Battle of Wends
The Battle of Wenden ( Estonian Võnnu lahing , Battle of Võnnu ; Latvian Cēsu kaujas , Battle of Cēsis ) was a battle in the Estonian and Latvian Wars of Freedom . The battle took place from June 19 to 23, 1919 between Estonian-Latvian troops and the Baltic State Armed Forces, reinforced by German Freikorps .
prehistory
Latvia had declared independence in 1918 after World War I , but was unable to defend itself effectively against the Latvian Red Riflemen, supported by the Russian Bolsheviks . They had conquered Riga on January 4, 1919 and continued to advance towards East Prussia . This threat brought the interests of the Latvian parliamentary government together with those of Germany, the Triple Entente and the resident German-Baltic minority. A combined force under Major General von der Goltz ( VI. Reserve Corps ) consisted of German regular units and Freikorps as well as the Baltic State Army, which also included Latvian and Tsarist Russian troops . By March 1919 the Bolsheviks were repulsed.
The differences between the various parties intensified. After a military coup, the Baltic Germans installed a new government under Andrievs Niedra in order to maintain their old claims to rule. The city of Riga was recaptured on May 22, 1919.
After the Bolshevik threat had been removed, the differences in the previous coalition also broke out. England and neighboring Estonia continued to support the deposed parliamentary government. In order to maintain their leadership role, the Baltic Germans decided to create a fait accompli by occupying the rest of the state. Instead of making a joint front with Estonia against the Bolsheviks, the Baltic State Armed Forces marched into northern Latvia, which was occupied by the Estonians, at the beginning of June. After the first conflicts, it was decided to use force.
Rüdiger von der Goltz secretly supported the company in connection with the Versailles Treaty , the acceptance or rejection of which was under discussion at this time. The Latvian and Russian sections of the Landeswehr under Jānis Balodis and Anatol Lieven declared themselves neutral. Even the soldiers of the Freikorps, who were later asked for help, had little zeal for the fight, as they had been recruited to fight against Bolshevism and did not want to sacrifice themselves for the interests of the "Baltic barons".
The English supported the Estonian army mainly through arms deliveries. Under Estonian protection, the Latvian North Corps was formed under Jorģis Zemitāns in early 1919 . Many of the defeated Red Army soldiers switched to Zemitāns, who had already begun expropriating the large landowners in Northern Latvia. The Estonian and Latvian soldiers were highly motivated. There were Estonians who deserted from the Russian front in order to be able to fight against the former German-Baltic masters.
Course of the battle
Taking turns
On June 5, there was the first skirmish between the two armies, which reached their preliminary climax with the German conquest of Wenden . With the mediation of the Entente , a provisional armistice was concluded on June 10th. During the negotiations, Latvian troops joined the Estonians, which was one of the reasons why talks failed on June 19 and a battle broke out.
battle
On June 19, the Iron Division opened the fighting with an attack on the Estonian positions near Limbaži . The attack stalled at Straupe . On June 21, the Landeswehr attacked from Cēsis in three attack columns. The right group should go through Rauna , the left along the road to Valmiera . The task of the middle group was to move between the wings and block the Walk - Valmiera railway line .
The attacks by the Landeswehr came to a standstill, especially with the left attack group at Lode station. Estonian reinforcements were brought into battle directly from the rail ramp. After the failure of the breakthrough, the left flank was endangered as a result of a defeat at the Iron Division, which led to the accelerated retreat of the Landeswehr on June 23.
Further development
After the battle, the Estonian-Latvian troops were able to advance further on Riga. Von der Goltz, who was now officially in command again, was unable to stabilize the front despite reinforcements. A Latvian uprising was threatened in Riga and the seaside was also unprotected. Since Riga could no longer be held, an armistice, the so-called Peace of Strasdenhof, was concluded on July 3, 1919 , which resulted in the return of the Latvian parliamentary government. The Latvian army was now formed from the North Corps, the Balodis Brigade and the defunct Baltic State Armed Forces. The German occupying force was asked to leave the country, the Russian department for Lieven Jew Nitsch - Army transferred.
meaning
- With the defeat in the Battle of Wenden, the German-Baltic minority had lost its position of power. After the Treaty of Versailles had been signed, no further support from Germany could be expected. The Baltic National Committee decided to work in the Latvian parliamentary state.
- The Latvians and Estonians had preserved their state and achieved a symbolic national victory over the former German-Baltic upper class. June 23 is still a national holiday in Estonia today .
- By consolidating the states of Estonia and Latvia, the Red Army was able to withdraw troops to other fronts of the civil war . The white movement , which did not recognize the independence of the border states, lost influence under the Entente.
literature
- War History Research Office of the Army: The fighting in the Baltic States after the second capture of Riga. Berlin 1938.
- Claus Grimm: At the gates of Europe 1918–1920. History of the Baltic State Army. Velmede, Hamburg 1963.
- Josef Bischoff: The last front 1919. History of the Iron Division in the Baltic States 1919. Berlin 1935.
- Rüdiger von der Goltz: My broadcast in Finland and the Baltic States. Koehler, Leipzig 1920, (German Memorabilia). (on-line)
- M. Peniķis: Latvijas atbrīvošanas kaŗa vēsture. 4 volumes. Austrālijas latviešu balva Jaunsargiem, Riga 2006, ISBN 9984-19-951-7 (Latvian).
- Inta Pētersone: Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920: enciklopēdija. Preses nams, Riga 1999, ISBN 9984-00-395-7 (Latvian).
- Eesti Vabadussõda 1918–1920. 2 volumes. Vabadussõja Ajaloo Committee, Reval 1937–1939 (Estonian).
- August Traksmaa: Lühike vabadussõja ajalugu. Olion, 1992, ISBN 5-450-01325-6 (Estonian).
- Ülo Kaevats: Eesti Entsüklopeedia 10. Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, Tallinn 1998, ISBN 5-89900-054-6 (Estonian).
- Jaan Maide: Ülevaade Eesti Vabadussõjast (1918–1920) . Kaitseliit, Tallinn 1933, therein Chapter IX: Põhja-Läti vabastamise operatsioonid 1919. a. kevadel ja suvel (Estonian); Published in several parts as PDF by the Estonian Military Academy (Kaitseväe Ühendatud Õppeasutused), part 5 , pp. 40–72.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Nikolai Reek: Lemsalu - Roopa - Võnnu - Ronneburgi lahing 19. - 23. VI. 1919. a.
- ↑ Inta Pētersone: Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920: enciklopēdija. Preses nams, Riga 1999
- ↑ August Traksmaa: Lühike vabadussõja ajalugu . Olion, 1992, pp. 150-151.
- ↑ August Traksmaa: Lühike vabadussõja ajalugu . Olion, 1992, p. 156.
- ↑ Count Alexander Stenbock-Fermor: The red count . Autobiography. Berlin 1973, p. 103ff.