List of bearers of the bear slayer order, 1st class
The list of bearers of the Bear Killer Order I Class contains the names of all eleven people who were honored with the Bear Killer Order I Class as the highest state honor in Latvia for their military services between November 11, 1920 and November 11, 1928 . The awards were presented on November 11, the day of the bear killer - on the occasion of the anniversary of the expulsion of the pro-Russian Baltic German Bermondt Army by the Latvian army from Riga in 1919 .
Awards events
The first award of the Bear Slayer Order took place under President Jānis Čakste on November 11, 1920 in Riga . In this as well as in the two following years no first class medal has been awarded. According to the regulations, the award was first in the III. Class awarded. After that, the award could also be earned in the second or first grade.
In 1923, in deviation from these guidelines, bear slayer orders of the first class were awarded to four foreigners.
Medal bearer
The information includes the year of the award, the name of the recipient and the year of birth or death.
Belgium
Estonia
- 1924: General Johan Laidoner (1884–1953), (1923: 2nd class)
France
- 1923: Marshal Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929)
- ????: General Eugène Jannin ( Maurice Janin ?, Genin, Genine?) (Russian Эйжен Жанен , Lat. Eižens Žanens or Altlett. Janin's ) (1923: 2nd class)
Italy
- 1923: King Victor Emanuel III. (1869–1947)
- ????: Prime Minister Benito Mussolini (1883–1945)
Latvia
- ????: General Jānis Balodis (1881–1965)
- ????: General Krišjānis Berķis (1884–1942)
- ????: Colonel Fridrihs Briedis (1888-1918)
- ????: Colonel Oskars Kalpaks (1882-1919)
Poland
- 1923: Marshal Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935)
Web links
- History of the Bear Killer Order on the website of the Latvian President
photos
Newspaper reports
The newspaper "Latvian Fighters" (Lat. Latvijas Kareivis ) reported on the awards in old Latvian script, which the Latvian National Library has online:
- November 13, 1920, p. 2 (PDF; 1.6 MB)
- November 12, 1921, p. 1 (PDF; 1.5 MB)
- November 12, 1922, p. 1 (PDF; 1.3 MB)
- November 11, 1923, p. 1 (PDF; 1.1 MB)