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The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a pro-German White Russian military formation in
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
during the
Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
from November 1918 to December 1919.


History

The , unlike the pro- Entente
Volunteer Army The Volunteer Army (; ), abbreviated to (), also known as the Southern White Army was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1920. The Volunteer Army fought against Bolsheviks and the Makhnovists on the ...
in Southern Russia, was supported and in fact put together under German auspices. The Compiègne Armistice of November 1918, in article 12, stipulated that troops of the former
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
would remain in the Baltic provinces of the former
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
to help fight against
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
advances and that such German units were to withdraw once the Allies determined that the situation was under control. The order to withdraw was given after signing of the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
in June 1919. However, only a small portion of the
Freikorps in the Baltic The Freikorps in the Baltic were German paramilitary units that formed after the German Empire's defeat in World War I. Their aim was to prevent the advance of the Soviet Red Army into the Baltic states and preserve a German presence there. The t ...
retired in response to the Allies' order; the rest remained under the
leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
of the German Army General
Rüdiger von der Goltz Gustav Adolf Joachim Rüdiger Graf von der Goltz (8 December 1865 – 4 November 1946) was a German army general during the First World War. He commanded the Baltic Sea Division, which successfully intervened in the Finnish Civil War in the sp ...
. To avoid casting blame on Germany and infuriating the Allies, von der Goltz withdrew into the background. The first units of the future WRVA were brought from Germany to Latvia on 30 May 1919. On June 12,
Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Prince Pavel Rafailovich Bermondt-Avalov () or Prince Avalov ( – 27 December 1973) was a Russian officer and Cossack adventurer-warlord. He is best known as the commander of the West Russian Volunteer Army which was active in present-day Latvia ...
arrived in
Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...
with his headquarters, and on July 10 formed the Central Council of the Western Russian District. It put into circulation special money printed in Germany and followed the German government's instructions while receiving financial and military support from large German industrialists such as
Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...
as well as others. The WRVA first appeared in Lithuania, in
Kuršėnai Kuršėnai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Koršienā'') is a city in northwestern Lithuania, Šiauliai County, Šiauliai district municipality. It is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2023 estimate, it had 10,651 r ...
, on 26 July 1919, where they began to requisition apartments. Although the Lithuanian government demanded that the WRVA move out of Lithuania, they ignored the demands, meaning that only force would push it out. Initially, on the Lithuanian side, the units on the anti-Bermontian front were mostly the Raseiniai Commandant's Company on the right flank and the Pasvalys Battalion on the left flank, as well as Lithuanian insurgents. In August 1919, von der Goltz merged his troops with the "Special Russian Corps", led by
Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
General Pavel Bermondt-Avalov. The two generals recruited about 50,000 men: mostly Freikorps members and
Baltic Germans Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their resettlement in 1945 after the end of World War II, Baltic Germans have drastically decli ...
, as well as some Russian
POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
s captured by Germany in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and then released if they promised that they would help fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. The resultant Western Russian Volunteer Army declared that it would support the Russian
White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...
forces of
Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...
(then based in Siberia) and started marching eastwards (October 1919) with a stated intention of attacking the Bolsheviks, but its real goal appeared to be sustaining German power in the Baltic region.


Confrontation with the governments of Latvia and Lithuania

The political situation in the Baltic region continued to deteriorate. A new government in Lithuania refused to allow White Russians to pass troops through and establish a military base. After initially supporting the White Russians the Weimar government, under pressure from the Entente, banned the transfer of German soldiers to the Russians and ordered the
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
to block the East Prussian border to block Freikorps's supplies. General von der Goltz was finally recalled on October 4. In this circumstances Bermondt-Avalov launched an offensive using the Freikorps in an attempt to force the Republic of Latvia to negotiate. With the support of British naval artillery and
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 across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n
armoured train An armoured train (Commonwealth English) or armored train (American English) is a railway train protected with heavy metal plating and which often includes railway wagons armed with artillery, machine guns, and autocannons. Some have also h ...
, a Latvian counter-offensive followed in November, which forced Bermondt's army to withdraw.
Mitau Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...
was also lost in loss-making fights. In October 1919, the West Russian Volunteer Army attacked the newly independent states of
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
, to which Germany had granted independence. It briefly occupied the west bank of the
Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
in
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
and the government of
Kārlis Ulmanis Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis (; 4 September 1877 – 20 September 1942) was a Latvian politician and a dictator. He was one of the most prominent Latvian politicians of pre-World War II Latvia during the Interwar period of independence from N ...
had to request military assistance from Lithuania and
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 across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. The Estonians sent two armoured trains to aid the Latvians while the Lithuanians were engaged in battles with the Bolsheviks and could only issue diplomatic protests. The Latvians also received assistance from the guns of a British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
destroyer, HMS ''Vanoc'', in Riga harbour. In October and November 1919, the WRVA occupied most of the Latvian territory on the Daugava's left bank, while also occupying the Lithuanian towns of
Biržai Biržai (, also known by several alternative names) is a city in northern Lithuania. Famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Name The exact origin of th ...
,
Radviliškis Radviliškis () (; ; , ''Radvilishok'') is a city in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of the district since 1950, and is an important railway junction. History ...
,
Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
,
Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway (Lithuania), Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand ...
, Jurbarkas,
Linkuva Linkuva (); is a town in the Pakruojis district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-east of Pakruojis.The town is more than 500 years old. Linkuva is a state-protected urbanistic monument. It is one of the oldest towns of Lithuanian ...
, Voskoniai, Gendviliai and more towns,attacking the population and looting in the process.5000-10.000 Lithuanians were killed by Berdmont forces The threat posed by the Bermontians was such that the Lithuanian government had to withdraw part of the military units fighting against the Red Army to fight against them. In November, the Latvian army managed to drive the Bermondt-Avalov forces into Lithuanian territory. On 11 November 1919, the WRVA were defeated by the Latvian army near Riga. Jelgava was also lost. On 18 November 1919, Germany announced that it was officially taking the WRVA under its protection. Finally, the WRVA suffered heavy defeats by the Lithuanian Army in the Battle of Radviliškis on November 21–22, but a further Lithuanian attack was stopped at the request of the Entente. Upon defeat Bermondt-Avalov fled to Memel. The German Freikorps were handed over to the German Lieutenant General von Eberhardt, successor of the Goltz as commander of the VI Reserve Corps in Allenstein. After the involvement of the Entente military mission, General Eberhardt was able to organize evacuation of the remaining German Freikorps via Lithuania to East Prussia. The last WRVA units withdrew to Germany from Latvia and Lithuania on 1 and 15 December 1919, respectively. -Battle of Voskoniai (Bermontian Lithuanian War) Pavel Berdmont ordered his soldiers on January 5 to capture Voskoniai, The battle lasted 3 days and ended in victory for Pavel's forces and the Lithuanian army suffered heavy losses of over 600 men, 15 cannons destroyed and 240 civilians massacred.


Army

The Army uniforms of the West Russian Volunteer Army were provided by Germany and decorated with Russian distinctive signs, in particular the shoulder legs according to the model of the
Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
and an Orthodox cross worn on the left sleeve. The army included:Inta Pētersone (ed.): '' Latvijas Brīvības cīņas 1918–1920. '' Enciklopēdja. Preses nams, Riga 1999, , page 78. * '' Corps Graf Keller ''(Colonel Potozki): from 7,000 to 10,000 soldiers, near Jelgava * '' Corps Virgolitsch ''(Colonel Virgolitsch): from 3,500 to 5,000 mounted soldiers including Cossacks, stationed in northern Lithuania * '' Iron Division ''(Major Bischoff): about 15,000 to 18,000, at Jelgava, joined in August * '' ''(Captain Sievert): about 9,000 to 12,000 soldiers who had come together from various independent free corps. * '' Freikorps Plehwe ''(Captain ): about 3,000 soldiers (the former 2nd Guard Reserve Regiment), before Libau * '' Freikorps Diebitsch'': about 3,000 soldiers, for railway protection in Lithuania. * '' '': about 1,000 soldiers, appeared at the end of October after a march over 1,200 km off Riga.


See also

*
White Movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...
*
Freikorps in the Baltic The Freikorps in the Baltic were German paramilitary units that formed after the German Empire's defeat in World War I. Their aim was to prevent the advance of the Soviet Red Army into the Baltic states and preserve a German presence there. The t ...
* Baltische Landeswehr *
Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
*
Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...
*
Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Bermontians (October ...


References


Bibliography

*''Eesti Vabadussõda 1918-1920'', Tallinn, Mats, 1997. . * *


In German

* * * Bischoff, Josef, ''Die letzte Front. Geschichte der Eiserne Division im Baltikum 1919'', Berlin 1935. * ''Darstellungen aus den Nachkriegskämpfen deutscher Truppen und Freikorps'', Bd 2: ''Der Feldzug im Baltikum bis zur zweiten Einnahme von Riga. Januar bis Mai 1919'', Berlin 1937; Bd 3: ''Die Kämpfe im Baltikum nach der zweiten Einnahme von Riga. Juni bis Dezember 1919'', Berlin 1938. * ''Die Baltische Landeswehr im Befreiungskampf gegen den Bolschewismus'', Riga 1929 * ''Von den baltische Provinzen zu den baltischen Staaten. Beiträge zur Entstehungsgeschichte der Republiken Estland und Lettland'', Bd I (1917-1918), Bd II (1919-1920), Marburg 1971, 1977.


In Polish

*Kiewisz, Leon, ''Sprawy łotewskie w bałtyckiej polityce Niemiec 1914-1919'', Poznań 1970. * Paluszyński, Tomasz, ''Walka o niepodległość Łotwy 1914-1920'', Warszawa 1999.


Notes

{{Authority control 20th century in Latvia 1918 in Lithuania Military units and formations of White Russia (Russian Civil War) 1919 in Lithuania Anti-communist organisations in Latvia Lithuania in the Russian Civil War German involvement in the Russian Civil War Baltic-German history