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Rūdolfs Gaitars
Rūdolfs Gaitars (29 May 1907 – 22 March 1945) was a Waffen-Obersturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was the first Latvian to be awarded the German Cross in Gold. Pre-War Life Gaitars was born on 29 May 1907 in Penkule Parish, Semigallia. Before the war he worked as school administrator in a local Penkule primary school. In the Second World War He was dismissed from his school post in September 1940, following the Soviet occupation of Latvia. He then served in the Latvian army and reached the rank of warrant officer. During the Soviet mass deportations on 14 June 1941 Gaitars was on the deportee list, but hid in a forest. His family was sent to Siberia. After Operation Barbarossa started in June 1941, Gaitars organised armed units in Penkule. Together with ex-members of the Aizsargi (home guard) he set up checkpoints on roads and arrested Soviet activists and politicians. Gaitars became Commandant of the Penkule parish. In May 1942 he enlisted in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penkule Parish
Penkule Parish ( lv, Penkules pagasts) is an administrative unit of Dobele Municipality, Latvia. Towns, villages and settlements of Penkule Parish * Penkule *Baldonas * Ezeriņi *Skujaine Skujaine is a village in Penkule Parish and Dobele Municipality in the historical region of Zemgale, and the Zemgale Planning Region in Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Lat ... References Dobele Municipality Parishes of Latvia {{Zemgale-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Semigallia
Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tribe. They are noted for their long resistance (1219–1290) against the German crusaders and Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades. Semigallians had close linguistic and cultural ties with Samogitians. Name The name of Semigallia appears in sources such as ''Seimgala'', ''Zimgola'' and ''Sem'' 'e'''gallen''. The -gal element means "border" or "end", while the first syllable corresponds to ''ziem'' ("north"). So the Semigallians were the "people of the northern borderlands" i.e. the lower parts of the Mūša and Lielupe river valleys. Territory 1st - 4th centuries Between the 1st and the 4th century the cultural area of Semigal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Company (military Unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. Usually several companies are grouped as a battalion or regiment, the latter of which is sometimes formed by several battalions. Occasionally, ''independent'' or ''separate'' companies are organized for special purposes, such as the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company or the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company. These companies are not organic to a battalion or regiment, but rather report directly to a higher level organization such as a Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters (i.e., a corps-level command). Historical background The modern military company became popularized during the reorganization of the Swedish Army in 1631 under King Gustav II Adolph. For administrative purposes, the infantry was divided into companies consisti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
