Memorial stone in Ilzene near the houses of “Sarvi” and “Meļļi”.
Memorial site
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Located in Ilzene parish, Alūksne municipality.
The memorial stone was unveiled on September 28, 2018. Stonemason Ainārs Zelčs.
The residents of these houses in Ilzene parish from the autumn of 1944 supported the national partisans led by Voldemars Andersons (“Vecs”), whose bunker was located nearby in the thicket of the forest. On November 23, 1945, the bunker was surrounded by NKVD soldiers. Nine fighters died in the battle. After it, 2 machine guns, 14 automatic rifles, 11 rifles, 10 pistols, 3,500 cartridges, 45 grenades, 4 binoculars were found. The destruction of Voldemars Anderson’s group was planned in the Cheka agency’s case “Chain” (“Цепь”).
The group consisted of Voldemārs Pāvels Andersons ("Vecais"), Gastons Dzelzkalējs, Voldemārs Tonnis, Centis Eizāns, Osvalds Kalējs, Jānis Koemets, Stāvais ("Polis"), Voldemārs Rappa, Eduards Rappa, Elmārs Rappa (remained alive).
Used sources and references:
In 2015, the head of the politically repressed club “Sarma” in Alūksne and Ape regions, Dzidra Mazika, and the club members, updated the research on the activities of the participants of the national resistance movement in Alūksne and Ape regions. As part of this cycle of events, the sites of partisan activity were investigated, photo and video recording was taken, eyewitness memories were recorded, these sites were cleaned up, memorial sites were created and opened. Active participants in the research on the activities of the National Resistance Movement were: Dzidra Mazika, head of the politically repressed club “Sarma” in Alūksne and Ape regions; historian Astrīda Ievedniece, veterans of the 31st battalion of the National Guard and Chief Juris Ločs, as well as the Alūksne region municipality.
