Pēteris Čevers - national partisan and commander of a partisan group
Pēteris Čevera - national partisan and commander of a national partisan group
Pēteris Čevers was born on 9 January 1914 in Barkava parish, Rezekne County.
He graduated from the Military School in 1937 and served in the 1st Cavalry Regiment until 1940.
After the Soviet occupation, in the spring of 1941 he was transferred to the 186th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Territorial Rifle Corps.
On 14 June 1941, at the Ostrov camp, when he heard about the arrests, he joined the "Guardians of the Homeland" unit led by Lieutenant Colonel Kārlis Aperāts, together with several other officers.
In February 1942 he volunteered for the 23rd Order Service Battalion.
From March 1942 to February 1943, after special training, he served in the special task regiment "Brandenburg 800".
In March 1943 he joined the Latvian SS Volunteer Legion, later becoming commander of the 14th Anti-Tank Company of the 43rd Regiment of the 19th Division, with which he walked the battle routes from the banks of the Velikai River to Kurzeme. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class, the Military Cross of Merit and the Silver Badge of the Impact.
After the surrender of the German troops in Courland, P. Chever, together with several officers and soldiers of his regiment, settled in the forests of the parish of Vandzene in the Talsi district, where he joined the group of Captain Nikolay Straume. From May 1948, P. Čevers became the commander of the group in the territory of Vānsienė and other surrounding parishes of the Talsi district.
As a result of the betrayal, P. Chever and six other members of the group were captured on the night of 1-2 November 1950. On 3 April 1951, the Military Tribunal of the Baltic Military District sentenced P. Chever to the maximum punishment. The sentence was carried out on 24 August 1951.
Pēteris Čevers was a soldier of the Latvian Army, a captain of the Latvian Legion, a national partisan (from 9 May 1945), a commander of a national partisan group (1948-1950).
Vandzene partisans and their supporters. The tragedy of the Blum family and the mystery of the "Valdu" houses / Article (lsm.lv)
Author: Uldis Neiburgs (Dr. hist., researcher at Latvian History Institute)
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