The Battle of Tartu () was fought between the 13th and 14th of January, 1919 in the Estonian War of Independence between the units of the Estonian 2nd Division and the forces of the

Red Latvian Riflemen The Latvian Riflemen (; ) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic governorates against the German Empire in World War I. Initially, the battalions were formed ...

. The battle was a significant battle in the Estonian War of Independence, allowing Estonian troops to liberate the rest of Southern Estonia from Soviet forces.

Course of the Battle

On January 9, the commander of the 2nd Division, Colonel

Viktor Puskar Viktor Puskar VR I/1 ( in Viljandi – 12 April 1943 in Tartu) was an Estonian military commander (Colonel) during the Estonian War of Independence. In 1911 he graduated from Vilnius Military Academy. Puskar participated in World War I, joinin ...

, ordered the conquest of Tartu.

Anton Irv Anton Irv VR I/2, VR II/2, VR II/3 (17 September 1886 – 27 April 1919) was a highly decorated Estonian combat soldier and military officer during World War I and in the Estonian War of Independence.Toivo Miljan, ''Historical Dictionary of Es ...

and

Karl Parts Karl Parts VR I/1, VR II/2, VR II/3 (15 July 1886 in Palupera Parish, Estonia – 1 September 1941 in Kirov, Soviet Union) was an Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence. In 1915, he graduated from Peterhof Milit ...

, the commanders of the armored trains, met the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion who had reached the railway in

Kaarepere Kaarepere () is a village in Jõgeva Parish, Jõgeva County in eastern Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west b ...

and made a proposal to

Julius Kuperjanov Julius Kuperjanov VR I/2, VR II/2 and VR II/3 ( – 2 February 1919) was an Estonian military officer who helped to liberate Tartu during the War of Independence, and was the commander of the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion, posthumously renamed ...

to go to Tartu together. Kuperjanov agreed and the partisans were accommodated on the train. Before arriving in Tartu, engaged in smaller fights on the evening of January 13 in

Voldi Voldi is a village in Tartu Parish, Tartu County in Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea ac ...

Äksi Äksi is a small borough () in Tartu Parish, Tartu County in Estonia. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Saadjärv, and has a population of 480 (as of 1 January 2020). From the Middle Ages until the first half of the 20th century, Äk ...

and

Kärkna Kõnnujõe is a village in Tartu Parish, Tartu County in Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic S ...

. Arriving near Tartu, Armored train No. 1 sent out a group of men, which secured a bridge, allowing armored trains to safely cross the bridge and access the city. The Red Latvian Riflemen were unable to repel Estonian forces. The city was cleared of the Soviet Forces on January 14, while the remaining Red Latvian Riflemen fled to the cities of

Võru Võru (; ; ) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the o ...

and Valga.

The Tartu Credit Center Massacre

After Estonian troops arrived in Tartu, they found out that the Red forces had committed mass murder in Tartu, killing 19 civilians in the basement of the Tartu Credit Center at Kompanii Street 5, including the first Estonian Orthodox Bishop

Platon Platon is a masculine given name and surname which may refer to: Given name * Plato (exarch) (), romanized as Plátōn, Exarch of Ravenna in the Byzantine Empire from 645 to 649 * Platon, obscure ancient Greek writer of uncertain date, whose a ...

, high priests

Nikolai Bežanitski Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

and

Mikhail Bleive Michael is a common masculine given name derived from the Hebrew phrase ''mī kāʼēl'', 'Who slike-El', in Aramaic: ܡܝܟܐܝܠ (''Mīkhāʼēl'' ). The theophoric name is often read as a rhetorical question – "Who slike he Hebrew Go ...

, and Moritz Wilhelm Paul Schwartz, pastor of Tartu St. John's Congregation, and 14 other civilians of Tartu.

Memorial

In 1932, a memorial to the Battle of Tartu was installed in Tähtvere Park. It was demolished by the Soviets in 1941, rebuilt in 1942, demolished again in 1944 and rebuilt in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tartu, Battle of Battles of the Estonian War of Independence Tartu 1919 in Estonia January 1919 in Europe