Latvian War of Independence

The Latvian War of Independence (Latvian: Latvijas Neatkarības karš), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles (Latvijas brīvības cīņas) or the Latvian War of Liberation (Latvijas atbrīvošanas karš), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invaded by Soviet Russia, and the signing of the Latvian-Soviet Riga Peace Treaty on 11 August 1920.[4]

Quick facts: Latvian War of Independence, Date, Location, ... ▼

Latvian War of Independence
Part of Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War
The North Latvian Brigade entering Riga in 1919
Date 5 December 1918 – 11 August 1920 (1 year, 8 months and 6 days) Location Latvia Result Latvian victory Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty Territorial changes Independence of Latvia
Belligerents
1918–April 1919  Latvia[nb 1] VI Reserve Corps Baltische Landeswehr Latvian Independent Brigade Lieven detachment Freikorps  Estonia Finnish volunteers North Latvian Brigade		1918–April 1919  Soviet Russia  Soviet Latvia
April–July 1919  Latvia[nb 1]  Estonia North Latvian Brigade Danish volunteers	April–July 1919 VI Reserve Corps Baltische Landeswehr (South) Latvian Independent Brigade[nb 2] Lieven detachment[nb 2] Freikorps	April–July 1919  Soviet Russia  Soviet Latvia
July 1919–1920  Latvia Latvian Army[nb 3] Baltische Landeswehr  Poland  Estonia  United Kingdom[nb 4]  France[nb 4]	October–December 1919 West Russian Volunteer Army[nb 5] Freikorps Russian units	July 1919–1920  Soviet Russia  Soviet Latvia
Commanders and leaders
Kārlis Ulmanis Oskars Kalpaks Jānis Balodis Dāvids Sīmansons Jorģis Zemitāns Roberts Dambītis Ernst Põdder Viktor Puskar Edward Rydz-Śmigły Harold Alexander	Rüdiger von der Goltz Alfred Fletcher Josef Bischoff Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Walter von Eberhardt	Jukums Vācietis Sergei Kamenev Dmitry Nadyozhny Vladimir Gittis Pēteris Slavens
Strength
69,232 (January 1920)[1]
Casualties and losses
3,046 killed 4,085 wounded[2]	840 killed 3,000 wounded[3]	unknown at least 2000 POWs captured 11 executed
All Latvian national units with formal allegiance to Latvian Provisional Government were under German and Estonian military commands at this period. Fought only against Soviets. Formed from merger of (South) Latvian Independent Brigade and North Latvian Brigade. Naval support. Fought only against Latvia and its allies.

Part of a series on the
History of Latvia
Ancient Latvia Kunda culture Narva culture Corded Ware culture Amber Road / Aesti Baltic Finns (Livonians, Vends) Balts Latgalians Curonians Selonians Semigallians
Middle Ages Principality of Jersika Principality of Koknese Tālava Livonian Crusade Livonian Brothers of the Sword Livonian Order Archbishopric of Riga Bishopric of Courland Terra Mariana Baltic Germans
Early modern period Livonian War Kingdom of Livonia Duchy of Livonia Inflanty Voivodeship Swedish Livonia Polish–Swedish Wars (1600–1629) Second Northern War Great Northern War Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Couronian colonization
National Awakening Governorate of Livonia Courland Governorate Vitebsk Governorate The First Latvian National Awakening New Current
Modern Latvia Latvian Riflemen German occupation United Baltic Duchy Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic War of Independence 1934 Latvian coup d'état 1940 Soviet occupation Nazi occupation The Holocaust in Latvia 1944 Soviet re-occupation Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Popular Front of Latvia Singing Revolution Restoration of Independence 2008 Latvian financial crisis
Chronology
Latvia portal
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The war can be divided into a few stages: Soviet offensive, German-Latvian liberation of Kurzeme and Riga, Estonian-Latvian liberation of Vidzeme, Bermontian offensive, Latvian-Polish liberation of Latgale.

The war involved Latvia (its provisional government supported by Estonia, Poland and the Western Allies—particularly the navy of United Kingdom) against the Russian SFSR and the Bolsheviks' short-lived Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic. Germany and the Baltic nobility added another level of intrigue, initially being nominally allied to the Nationalist/Allied force but attempting to jockey for German domination of Latvia. Eventually, tensions flared up after a German coup against the Latvian government, leading to open war.

Following a cease-fire, a ploy was developed by the Germans, nominally dissolving into the West Russian Volunteer Army led by Gen. Pavel Bermont-Avalov. This West Russian Volunteer Army included Germans and former Russian prisoners of war nominally allied with the White Army in the Russian Civil War, but both Bermondt-Avalov and von der Goltz were more interested in eliminating the nationalists than fighting the Bolsheviks.

Certain episodes of the Latvian Independence War were also part of the Polish-Soviet War, particularly the Battle of Daugavpils.