Baltische Landeswehr

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Baltische Landeswehr
Harold Alexander
Insignia
Identification
symbol		Shoulder strap piping in light blue and white, the Baltic colors.

The Baltic Landwehr or Baltische Landeswehr ("Baltic Territorial Army") was the name of the unified

nobility from 7 December 1918 to 3 July 1919.[1]

Command structure

Rüdiger von der Goltz, Major-General

The Landeswehr was subordinated to the German VI Reserve Corps which Generalmajor Rüdiger von der Goltz (military governor of Libau in Latvia from 1 February 1919) commanded from 2 February 1919[2] until 12 October 1919.

Harold Alexander commanded the Landeswehr during its operations.[1]

Commanders

History

A member of the Baltic Landeswehr

After the November 11, 1918,

Baltic countries to prevent the region from being re-occupied by the Red Army. As the Soviet westward offensive approached, the Provisional Government of Latvia approached August Winnig, the German attorney in the Baltics, and signed an agreement with him authorising the organisation of land defense forces on 7 December 1918. The parties signed another agreement on 29 December which secured all foreign soldiers, who participated in the battles for the freedom of Latvia, full citizenship of Latvia.[3] The arms, horse harness and uniforms were to be supplied by the state of Germany.[3] The food supplies were to be taken care of by the Provisional Government of Latvia.[3]

Theaters and campaigns

In late February 1919 only the seaport of

Hubert de la Poer Gough
had arrived in the Baltic with the task of clearing the Germans from the region and organizing native armies for the Baltic States. To ensure its return to Latvian control, the Baltische Landeswehr was placed under British authority.

Subsequent

After taking command of the Baltische Landeswehr in mid-July 1919, Lieutenant-Colonel

Imperial Germany
.

The Germans released from the Baltische Landeswehr were incorporated into the Deutsche Legion[4][circular reference] in September 1919. The legion served under the West Russian Volunteer Army commanded by Colonel Prince Pavel Bermondt-Avalov in his attempt to capture Riga, but suffered complete defeat by the end of November 1919.

The British insisted that General von der Goltz leave Latvia, and he turned his troops over to Bermondt-Avalov's

memoirs that his major strategic goal in 1919 had been to launch a campaign in cooperation with the white Russian forces to overturn the Bolshevik regime by marching on Saint Petersburg
and to install a pro-German government in Russia.

The purged Baltische Landeswehr units subsequently assisted in the liberation of Latgale from Bolsheviks together with Latvian and Polish armies in January 1920.

Prominent members

German Landeswehr memorial, Forest Cemetery, Riga

Prominent Baltic officers from the Landeswehr era include:

(the ranks are the highest ranks reached in the

Third Reich
era)

Rank insignia

Members of the Baltische Landeswehr wore shoulder strap piping in light blue and white, the Baltic colors.

Commissioned officers
Rank group Field/senior officers Junior officers
Baltische Landeswehr[5]
Befehlshaber Kommandeur
Major
Rittmeister
Kornett
 		Fähnrich
Enlisted personnel
Rank group NCOs Other ranks
Baltische Landeswehr[5]
Wachtmeister Oberfeldmeister Feldmeister Gefreiter Soldat

Order of battle (20 May 1919)

  • 1. Deutsch-Balt. Kampfbataillon (Stoßtrupp Manteuffel; Baron Hans von Manteuffel)
  • 2. Deutsch-Balt. Kampfbataillon (Hauptmann Malmede)
  • 3. Deutsch-Balt. Kampfbataillon (Rittmeister Graf zu Eulenburg)
  • MG-Scharfschützen-Abteilung (Hauptmann Freiherr von Khaynach)
  • Russische Abteilung Fürst Lieven (Cavalry Captain Prince Anatolii Pavlovich Liven or, in German, Fürst Anatol Leonid Lieven)
  • Lettische Kampf-Brigade (Colonel Jānis Balodis)
  • Stamm-Kompanie Talssen
  • Stamm-Kompanie Tuckum
  • Balten-Kompanie des Gouvernement Libau
  • Elements of the MG-Kompanie of III./Freiwilligen-Regiment Libau (Gouvernement Libau)
  • Lettische Kavallerie-Abteilung
  • Russische Kavallerie-Abteilung
  • Kavallerie-Abteilung Engelhardt
  • Kavallerie-Abteilung Drachenfels
  • Kavallerie-Abteilung Pappenheim
  • Kavallerie-Abteilung Halm
  • 1. Deutsch-Balt. Batterie (Ehmke)
  • 2. Deutsch-Balt. Batterie (Barth)
  • 3. Deutsch-Balt. Batterie (Sievert)
  • Deutsch-Balt. Haubitze-Batterie
  • Russische Batterie (Röhl)
  • Badisches Freiwilligen Abteilung Medem (attached Korpstruppe)
  • Lettische Pionier-Kompanie
  • Pionier-Abteilung Stromberg
  • Balt. Fernsprech-Abteilung
  • Lettische Fernsprech-Abteilung
  • Balt. Funker-Abteilung
  • Flieger-Abteilung 433 (attached Korpstruppe)
  • Armee-Kraftwagen-Kolonne 021 (attached Korpstruppe)
  • Staffel-Stab der Landeswehr (Major Wölki)
    • Munitions- und Train-Kolonne I
    • Munitions- und Train-Kolonne II
    • Landeskolonne III
  • Feldlazarett
  • Sanitäts-Kompanie
  • Sanitäts-Kraftwagen-Zug
  • Wirtschafts-Kompanie 1
  • Wirtschafts-Kompanie 2
  • Bahnschutz-Detachement
  • Pferdelazarett
  • Sammeldepot Libau

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Colonel Jaan Maide (1933). Ülevaade Eesti Vabadussõjast (1918–1920) [Overview of the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920)] (in Estonian). Archived from the original on 2010-08-22.
  2. ISBN 9783764817794
    . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Die Baltische Landeswehr im Befreiungskampf gegen den Bolschewismus: ein Gedenkbuch [The Baltic State Army in the liberation struggle against Bolshevism: a commemorative book] (in German). Riga: Ernst Plates. 1939.
  4. ^ de:Deutsche Legion (1919)
  5. ^ a b Boltowsky, Tomans; Thomas, Nigel (2019). Armies of the Baltic Independence Wars 1918-1920. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 63.

Bibliography

External links

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