German Iron Brigade I WW1, I Wars of Independence
On 29 November 1918, August Vinnig, the Plenipotentiary of the Weimar Republic, and the Central Council of German soldiers forced the leadership of the German 8th Army to authorize the formation of a volunteer brigade to defend against the 7th Red Army and the Western Army, which launched an attack on the collapsing German army on 25 November. which resigned without significant resistance. By December 9, 1,500 German soldiers from about 100 to 150,000 soldiers had entered the brigade.
On December 29, the Provisional Government of Latvia signed an Agreement on the Granting of Citizenship Against Bolshevik Volunteers with August Vinnig, on the admission of a German volunteer to the Latvian Landesver, committing German volunteers to at least 4 weeks of Latvian citizenship. Apparently, on the basis of that agreement, Mr Riediger von der Golz had obtained permission from the German Minister for War, Mr Noske, to recruit volunteers from the German army and from the demobilization of the 8th Army.
Although many of the demobilized soldiers of the German army had tempting profit and land opportunities in Latvia, many were more interested in continuing the war and military adventures. During this time, many free-form units emerged in Germany and its occupied eastern territories against the Socialist-led Republic of Germany. The rapid influx of volunteers began in February. If you can believe von der Golc, the total number of various German and German-Baltic units reached 30-40,000 soldiers in the summer of 1919. [3] By April 1919, about 6,000 German volunteers had gathered in Kurzeme.
The Iron Brigade performed its tasks, covering the retreat of the army from Vidzeme to Kurzeme. 1/17/1919 when the unit was taken over by the new commander Bishoff in Vainode, it had 284 spikes and 22 swords. The staff was constantly replenished and increased from a few hundred men in November and December 1918 to 4,000 men (1714 of them in combat), 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, he took part in the Latvian National Guard's attack on the LSPR army in the direction of Skrunda-Saldus (the left wing of the Iron Brigade, next to which was the Landesvere Kalpaka Battalion) to the Mazeikiu-Laižuva direction (right wing).
On March 10, the Goldfeld Squadron left the division, joining the Provisional Government of Latvia. 22.05. The units of the Iron Division carried out combat operations against the Bolsheviks along the Jelgava-Riga highway, then occupied the Iron Bridge over the Daugava in Riga. After the capture of Riga, the Iron Brigade was stationed in Bolderāja and Daugavgrīva Fortress. Renamed the "Iron Division". In the middle of June 1919, it consisted of 3 infantry regiments, with 3 battalions in the 1st and 2nd regiments, and only 2 battalions in the 3rd regiment, for a total of 8 battalions. In addition, the division also included a small Jaeger battalion and 3 divisions of light artillery, with 3 batteries in each division. 4 guns in each battery. The battalions consisted of 3 rifle and 1 machine gun companies. There was also a small ornament of 4 mortars in each regiment. The division also included one cavalry regiment of 4 squadrons, 2 pioneer ornaments and a 437th pilot squadron. After the defeat at the Battle of Cēsis on June 26, 1919, the Iron Division came under the Provisional Government of Latvia (A. Niedra's Cabinet) - the division's personnel did not lose their German nationality, supplies and salaries remained with 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.
Lielstraupe Castle
The Lielstraupe Castle is located in the centre of the town of Straupe. The castle is open to visitors and offers a journey through the centuries along with an orienteering exercise in the labyrinths of the castle. During the Battles of Cēsis, the Lielstraupe Castle housed the command post of Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist’s Battle Group of the Iron Division (German: Eiserne Division). During the battles, the castle was visited by Major Josef Bischoff, Captain Heinz Guderian and others. The castle was used for the coordination of an attack in the direction of Stalbe on 21-22 June. The Iron Division was a military force of German mercenaries during the Latvian War of Independence, which was formed from soldiers of the 8th Army of the demobilised German Empire and volunteer mercenaries. It was the best-known part of the German Free Corps and among the best trained and most combat-ready military forces in the Baltics in 1919. During the Soviet period, from 1949 to 1959, the administration of the Lielstraupe Machine-tractor Station operated out of Manor Castle. During this time, the castle was also equipped with training rooms and dormitories for tractor drivers, while the former stable of the manor housed workshops. From 1963 to 2018, the castle was managed by medical institutions, and it was said of the Straupe Narcological Hospital in Latvia that it ‘even treats the walls’.
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