces consisted largely of Baltic Germans and were also paid by Germany. Cooperation with the political representation of the Baltic Germans, the Baltic National Committee , was refused, however, as this would have meant recognition of the property rights of the large landowners. Out of consideration for the Entente states and the Latvian population, an anti-German course was chosen instead. At the same time, Germany was asked for a loan without consideration and denied its status as an occupying power. The practical help from the Western Allies, on which the government relied, remained very little. Due to lack of funds, Prime Minister Ulmanis had to go on a tour to ask for loans from the states of Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia and Sweden. A positive result of this trip was a contract on February 18th for the establishment of Latvian associations on Estonian territory. These units under the command of Jorģis Zemitāns were independent from Germany and were later expanded to form the Northern Latvian Brigade .

Faced with the threat to East Prussia, the German military defense was reorganized in January 1919. With new troops and the appointment of energetic commanders like Josef Bischoff and Alfred Fletcher , the first counterattacks were possible. At the beginning of February, General Rüdiger von der Goltz , who had already gained experience in fighting the Soviets during the Finnish Civil War , took over command of all troops in Courland. At the end of February 1919 he had ready-to-go troops with a strength of about 13,000 men.

Situation of Rätelettland

The Soviet units were organized as a special army of the Latvian SSR under the command of Pēteris Avens in early January 1919 . At the end of January, this army consisted of the 1st Latvian Division, the International Division and the Novgorod Division and, through forced drafts, reached a strength of around 20,000 men. After the suppression of the Spartacus uprising in Germany and the consolidation of the opposing defense, an advance to East Prussia to expand the world revolution became increasingly utopian. In February 1919, the focus of the Soviet attacks was shifted to Estonia, in order to advance further west after eliminating this flank threat. At the same time, the Baltic theater of war lost its importance for the Soviet leadership due to the offensive by Kolchak in Siberia and the intervention of France in the Ukraine .

The support of the Latvian population also decreased, since the promised land distribution did not take place and the supply situation was tense due to the transport of food to the interior of Russia. The Latvian rifle shooters showed little zeal to fight against Estonia, and so-called “green” partisan groups were even formed in Latgale who revolted against the Soviet authorities.

The German-Baltic population as a whole as well as the wealthy Latvians and Jews had to endure severe reprisals in the area of ​​Rätelettland. The bourgeoisie was to be deprived of its livelihood by means of ever new decrees . The 3rd Council Congress of Latvia declared on January 13, 1919: "We do not have any courts that judge according to the principles of justice, but a settlement with our opponent, who is deprived of all previous rights and who is isolated from social life." In the Biķernieki forest death sentences were carried out daily . By May 1919, around 5,000 people were killed in this way. The number of detainees had risen to over 18,000. According to statistics from the city of Riga, 8,590 people died of starvation.

Anti-Soviet offensive in Courland in March 1919

Situation in April 1919

General von der Goltz intended from the outset to defend East Prussia offensively for political and military reasons, which was in the interests of all anti-Soviet forces. On March 5, a planned offensive began with the capture of the important railway junction Murawjewo in Lithuania, in which the 52nd Army Corps, which is adjacent to the south, also took part. The allied German and Latvian troops reached the Jūrmala - Tukums - Jelgava - Bauska line by the end of March and thus took possession of all of Courland. Because of this defeat, the Soviet military high command considered withdrawing entirely from the Baltic States. Another advance of German troops did not take place for political reasons. In the opinion of the German High Command in Kolberg, the objective of the operation was achieved with the creation of an energy-saving line of defense .

In the conquered area there were numerous attacks by members of the Freikorps and shootings of real and alleged Bolsheviks, which put additional strain on the strained German-Latvian relations . In the north of Courland, a partisan movement continued to operate against the German and bourgeois Latvian administration.

Political development and capture of Riga

The unclear conditions in revolutionary Germany and the absence of the Reich Plenipotentiary Winnig meant that the military commander von der Goltz became the decisive political authority in Germany. After initial efforts to reconcile the interests of the various parties had failed, he increasingly pursued his own policy, which did not always match the guidelines of his military superiors and the government in Berlin. For him, protecting East Prussia and Latvia was only the first step in disempowering the Bolsheviks. Germany's military participation in the Russian Civil War and the alliance with a future Russia were intended to compensate for the war defeat in the West. He saw Germany's main opponent in England, which propagated the border states as a cordon sanitaire between Russia and Germany in order to prevent such an alliance.

Tensions between the Baltic Germans and the Latvian bourgeois government intensified and on April 16 led to the coup of the "Shock Troop" , a battalion of the Baltic State Army. This further exacerbated the differences between the nations, even though the establishment of a new government under Andrievs Niedra on May 17th made a further advance on Riga possible. The most important Latvian troop unit, the Balodis Brigade , part of the Landeswehr , condemned the coup, but worked loyally with Niedra so as not to jeopardize the planned operation on Riga.

Von der Goltz obtained permission for this operation from the German government on the condition that only Latvian troops would be used for the main thrust. In a daring companies in the frontal attack which began on May 22, 1919 Tirulsümpfe (Tīreļpurvs), the same day to assume the important Daugava resulted bridges in Riga. The Latvian victory against the Soviet troops and the capture of Riga on May 22, 1919 were later referred to by the Latvians as the "miracle on the Daugava".

The right flank of the German-Baltic and Latvian units was held by Imperial German associations. A Soviet offensive at Bauska that had been under way since April 17 could also be repulsed. The Rhaetian Army lost more than half of its population through losses and desertions during these fighting, also cleared its northern front against the Estonians and withdrew as far as Latgale. The remaining troops with a strength of about 17,000 men were integrated into the 15th and 16th Soviet armies. Immediately after the battle, an American ship with food entered the port of the distressed city of Riga.

Second section: Conflict between German-Baltic and Estonian-North Latvian troops

Actions by the ousted Ulmani government

The deposed Prime Minister Ulmanis fled to the British consulate during the Libau putsch and subsequently resided on the ship “Saratov” , which anchored in Libau harbor under British protection. In spite of some harsh criticism of his policies, the Allies still regarded him as the rightful Prime Minister. Estonia and the northern Latvian troops of Zemitāns also declared themselves for him. Negotiations about a return of Ulmanis as prime minister with the involvement of representatives of the Baltic Germans, Jews and right-wing Latvians finally fell apart. Instead, the government of Andrievs Niedra was constituted on May 10th , which was based exclusively on the German-Baltic minority and the German occupying power and had no support from the Latvian people.

Confrontation with Estonians and Northern Latvians

Situation in June 1919

Taking advantage of the German-Latvian operation on Riga, the Estonian army also went on the offensive in Northern Latvia and reached the Cēsis - Krustpils line by June 5 . The Estonians wanted to curb the sphere of influence of the Germans and the Niedra government under their protection as quickly as possible by acting quickly. The northern Latvian troops began expropriating the large landowners in the occupied area, including the parish of Niedra in Kalsnava , and took in Soviet defectors.

On June 6th there were first clashes with troops of the Landeswehr, who wanted to take possession of the northern Latvian area for the Niedra government. The representative of the American commission Warwick Greene was able to negotiate a ceasefire in order to induce the parties to continue the common struggle against Bolshevism. With the arrival of the head of the Allied military mission Hubert Gough a few days later, however, Allied policy changed. Gough was determined to oppose any further increase in Germany's power. General von der Goltz was asked on June 16 to return half of his troops to Germany immediately and to enable Kārlis Ulmanis to form a new government in Riga.

With the support of Goltz in the background, the forcible occupation of northern Latvia was decided a little later, in order to create a fait accompli by consolidating the Niedra state. The decisive factor for this decision was Goltz's conviction that Germany would refuse to sign the Versailles Treaty , which was the subject of heated discussions these days. Failure to sign it would have led to the resumption of fighting with the Western powers. Accordingly, Goltz believed that he had to counter all demands of the Allies in the Baltic States. This conviction, based on apparently false information, also resulted in the evacuation of Libau by German troops, which were in the range of the English ship artillery.

Military conflict between the national armed forces and the Estonian army

Only limited troops were available for the new campaign in northern Latvia. Substantial parts of the Reich German troops had to keep the front against the Soviets occupied. The Russian (Lieven Division) and Latvian (Balodis Brigade) units of the Landeswehr declared themselves neutral. The commander Jānis Balodis had previously refused to convert to the Estonian side at a secret meeting with Zemitāns . In order to maintain public order, the shock troop , the strongest battalion in the Landeswehr, remained in Riga. Neither the members of the Reich German Freikorps nor on the German-Baltic side found much understanding for the new war.

On June 20, the advance of the roughly 5000 strong German-Baltic troops, now reinforced by Freikorps, began. In the following battle at Cēsis these faced about 8,000 Estonian and northern Latvian soldiers. After the failure of the breakthrough attempt and a setback with "borrowed" parts of the Iron Division deployed further west, the Landeswehr withdrew to avoid circumvention. In the further course of the fighting, the Estonians were able to advance to the isthmus at Jugla northeast of Riga and threaten the mouth of the Daugava with warships. Through the mediation of the Allies, the Strasdenhof armistice was reached on July 3rd . The German troops then withdrew to Courland. The Niedra government stopped working on June 29th.

Third section: Latvia's military conflict with the German-Russian Bermondt Army

Reorganization of the Latvian government and army during the armistice

The terms of the Strasdenhof Treaty enabled Kārlis Ulmanis to return to Riga on July 9th. A newly formed government consisted of six Latvian, three German-Baltic and one Jewish representatives. The Reich German associations should leave the country as soon as possible. Instead, the Latvian army has now been expanded with Allied help and reorganized under a single command. The Balodis Brigade was transferred to the Bolshevik Front as the 1st Courland Division, the North Latvian Brigade as the 2nd Livonian Division took over the protection of Riga. At the same time the establishment of a 3rd Latgallian and 4th Semgallian division began. The Baltic State Armed Forces were taken over as a separate unit in the Latvian Army after all Reich Germans had left. At the end of September 1919 the strength of the Latvian army was around 40,000 men. The eastern front line north of Lake Lubān remained occupied by the Estonian army.

The formation of the Bermondt Army

In July 1919, the eastern part of Latvia was still under the control of the Bolsheviks, who, however, showed no intention of attacking after the defeats in May. There were still German troops in the west of the country, which led to friction with the Latvian civil authorities there. Substantial parts of the German Freikorps intended to continue fighting the Bolsheviks as part of a Russian White Army that was emerging. This West Russian Liberation Army has been recruited from Russian prisoners of war of the World War with German help since May. Commander was Pavel Bermont-Awaloff appointed. The main force was the German Freikorps. After the political and financial prerequisites had been clarified, the army was to be strengthened to 200,000 men by disbanded internal German Freikorps. In fact, according to its own statements, Bermondt had around 50,000 men at its disposal at the end of September.

On August 26th, a conference of the Baltic States, Poland and the two Russian White Armies Bermondt and Yudenitsch took place in Riga under the leadership of the Allies . Here a joint offensive was decided, in which Bermondt's army was to advance via Dünaburg to Velikiye Luki . To prevent such an offensive, the Soviet government offered the Baltic states separate peace negotiations a little later. In addition, shortly thereafter, the Allies demanded in a renewed political about-face from Bermondt the withdrawal of the German troops, which finally brought the plan to failure.

Military conflict with Bermondt

Situation in November 1919

Bermondt's intransigence posed a threat to the Latvian state. At the end of September, Bermondt declared Courland a province of Russia and demanded that Latvia free march through to the Bolshevik front and the establishment of a base.

Due to the agreement with Soviet Russia, the Latvians were able to bring strong units from the eastern front in September. The balance of power with Bermondt was about equal. The attack by Bermondt on October 8th threw the Latvian army back onto the right bank of the Daugava and began hastily evacuating Riga. The allies questioned the viability of the new state and instead considered supporting Bermondt.

However, the military crisis was overcome. After changes in the military leadership and the arrival of two Estonian armored trains in Riga, the fighting spirit lifted and the front came to a standstill. The situation of the German-Russian associations of Bermondts, however, deteriorated decisively in October when the German border was closed to supplies. This blockage was due to political pressure from the Entente states, which had now decided to support Latvia at the peace conference in Paris. An Inter-Allied Baltic Commission was set up to monitor the repatriation.

With the help of the English naval artillery in the mouth of the Daugava, the Latvian army began a counter-offensive on November 3rd, which led to the breakthrough and recapture of the western Riga suburbs on November 11th. On November 21st, Jelgava was taken. On November 26, 1919, the Republic of Latvia even declared war on the German Reich. After the defeat, the defeated Bermondt troops had placed themselves under the command of General Walter von Eberhardt , von der Goltz's successor. By November 28, the last German-Russian associations had been driven out of western Latvia.

Fourth section: the offensive in Latgale and the conclusion of peace

negotiations

After the threat posed by Bermondt's army for both Latvia and Soviet Russia had been removed, the mutual contradiction came to the fore again. Negotiations about the voluntary evacuation of Latgale by the Soviet Army failed. Instead, after the victories over Yudenich and Denikin , Soviet troops were reinforced and propaganda increased in Latvia. The Latvian High Command questioned the readiness of large parts of its own troops to fight the Soviets.

Therefore, an offer of help from Poland, which was occupying the eastern part of Lithuania, was accepted. On December 29, 1919, a joint offensive was decided in Latgale.

Offensive in Latgale

Situation in January 1920

The Polish-Latvian Commander-in-Chief Edward Rydz-Śmigły had around 20,000 Latvian troops and three Polish divisions at his disposal on January 3, 1920 . The Soviets were outnumbered in infantry but had more artillery available.

The unexpectedly rapid advance made on January 3, Daugavpils , on 14 January pytalovo and on January 21, Rēzekne under the control of Latvia. After the Baltic State Army and the 9th Rossite Regiment had reached the border river Zilupe on January 30 , the front came to a standstill. On February 1, a Latvian-Soviet armistice came into force, which, out of consideration for the Allies and Poles, was initially kept secret from our own troops. That is why there were often local fighting.

End of the conflict

The Latvian Soviet government had already dissolved on January 13, 1920. On June 12, an agreement was reached on the mutual exchange of prisoners and refugees. On August 11, 1920, the Riga Peace Treaty between Latvia and Soviet Russia was finally signed. The formal state of war with Germany was ended on July 15, 1920.

A dispute over the demarcation of the border with Estonia and ownership of the town of Walk threatened to escalate into an armed conflict following an Estonian ultimatum on December 24, 1919. Under British pressure, the northern border of Latvia was determined on July 1, 1920 by a mixed commission headed by Stephen Tallents . Lithuanian troops cleared an area south of the Daugava claimed by Latvia under a similar arrangement in 1921.

Domestically, the state consolidated itself after the election to a constituent assembly . In 1920 the land reform law was passed.

After the Allies had given up their policy of intervention in Russia and established trade relations with Soviet Russia, Latvia was officially recognized de jure by England and France on January 26, 1921, and by the USA on July 27, 1922. Latvia also became a member of the League of Nations .

War victims

Loss of fighting troops

Only a few precise figures are available for the losses of the fighting troops. During the advance of the Bolshevik troops there was only brief fighting. The fighting was cruel and prisoners from the various warring factions were often shot. When Ventspils was conquered in January 1919, a German company that had surrendered to free withdrawal was captured and later completely killed. After the city was retaken on February 25, the Landeswehr took punitive action in which around 150 people were shot. The German VI. Reserve corps including the Latvian battalion suffered 362 casualties during the advance in March 1919 (about 120 dead). After the conquest of Riga, the number of deaths had risen to about 440 men. There are no Soviet reports of casualties , but after the defeats at Riga the number of deserters was many times that of the wounded and dead. Even when Bermondt's army collapsed in the autumn of 1919, the volunteers left their own troops in droves, so that no information on losses is available. The Latvian army lost 743 lives in the battle against Bermondt. The number of Latvian soldiers perished and missing during the conquest of Latgale, including the national army, was around 1,300 men.

Victims of “red” and “white” terror

The civilian population suffered most from the war. When the Bolsheviks withdrew in March 1918, many civilians who had been taken hostage were shot on the march to Pskov . In accordance with the ideology of the class struggle , no consideration was given to traditional war customs when they returned in December. The inviolability of parliamentarians was disregarded and civilians and soldiers of the opposing parties who came under red control were imprisoned or shot. After the establishment of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR), revolutionary tribunals were set up in the individual districts , which had to take action against the class enemy and could independently impose death sentences. This unrestricted power of the tribunals was often misused for personal enrichment or to settle old bills, including those from the time of the revolution of 1905 . The death sentences were usually carried out in newly established concentration camps near Valmiera , Pļaviņas and Biķernieki . Special government decrees were directed against pastors and the Baltic nobles , who on April 25, 1919, together with their family members, were placed outside the law. As the front approached, prisoners were either shot or taken back on death marches , as happened in Jelgava, Riga and Pļaviņas. The total death toll from "red" terror in Latvia is estimated at around 5,000. Some individual fates of church-oriented Evangelical German-Baltic victims of the “red” terror are commemorated in the Evangelical Name Calendar , namely Xaver Marnitz , Marie Schlieps , Karl Schlau and Marion von Klot , who are sometimes summarized in the church as “Baltic martyrs”.

The "white" terror in Latvia was carried out by various groups, some with different political motives. In the domain of the troops under Rüdiger von der Goltz, there was a strict military justice system with so-called martial law , which, however, only handled offenses by their own troops laxly. Often not only Bolsheviks and Red Army soldiers were shot, but everyone who seemed suspicious to the Germans. On the German-Baltic side, shootings were often described as a reaction to previous crimes of the Bolsheviks. In the winter and spring of 1919 around 150 people were killed at Ventspils , around 500 at Tukums and 600 people in Jelgava . In addition, the German mercenaries , some of whom included highly dubious elements, committed countless crimes for personal gain and some of the acts covered up by murdering the witnesses. In the days after the conquest of Riga on May 22, 1919, 2000 to 4000 people were killed while combed through the city, according to partly different press reports. The bodies, almost all of which were Latvians, lay unburied on the streets for days.

Even the courts-martial introduced on June 9 , which consisted of two officers from the German-Baltic and one from the Latvian part of the Landeswehr, passed their judgments mostly without taking evidence on the basis of personal suspicions. The present representatives of the bourgeois governments of Latvia and the Western Allies suspected that this was a deliberate step by the Germans to shift the demographic composition of the population in favor of the resident Baltic Germans and the planned Reich Germans willing to settle. After the West Russian Liberation Army took over command in October 1919, the terror was extended to include representatives of bourgeois Latvia. The terror under Rüdiger von der Goltz and later Pawel Bermondt-Awaloff cost the lives of a total of around 6,000 people.

Because of the war, more than 20,000 Baltic Germans had emigrated by July 1919. Many members of the Latvian rifle regiments also stayed in Soviet Russia after the peace agreement.

Destruction

The area of ​​Courland was already a combat zone in the First World War and was therefore partially devastated and abandoned. The fighting troops were maintained by requisitioning food in the hinterland. The government of the LSSR also transported food to Russia to support the Bolsheviks there in the civil war . Since little artillery was used in the conflict, the destruction was also limited compared to the First World War. Only in the western suburbs of Riga was there major damage to property at the end of October and beginning of November 1919 as a result of artillery fire from ship and ground guns. The damage to buildings caused when the Bermondt Army withdrew was estimated at 3 churches, 21 schools, 364 residential buildings and 710 farm buildings.

swell

literature

in order of appearance

  • Vilnis Sīpols: Foreign Intervention in Latvia. Rütten and Loening, Berlin (East) 1961.
  • Claus Grimm: At the gates of Europe 1918–1920. History of the Baltic State Army. Velmede, Hamburg 1963.
  • Edgars Andersons: Latvijas vēsture 1914–1920. Stockholm 1967.
  • Hans von Rimscha , Hellmuth Weiss : From the Baltic provinces to the Baltic states. Contributions to the genesis of the republics of Estonia and Latvia . JG Herder Institute, Marburg
    • Vol. 1: 1917-1918 , 1971.
    • Vol. 2: 1918-1920 , 1977.
  • Inta Pētersone (ed.): Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920. Enciklopēdja. Preses nams, Riga 1999, ISBN 9984-00-395-7 .
  • Igors Vārpa: Latviešu karavīrs zem Krievijas impērijas, Padomju Krievijas and PSRS karogiem. Nordik, Riga 2006, ISBN 9984-792-11-0 .
  • Wilhelm Lenz : The German Reich policy, the Bermondt company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner , Dietrich André Loeber , Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15-39.
  • Baltic Defense College: Baltic Security and Defense Review , ISSN  1736-3772 , Vol. 13 (2011), No. 2, pp. 162-204 (PDF; 11.57 kB).

Web links

Commons : Latvian War of Independence  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Lenz: The German Reich Policy, the Bermondt Company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner, Dietrich André Loeber, Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15–39, here p. 17.
  2. ^ Wilhelm Lenz: The German Reich Policy, the Bermondt Company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner, Dietrich André Loeber, Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15–39, here p. 18.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Lenz: The German Reich Policy, the Bermondt Company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner, Dietrich André Loeber, Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15–39, here p. 19.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Lenz: The German Reich Policy, the Bermondt Company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner, Dietrich André Loeber, Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15–39, here p. 20.
  5. ^ The campaign in the Baltic states up to the second capture of Riga. January to May 1919. Research Institute for War and Army History, Berlin 1937.
  6. ↑ Grimm: Before the gates of Europe. 1963, p. 87.
  7. ↑ Grimm: Before the gates of Europe. 1963, p. 83.
  8. ↑ von Rimscha, Weiss: From the Baltic Provinces to the Baltic States (1918–1920). 1977, p. 61.
  9. ↑ Georg von Rauch : History of the Baltic States . Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich, 2nd, reviewed edition 1977, ISBN 3-423-04297-4 , p. 68.
  10. ↑ Andersons: Latvijas vēsture 1914–1920. 1967, p. 436 f.
  11. ↑ von Rimscha, Weiss: From the Baltic Provinces to the Baltic States (1918–1920). 1977, p. 35.
  12. ↑ von Rimscha, Weiss: From the Baltic Provinces to the Baltic States (1918–1920). 1977, p. 37.
  13. ^ Wilhelm Lenz: The German Reich Policy, the Bermondt Company and the Baltic Germans 1918/1919 . In: Boris Meissner, Dietrich André Loeber, Detlef Henning (eds.): The German ethnic group in Latvia during the interwar period and current issues of German-Latvian relations . Bibliotheca Baltica, Tallinn 2000, ISBN 9985-800-21-4 , pp. 15–39, here p. 16.
  14. ↑ Congress of the United States, House Select Committee on Communist Aggression (ed.): Report of the Select Committee to Investigate Communist Aggression and the Forced Incorporation of the Baltic States Into the USSR: Third Interim Report of the Select Committee on Communist Aggression, House of Representatives, Eighty-third Congress, Second Session, Under Authority of H. Res. 346 and H. Res. 438 . U.S. Government Printing Office, December 31, 1953, pp. 62 (English, GoogleBooks ).
  15. ↑ Stephen Tallents : Man and Boy. Faber & Faber, London 1943, p. 371. Chapter: The Latvian-Estonian frontier.
  16. ↑ Grimm: Before the gates of Europe. 1963, pp. 131/132.
  17. ↑ Sīpols: Foreign Intervention in Latvia. 1961, p. 123.
  18. ↑ von der Goltz: My broadcast in Finland and the Baltic States. 1920, p. 145.
  19. ^ Eugen Freiherr von Engelhardt, Wilhelm Freiherr von Engelhardt: The ride to Riga. Volk und Reich Verlag, Berlin 1938, p. 122.
  20. ↑ Igors Vārpa: Latviešu karavīrs zem sarkanbaltsarkanā karoga. Nordik, Riga 2008, p. 360.
  21. ↑ Pētersone: Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920. 1999, p. 257.
  22. ↑ see e.g. B. von der Goltz: My broadcast in Finland and the Baltic States. 1920, p. 213.
  23. ↑ Pētersone: Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920. 1999, p. 70.
  24. ↑ Pētersone: Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920. 1999, p. 71.
  25. ↑ Grimm: Before the gates of Europe , p. 272.
  26. ↑ Igors Vārpa: Latviešu karavīrs zem sarkanbaltsarkanā karoga. Nordik, Riga 2008, p. 361.