War of Independence. Liberation of Jelgava.

The Liberation of Jelgava in November 1919 was an offensive operation by the Latvian Army from 15 to 21 November 1919 during the Latvian War of Independence, in which it forced parts of the Western Russian Army under the command of the Weimar Republic to leave Jelgava. The attack thwarted the German government's plans to begin armistice negotiations with the Latvian Provisional Government to agree on the future political status of Courland and Semigallia. The Supreme Command of the Latvian Armed Forces decided to occupy Jelgava by the first anniversary of the proclamation of the Latvian state.

On the night of November 21, 1919, the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment of the Latvian Army launched an offensive operation against the 1st Kurzeme Infantry Regiment of the Iron Division and the Freikorps Roßbach Volunteer Regiment, which had formed a defensive line along the Iecava River with mortars and machine guns in the numerous brick kilns on the banks of the river. The 2nd Battalion of the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment, under the command of Captain Jānis Priede, attacked early in the morning along the Riga-Jelgava highway with two guns and an armored vehicle, the 3rd Battalion from the Purmaļi houses area, while the 1st Battalion and the light artillery battery remained in reserve. Before the battle, they fired on the brick kilns with guns, but after the infantry attack began, they fired on the enemy's artillery battery near the Valdekas manor. On the morning of the same day, the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment and the 8th Daugavpils Infantry Regiment approached the city from the northwest on the left side of the Lielupe River, where the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment occupied Līvberze Station, Upes Manor, and Bērzi Manor in the morning.

After a fierce battle at around 07.00, the 7th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment managed to drive the enemy out of the brick kilns near the Riga-Jelgava highway, crossed the Iecava River and rapidly advanced along the highway, capturing the Valdekas Manor with its gun battery. At around 09.30, the company reached the Ozolmuiža road and took up a position on the bank of the Lielupe River at a wooden bridge opposite the Jelgava Castle, where it was stopped by heavy machine gun fire from the other bank. Enemy units began to arrive from the Tetelminde direction, which were defeated in a fierce battle in the area of the Jelgava goods station. In turn, the 3rd Battalion of the regiment was unable to cross the Iecava River in the area from Branka to Purmalie, because the enemy fiercely defended the brick kilns. At around 09.30, At 11:00, the commander of the 6th Regiment ordered the 3rd and 1st Battalions to proceed to Jelgava along the captured Riga-Jelgava highway, leaving only the instructor company in the Purmaļi district.

During the Latvian army's attack, the Iron Division's machine gunners held both the wooden and iron bridges over the Lielupe under heavy fire. In order to avoid encirclement, the Iron Division commander made the decision to abandon the city of Jelgava. In the first half of the day, the III Battalion of the 8th Daugavpils Infantry Regiment occupied Meijas Manor without serious resistance and in the afternoon entered the northwestern outskirts of Jelgava through the Ezeras Gate. The II Battalion of the 7th Sigulda Regiment entered the city from the west along the Dobele highway, while the I Battalion, advancing along the Lielupe through the Ozoli Manor, crossed the Lielupe and entered the city from the north.

4 companies of the 6th Riga Regiment crossed the Lielupe upstream from the goods station and at around 17:30 occupied the Jelgava railway passenger station. The remaining companies of the regiment crossed the Lielupe bridges and soon joined forces with units of the 8th and 7th regiments, which had entered the city from the northwest and west. In the station area, the defeated enemy troops left 11 guns and a large amount of ammunition. Near Tuškii, soldiers of Captain Aparnieks' 1st partisan regiment derailed an enemy armored train.

With the capture of Jelgava on November 21, the fighting with Bermont's army ended. In the following days, there were still minor clashes between the vanguards of the attacking Latvian army and the enemy's rearguards. The victory was so complete that the enemy quickly withdrew from Semigallia and Courland, leaving behind a large part of various war goods.