Estonian War of Independence

Estonian War of Independence
Part of Russian Civil War
Date 28 November 1918 – 2 February 1920 Location Estonia, Latvia, Ingria, Russia Result Tartu Peace Treaty Independence of Estonia
Belligerents
Estonia	Soviet Russia	Baltic nobility
Commanders and leaders
Johan Laidoner	Dmitri N. Nadežniy	Rüdiger von der Goltz Pavel Bermondt-Avalov
Strength
80,000 Estonian Army, 25,650 White Russians, 2000 Finnish volunteers, 1490 Latvians, and 200-400 Swedish and Danish volunteers	160,000	52,000
Casualties and losses
3,600–4,000 dead 14,000 injured 667 captured	10,000 captured	400 killed 1,500 wounded

The Estonian War of Independence (Estonian: Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allied White Russian Northwestern Army against the Soviet Western Front offensive and the Baltic German Landeswehr offensives in 1918–1920 in connection with the Russian Civil War. The campaign was the struggle of the Republic of Estonia for sovereignty in the aftermath of World War I. It resulted in a victory for Estonia and was concluded in the Tartu Peace Treaty.

Preface

In November 1917, upon the disintegration of the Russian Empire, a diet of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, the Estonian National Council (Maapäev), which had been elected in the spring of that year, proclaimed itself the highest authority in Estonia. Soon thereafter, the Bolsheviks dissolved the Maapäev and temporarily forced the pro-independence Estonians underground in the capital Tallinn. A few months later, using a moment between the Red Army's retreat and the arrival of the Imperial German Army, the Salvation Committee of the Estonian National Council Maapäev issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence in Tallinn on February 24, 1918 and formed the Estonian Provisional Government. This first period of independence was extremely short-lived, as German troops entered Tallinn on the following day. The German authorities recognized neither the provisional government, nor its claim for Estonia's independence, counting them as a self-styled group usurping sovereign rights of Baltic chivalries.

History of the war

Brothers, Hurry to Join the Nation's Army!: Estonian Army Recruiting poster in 1918

After the German Revolution with the capitulation of imperial Germany, between 11 and 14 November 1918, the representatives of Germany formally handed over political power to the Estonian Provisional Government. On November 16, the provisional government called for voluntary mobilization and started to organize the Estonian Army, with Konstantin Päts as Minister of War, Major General Andres Larka as the chief of staff, and Major General Aleksander Tõnisson as commander of the Estonian Army, initially consisting of one division.

Soviet westward offensive

On the northern wing of the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919, on 28 November 1918, the 6th Red Rifle Division attacked units of the Estonian Defence League (partly consisting of secondary school pupils) and the German Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 405 at the defence of the border town of Narva, marking the beginning of the Estonian War of Independence. The red rifle division captured the city on 28 November, with their 7,000 infantry, 22 field guns, 111 machine guns, an armored train, 2 armored vehicles, 2 airplanes, and the Bogatyr class cruiser Oleg supported by 2 destroyers. The Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 405 thereafter withdrew westwards. The 2nd Novgorod Division opened the second front south of Lake Peipus where the division had 7000 infantry, 12 field guns, 50 machine guns, 2 armored trains, and 3 armored vehicles. The Estonian military forces at the time were 2000 men with light weapons and about 14,500 poorly armed men in the Estonian Defence League (Home Guard).

The 6th Red Rifle Division captured Narva on 29 November, Tapa railway junction on Christmas Eve, and advanced to 34 kilometers from the capital Tallinn. Estonian Bolsheviks declared the Estonian Workers' Commune in Narva. The 49th Red Latvian Rifle Regiment took Valga railway junction on 18 December and Tartu town on Christmas Eve. By the end of the year, the 7th Red Army controlled Estonia along the front line 34 kilometers east of Tallinn, west from Tartu and southwest of Ainaži.

Estonian Marines from cruiser Vambola in May 1919

Colonel Johan Laidoner who was appointed Commander in chief of the Estonian armed forces recruited 600 officers and 11,000 volunteers by 23 December 1918. He reorganized the forces by setting up the second division in Southern Estonia under the command of Colonel Viktor Puskar, along with commando type units, such as the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion and Kalevi Malev. The national government obtained foreign assistance: on December 5, Finland delivered 5000 rifles and 20 field guns together with ammunition. The Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair arrived off Tallinn on 31 December, delivering 6500 rifles, 200 machine guns and 2 field guns. The squadron captured two Russian destroyers, Spartak and Avtroil, and turned those over to Estonia, which renamed them Vambola and Lennuk. In January 2, Finnish volunteer units with 3500 men arrived in Estonia. Three armored trains were built in Tallinn under the command of Captain Anton Irv.

Estonian eastward offensive

The strengthened Estonian Army stopped the 7th Red Army's advance on 2-5 January 1919 and went on the counteroffensive on 7 January. Tapa was taken two days later, followed by Tartu on 14 January. A combined operation by the 1st Estonian Division and a Finnish volunteer marine brigade landed in the rear of the 6th Rifle Division. The Estonian 1st Division captured Narva on January 18. Subsequently, the northeastern front stabilized along the Narva river. In the Battle of Paju, the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion drove the Latvian red rifle regiments out of Valga on 31 January. The 7th Red Army was temporally out of the boundaries of Estonia and the battle front followed the historic Estonian settlement area. On the first Independence Day on 24 February 1919, the pro-independence Estonian forces consisted 19,000 men, 70 field guns, and 230 machine guns. The 3rd Estonian Division was formed with Major General Ernst Põdder in command. On 16 February, the 7th Red Army started the Soviet counteroffensive to recapture Estonia. The newly formed Estonian Red Army gained the Setomaa, Vastseliina, and Räpina Parishes by 15 March. The 2nd Estonian Division counterattacked and regained Petseri by 28 March. Similar combat took place between the Estonian division and the Northern Group of the Latvian Red Army along the Ainaži–Strenči–Alūksne front stabilized in northern Latvia. In the positions along the Narva river, the 1st Estonian Division and their allied White Russian Northern Corps repelled the 7th Red Army's attacks. By the beginning of May 1919, the Estonian forces numbered 74,000 men. The newly formed Estonian Red Army had concentrated 80,000 men, 200 field and 230 machine guns supported by 5 armored trains against the Estonian forces.

The Estonian Army High Command in 1920

Although the Estonian Army had attained control over the territory of Estonia, their opposite Estonian Red Army was still active and the High Command of the pro-independence Estonian Army decided to push their defence lines across the border into Pskov region. The offensive of the Petseri Battle Group of the 2nd Estonian Division began on 13 May. The operation destroyed the Estonian Red Army, captured Pskov on 25 May, and cleared the territory between Estonia and the Velikaya River of the Soviet forces. By then, Estonian land, naval and air forces comprised 74,500 men, including a 5,600-strong White Russian Northern Corps. This had its origins back in the autumn of 1918, when a small White Russian force constituted with German consent in Pskov region retreated from the Bolsheviks and joined up with the Estonian Army. The Estonian Pskov offensive captured the Russian city and expelled the Estonian Red Army from the territory between the Velikaya River and Estonia. The White Russian Northern Corps mobilized members of the local population on the Pskov region. On 19 June 1919, the Estonian Commander-in-Chief General Johan Laidoner removed the White Russians from his command and they were renamed the Northwestern Army. Shortly afterwards, General Nikolai N. Yudenich took command of the troops.

With the arms provided by Britain and France, and the operational support by the Estonian Army, Estonian Navy, and Royal Navy, the White Russian Northwestern Army began the Offensive Operation "White Sword" on 28 September 1919, with the aim of capturing Petrograd. The Northwestern Army approached to ten miles (16 km) from the city, but the 7th Red Army repulsed the White Russian troops back into Estonia. Distrustful of the White Russians, the Estonian High Command disarmed and interned the Northwestern Army. The 7th Soviet Army continued the offensives on fortified positions at the Estonian border in Narva, but were halted by the Estonian Army.

Landeswehr war

File:Estonian soldiers.jpg

Estonian soldiers during the Estonian War of Independence

See also: United Baltic Duchy

The Landeswehr War broke out on the southern front in Latvia on June 5, 1919. The Latvian democrats had declared independence like in Estonia, but the pro-British government of Kārlis Ulmanis was toppled by the German general Rüdiger von der Goltz, who installed a pro-German puppet government of Andrievs Niedra in Riga in May 1919. This was possible because under the terms of their armistice with the Western Allies, the Germans had been obliged to maintain their armies in the East to counter the Bolshevist threat. The forces of the German sponsored administration of Latvia consisting of Landeswehr and the Freikorps Iron Division, started to advance northwards and demanded that the Estonian Army end the occupation of parts of northern Latvia. The real intent of the Landeswehr was to annex Estonia into a German-dominated state like the United Baltic Duchy that was proposed in 1918.

In the fighting that ensued, the Landeswehr and Iron Division were decisively defeated by the 3rd Estonian Division in northern Latvia near the city of Cēsis on 23 June 1919. The anniversary of the Battle of Wenden (Võnnu lahing in Estonian) is celebrated in Estonia as Victory Day. 3rd Estonian Division continued their advance towards Riga. On 3 July, when the Estonian forces were at the outskirts of Riga, a ceasefire was made on the demand of the Entente and the Ulmanis government was restored in Riga. German forces were ordered to leave Latvia, the Baltic-German Landeswehr was put under command of the Latvian government and sent to fight against the Red Army. However, to circumvent Entente's orders, many German soldiers instead of leaving, were incorporated into the West Russian Volunteer Army, officially led by Pavel Bermont-Avalov. In October, fighting restarted when West Russian Volunteer Army attacked Riga. Following Latvian request to help, Estonia sent two armoured trains to aid repelling Bermont's attack. Estonian army also remained to support defence of Latvia against Soviets by defending the front north of Lake Lubāns

Foreign assistance

Finnish volunteers arrive in Tallinn Estonia in December 1918

Substantial British involvement in the struggle in the Baltic region in 1918-19 as part of the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War took several forms:

• British naval forces in December 1918, after lobbying in London by Estonian politicians, brought needed military equipment, training and also artillery support from Royal Navy ships;
• British protection of the Estonian left flank by naval action in the Gulf of Finland. Among other operations, British motor torpedo boats in conjunction with RAF aircraft conducted the first combined air/sea assault in history on the Bolshevik fleet in Kronstadt torpedoing several Bolshevik warships at the cost of 3 boats. British officer Augustus Agar won a Victoria Cross for sinking a Soviet cruiser and then a DSO for leading a second attack that sank two major warships;
• Equipment supplied by the British to the White Russian Northwestern Army included six tanks together with their volunteer crews, who were the only British troops to fight alongside the Northwestern Army. British tank crews pushed to within 12 miles of downtown Petrograd (formerly Saint Petersburg) in the autumn of 1919. All six tanks survived the battle, despite having developed some mechanical problems.
• About 3,850 Finnish volunteers participated as part of the Kinship Wars units Pohjan Pojat and I Suomalainen Vapaajoukko.
• The Swedish volunteer unit to support the Republic of Estonia in the Estonian War of Independence under the command of Carl Mothander was formed in Sweden in early 1919. In March 1919, 178 volunteers took part in scout missions in Virumaa. In April, the company was sent to the Southern front and took part of the battles near Pechory.
• A Danish volunteer unit of 200 men was formed under the command of Captain Richard G. Borgelin. The regiment took part of battles against Bolsheviks in Latvia and near Pskov. R. Borgelin was promoted to colonel and awarded a manor for his services.

While the British navy provided considerable support, the historian William Fletcher concludes that "the British naval force would have had little effect on the outcome of Baltic affairs had not the Estonians and Latvians provided a vibrant and disciplined land and sea force".

Prelude to peace

Influenced by the success of the Estonian military, Soviet Russia had been attempting to conclude a peace since the spring of 1919. On April 25, 1919, Hungarian Communists offered to mediate a settlement between the Bolsheviks and the Estonians, but Admiral Cowan threatened withdrawal of support to the Estonians unless they rejected the Hungarian offer. The Russians then publicly broached the subject of peace talks in a radio broadcast on the 27th and 28th of April. A subsequent broadcast by the Russians on July 21 led to the British journalist Arthur Ransome sounding out the Commissar for Foreign Relations Georgy Chicherin on the subject of peace talks. As a result the Soviet government made a formal offer for peace talks on August 31, 1919. The Estonians accepted this offer on September 4th and negotiations began in ernest on November 17 with an exchange of prisoners. The peace treaty was finally concluded on 31 December 1919. A ceasefire came into effect on January 3, 1920.

Tartu Peace Treaty

File:Tartu rahu allkirjad.jpg

Signatures on the Peace Treaty of Tartu

On February 2, 1920, the Peace Treaty of Tartu was signed by the Republic of Estonia and RSFSR. At this point, the Bolshevist regime had not been recognized by any Western power. The terms of the treaty stated that Russia renounced in perpetuity all rights to the territory of Estonia. The agreed frontier corresponded roughly with the position of the front line at the cessation of hostilities. In particular, Estonia retained a strategic strip to the east of the Narva river (Narvataguse) and Setumaa in the southeast, areas which were lost in early 1945 - shortly after Soviet troops had taken control of Estonia, when Moscow transferred the land East of the Narva River and most of Petseri County to the RSFSR.

See also

• History of Estonia
• Latvian War of Independence
• Lithuanian Wars of Independence
• Vaps Movement
• Names in Marble

External links

• Estonica: Emergence of Estonian independence
• Estonian War of Independence
• Template:PDFlink - in Baltic Defence Review No.8 Volume 2/2002