Battle of Skrunda School on January 22, 1919

A few days later, we received an order from the Oberstab that we, together with the Rädens, should attack the Skrunda school at night, knock the enemy out of there, and try to drive them out of the parish house on the Skrunda-Saldus highway. We only had to give one company, but Rädens from Skrunda went with all its strength.

The colonel assigned the Cēsis soldiers to the attack under the command of Lieutenant Puriņš, and some of our own, the boys of the Officers' Company, also volunteered to join them. After midnight, we crossed the Venta ice in complete silence and went straight through all sorts of bushes and thickets to the Skrunda pub. We went around the houses in a detour so that the dogs wouldn't make a noise, because there was no need to be afraid of leaving the enemy behind us - we knew for sure that there couldn't be any reds in front of the pub or the cemetery. After about an hour, we reached the pub, where the Rādenis soldiers should also be. Although it was already morning, it was still completely dark. When we entered the pub, the locals were so scared that an elderly uncle had even crept into the bread oven and himself put a tin lid in front of the oven's mouth. Puriņš posted a guard and began to wait.

Since I was already quite familiar with Raeden and his people, I decided to go a little way towards them. They had to come along the road from Vērši Manor, so I couldn't get lost anywhere. I pulled my Mauser out of its holster, put it in my belt, told the guards to be careful not to let me down on my way back, and went ahead. I walked to the school crossroads, stopped, listened, — everything was quiet.

About 200 meters from the road, a white two-story school building looms on a hill. It's interesting to know what's there. If I walk to the school, I'll still be able to hear the people from Rāden coming down the highway.
I took the Mauser in my hands and, hiding behind the trees of the alley, slowly approached the school. There was a large square in front of the house. If there were Reds in the school, there must have been a guard nearby. After standing for a while, I approached the house right up to it. The windows on the ground floor were locked, and I couldn't hear anything. I approached the door and slowly turned the knob - it was open, but inside it was dark, like the bottom of a rake. Doors to the right and left. I stood there holding my breath and it began to seem to me, or rather, I could hear several people snoring to the right, as if they were in a deep sleep. I felt uneasy, if they were Reds, they would take me like a chicken. I quickly rushed out of the corridor and walked to the corner of the house. I could hear several horses clattering in the yard... No, there was nothing I could do here alone. Hiding behind the trees, I headed back to the highway.

Radens and his men are already arriving there. Puriņš has also arrived at the crossroads with a couple of officers, and Radens tells our men to go along a side road past the cemetery, but he himself stays where he is for now. We quickly organize ourselves, as much as possible in the dark, and with proper security we begin to move. As we part, I tell the Germans to approach the school carefully, that thing is suspicious there.

We have just approached the cemetery when immediately around the school it opens up and at the same time in such a way that you can't tell where ours are and where the reds are. Bullets are also flying over us, but you can sense that they are not aimed at us. We take up positions along the cemetery in some holes and watch what will happen. Puriņš sends his liaison officers to Rāden. But here, quite a thick fire starts to fall on us too.

Now we know the enemy, now we too are starting to fire. — A few minutes later, at the edge of the forest, near the school, less than a quarter of a verst from us, two bright fires flare up and two grenades fly over our chain, roaring and exploding in the rear. That was all it took! We fire even hotter, but after a while we notice that the other group is moving away from the school towards Skrunda, firing. Soon, news also arrives that Raedens is leaving and that we should also retreat, because the Reds are outnumbered. The devil knows how great the outnumbered they are, but it is clear that we cannot stay in our holes — the Bolsheviks are already putting their machine guns to work and their artillery platoon is laying its grenades right next to us. Purins gives the order for the chain to leave in parts and leads it along the most direct route to the banks of the Venta.

It is beginning to dawn. The Red infantry are not quite pressing on us, but their artillery is now covering our advancing line with direct aim. Ahead of me and a little to the left, First Lieutenant Kundziņš is walking with quick steps. Immediately a grenade falls right at his heels, pierces the ground, and explodes. Kundziņš jumps up, literally somersaults into the air, and falls. Ready! I rush at him, but he immediately jumps to his feet and walks on! Not a single piece of shrapnel has touched him.

The Reds accompanied us with fire all the way to the Venta River and then some on the other side, until they finally stopped. We arrived at Lenės very tired, but all healthy. The Colonel (Kalpaks) was worried and wanted to go to our aid, because even in the dark he had noticed by the fire alone that we were not doing well. This day had started with failure and soon even worse news came: the Reds had knocked Rāden out of Skrunda and were already on this side of the Venta River. That was bad, but even worse was that we received an order from the Oberstab to go to the Aizpuri houses behind Rudbārži.