Pampali Church and the walls of the shot-up house
Battle site

Pampāļi is a settlement in Pampāļi parish, Saldus municipality, the center of the parish on the banks of the Zaņa River and its tributary Abrupe, 27 km from the county center Saldus and 147 km from Riga. The settlement developed around the center of the Pampāļi manor after the agrarian reform. In 1933, Pampāļi was granted the status of a densely populated area.

The hostilities at the gates of Pampāli began on November 21, 1944, when the Soviet 4th Shock Army, forcing the Venta River, launched an attack in the direction of Saldus. By November 24, the situation stabilized and the front line remained unchanged until December 21.

On December 21, 1944, the so-called 3rd Battle of Courland began, during which the 4th Shock Army of the 1st Baltic Front with 4 rifle corps (12 rifle divisions) and the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps attacked in the direction of Saldus to link up with units of the 2nd Baltic Front. The German 132nd Infantry Division defended the Pampāli area, whose 1st Battalion of the 436th Grenadier Regiment was fortified in the area of the manor and church.

The attack on Pampāli was carried out by the 357th and 145th Rifle Divisions of the 1st Rifle Corps, supported by massive artillery fire, and the 39th Guards Tank Brigade. Within the first 24 hours of the battle, the Pampāli garrison, commanded by Captain Eberard Coll, commander of the 14th (anti-tank) company of the 436th Grenadier Regiment, was surrounded and practically destroyed in fierce fighting.

Since Pampāļi was located right on the front line, all the buildings suffered from artillery fire and have practically not survived today.