German Iron Brigade
I World War I, I Wars of Independence
On November 29, 1918, the plenipotentiary of the Weimar Republic, August Vinnig, and the Central Council of German Soldiers forced the command of the German 8th Army to give permission to form a volunteer brigade for defense against the Red Army's 7th Army and the Western Army, which on November 25 launched an attack on the collapsing German army units, which retreated without significant resistance. By December 9, 1,500 German soldiers had volunteered for the brigade, out of an estimated 100,000-150,000 soldiers in the 8th Army.
On December 29, the Latvian Provisional Government concluded an Agreement on the Granting of Citizenship to Volunteers Fighting Against the Bolsheviks with Augustus Vinnig, on the admission of volunteers from Germany into the Latvian Landeswehr, committing to grant Latvian citizenship to German volunteers for at least 4 weeks of fighting against the Bolsheviks. Apparently, on the basis of this agreement, Rüdiger von der Golz had received permission from the German Minister of War Noske to recruit volunteer mercenaries from those in Germany, as well as from the soldiers of the 8th Army subject to demobilization.
Although many of the demobilized soldiers of the German army were tempted by the opportunities for profit and land in Latvia, many were more interested in the possibility of continuing the war and military adventures. During this time, numerous free corps units were formed in Germany and its occupied Eastern territories, which turned against the Social Democratic-led German Republic. A rapid influx of volunteers began in February. If von der Golz is to be believed, the total number of various German and Baltic German units reached 30-40,000 soldiers in the summer of 1919.[3] By April 1919, approximately 6,000 German volunteers had been gathered in Courland.
The Iron Brigade carried out its tasks, covering the retreat of the army from Vidzeme to Courland. On 17.01.1919. when the unit was taken over by its new commander Bišofs in Vaiņode, it had 284 bayonets and 22 swords. The personnel was constantly replenished and grew from a few hundred men in November and December 1918 to 4,000 men (of whom 1,714 were in combat formation), 10 cannons, 89 machine guns and one aircraft at the end of February 1919. When the VIII Army left the Baltics, it was subordinated to the command of the VI Reserve Corps (Golcs). At the beginning of March, it participated in the Latvian Land Guard attack on the LSPR army in the Skrunda-Saldus direction (the left wing of the Iron Brigade, next to which was the Landeswehr Kalpak battalion) to the Mažeiķi-Laižuva direction (the right wing).
On March 10, the Goldfeld squadron left the division, transferring to the service of the Provisional Government of Latvia. 22.05. Units of the Iron Division carried out combat operations against the Bolsheviks along the Jelgava-Riga highway, then captured the Iron Bridge over the Daugava in Riga. After the capture of Riga, the Iron Brigade was deployed in Bolderāja and the Daugavgrīva fortress. Renamed the "Iron Division". In mid-June 1919, it consisted of 3 infantry regiments, with 3 battalions in the 1st and 2nd regiments, but only 2 battalions in the 3rd regiment, a total of 8 battalions. In addition to them, the division also included a small jaeger battalion and 3 light artillery divisions, 3 batteries in each division. Each battery had 4 guns. The battalions consisted of 3 riflemen and 1 machine gun company. Each regiment also had a small mortar company of 4 mortars. The division also included one cavalry regiment of 4 squadrons, 2 pioneer companies and the 437th aviator squadron. After the defeat in the Battle of Cēsis on 26 June 1919, the Iron Division passed under the command of the Latvian Provisional Government (A. Niedras' cabinet) - the division's personnel did not lose their German citizenship, and supplies and salaries remained at the disposal of the German army.
More information sources
https://vesture.eu/Dzelzsdiv%C4%ABzija
https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzelzsdiv%C4%ABzija#Dzelzsbrig%C4%81de
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The first President of the Republic of Latvia Jānis Čakste and the Estonian Ambassador to Latvia Jūlijs Saljema took part in its opening.
16 Estonian soldiers were buried in the cemetery, who fell in June 1919 in the battles of Cēsis with the Baltic Landesver and the Iron Division. Four of them were later reburied in their homeland. The monument was built on donations collected by locals. It was made by craftsman Dāvis Gruzde according to the design of Kārlis Bierņš, the owner of Ķikuri houses.
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