Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis

Significant changes in the social position of women in Europe, including Latvia, began in the 19th century, and peaked during the First World War. In Latvia, however, the momentum intensified during the War of Independence following the Great War, as women became increasingly involved in political, social and even military activities. They not only joined medical services and took on administrative roles, but also actively supported the Latvian army through their work with the Latvian Women’s Relief Corps (LWRC). Established in September 1919, the LWRC quickly became the most prominent and the largest women’s organisation in Latvia, earning recognition as the country’s first mass women’s association. This article discusses the founding and the activities of the LWRC during the Latvian War of Independence, including its contributions to supply, catering, sanitation, soldiers’ entertainment, social work, and more.

Following the Bolshevik Red Army’s invasion of what it considered to be the ‘western fringes’ of the former Imperial Russia in November 1918, the Latvian Provisional Government, which claimed part of this territory, concluded an agreement with August Winnig, the plenipotentiary of the German government, on 29 December 1918, to provide aid in its defence. After being promised land, volunteers recruited in Germany headed eastwards to reinforce the units that had already begun to be formed there from the forces of the armed Baltic Germans or the remnants of the retreating German army. Major General Rüdiger von der Goltz, who arrived in Liepāja at the beginning of 1919, took command of all anti-Soviet forces in west Latvia and northwest Lithuania, which were merged into the 6th Reserve Corps. In March 1919, the 6th Reserve Corps launched the Tauwetter, Eisgang and Frühlingswind offensive operations. The offensive resulted in the defeat of the 1st Rifle Brigade and the 2nd Rifle Division of the Soviet Latvian Army, and the liberation of Kurzeme (Kurland) up to the River Lielupe. The article discusses the structure and battle strength of the opposing forces, and the plans drawn up by both sides, and describes in detail the course of the fighting. The aim of the research is to analyse the factors that enable one side or another to implement the principles of mission command while executing manoeuvre warfare.

In early 1919, Courland, which had already been semi-abandoned during the First World War, turned into an area of the Baltic region where at least four political agendas, and, in many cases, the military forces that supported them, clashed. The Bolsheviks exported their world revolution and acted through the Army of Soviet Latvia. The German armed forces had withdrawn from parts of Estonia and Latvia, and were still under the command of Berlin. Volunteer units formed with the help of the German army, many of which included local Baltic Germans. The Latvian Provisional Government and the units loyal to it was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Oskars Kalpaks. All these forces needed motivated soldiers and loyal civilians who might become engaged in military activities. The article discusses the political, economic and social backgrounds that contributed to the motivation of soldiers and the public support for the warring parties, with a particular focus on how important the sense of belonging and identity was in these circumstances.

When the People’s Council of Latvia gathered in Riga on 18 November 1918 to proclaim Latvia’s independence, the Latvian Provisional Government did not yet have an army capable of defending it, and the entire territory claimed for the future Latvia was still under the control of German troops. In late 1918 and early 1919, the subsequent building up of the first army formations of the Republic of Latvia took place under extremely challenging circumstances. The government lacked financial resources, weapons, equipment and ammunition, while the Red Army advanced rapidly from the east. Initially, the armed forces were formed based on a compromise reached with Germany and according to the principle of ethnic division. After the loss of Rīga and the withdrawal to Liepāja in January 1919, a new line of division emerged: Latvian military units loyal to the Provisional Government were simultaneously formed in two distant regions, in the Liepāja area and in Estonia. The article aims to analyse the impact of both these factors on the development of the Latvian armed forces and the course of the Latvian War of Independence.