Christmas battles memorial at Antinu Brethren Cemetery
Memorial site
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Located in Babīte district, on the side of the road near the former Antiņi house and the old medicine warehouse.
The Antiņi or Tīreļi Soldiers' Cemetery was established during World War I. The area was home to defensive positions of the Russian Empire Army. In 1917, during the Christmas Battles, the headquarters of the 5th Zemgale Latvian Rifle Regiment, a hospital with a medicine warehouse, were located nearby.
In 1917, on the night of January 5-6, under the illumination of eight huge bonfires, 105 fighters of the 5th Semigallian Latvian Rifle Regiment were buried with military honors. They fell in battles against the German army or died of wounds. The burial ceremony was led by the regiment's commander, Jukums Vācietis. In later years, soldiers from other units of the Russian army were also buried in the cemetery. In 1925, a monument by architect Eižens Laube was unveiled in the cemetery, and the territory was landscaped. Information about 3,800 soldiers buried in the cemetery is found in many places, but it should be considered unlikely and unverified.
Used sources and references:
Lismanis, J. In memory of battles and fallen soldiers: 1915-1920. Riga: Nims, 1999.
Bērziņš, V. Latvian Riflemen: Drama and Tradition. Riga: Latvian History Institute Publishing House, 1995.
Related timeline
Related stories
A diary entry about the moment when soldiers learn about preparations for the Christmas battles.
The Latvian riflemen and their officers were informed about the beginning of the battle at the last moment. The non-commissioned officer of the 5th Zemgale Latvian Riflemen Regiment, Rūdolfs Ivanovs, described in his diary the last evening before the start of the battle. A short, but vivid and authentic text that shows a very important moment for a soldier – learning about the day of the battle.
Building defensive positions.
The description examines the problems of battlefield fortification in general. It is based on the experience of World War I and the situation when it was necessary to organize extensive work on the creation of fortifications.
About Christmas battles
The Christmas Battles ended on January 11. The Latvian riflemen managed to capture the heavily fortified German army position - Ložmetējkalnu - on the third day of the battle. The price of the Christmas Battles was very high. Hundreds of Latvian and other Russian army soldiers had lost their lives trying to knock the Germans out of their positions. The narrator vividly describes the scenes on the battlefield after the end of the Christmas Battles.