Battle of Paju
Battle of Paju | |||||||
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Part of Estonian War of Independence | |||||||
Battle of Paju. Painting by Maximilian Maksolly | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic Soviet Russia | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Hans Kalm Julius Kuperjanov † Johannes Soodla | Emīls Vītols | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Tartumaa Partisan Battalion Pohjan Pojat |
Red Latvian Riflemen | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Estonia: 300 soldiers 13 machine guns 2 field guns Finnish volunteers: 380 soldiers 9 machine guns 4 field guns Total: 683 soldiers 22 machine guns 6 field guns |
1,200 soldiers 32 machine guns 4 field guns 1 armoured train | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
156 | 300 dead |
The Battle of Paju (
Background
In early January 1919 Estonian forces had started a full-scale counterattack against invading Soviets. Their main objective was liberating north Estonia including
At that time the only working railway connection to
Battle
To liberate
The Tartumaa Partisan Battalion attacked the manor directly over open fields. At 400 metres the Bolsheviks opened fire, inflicting heavy casualties. Kuperjanov led the attack personally,[4] as usual, and was badly wounded, dying two days later. When he was hit, Lt. Johannes Soodla took command of the battalion. Finnish Sons of the North units with about 380 men arrived later, bringing with them four guns and nine machine guns. They also assaulted the manor in a frontal attack, which caused heavy losses.
In the evening the Estonians and Finns finally pushed into the park of the estate where heavy hand-to-hand combat started, which resulted in the capture of the manor. Retreating Latvian Riflemen were subjected to heavy fire. The next day the Estonians marched into Valga without resistance.[6]
Aftermath
The bloody Battle of Paju resulted in the liberation of Valga the next day. The victory cut off the Soviets' railway supply line and denied them the use of armoured trains. Soon almost all of southern Estonia was liberated and Estonian troops advanced into northern Latvia.
To honour Julius Kuperjanov, who died of the wounds he sustained during the battle, on 2 February, the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion was renamed
See also
Footnotes
- Kaitseliitpublishing, Tartu
- ^ a b Traksmaa, August: Lühike Vabadussõja ajalugu, page 102. Olion, 1992
- ^ Traksmaa, August: Lühike abadussõja ajalugu, page 105. Olion, 1992
- ^ a b Traksmaa, August: Lühike Vabadussõja ajalugu, page 106. Olion, 1992
- ^ Kaevats, Ülo: Eesti entsüklopeedia 7, page 146. Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, 1994
- ^ a b Traksmaa, August: Lühike Vabadussõja ajalugu, page 109. Olion, 1992
- ^ Eesti Kaitsevägi:Kuperjanovi Üksik-jalaväepataljon Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
References
- Traksmaa, August (1992). Lühike Vabadussõja ajalugu. Olion. ISBN 5-450-01325-6.
- Kaevats, Ülo (1994). Eesti entsüklopeedia 7. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus. ISBN 5-89900-029-5.
- Eesti Kaitsevägi:Kuperjanovi Üksik-jalaväepataljon