Latvians in the army of the Russian Empire

At the beginning of World War I, the territory of Latvia had been part of the Russian Empire for more than a hundred years. Latvians took part in all the major wars of the Russian Empire, but no direct war had taken place in Latvia for more than a hundred years since Napoleon's army invaded in the 19th century. at first. In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, the territory of Latvia was affected by mobilization and began recruiting men from the age of 18. After the general mobilization, the size of the army of the Russian Empire increased almost 4 times.

The origins of the Russian Empire date back to the Great Northern War (1700-1721), when the army was constantly transformed to improve its combat capabilities. With the victory in this war, the Russian Empire is founded, which includes the territory of the former Russian tsarist and the 18th-19th centuries. territories conquered in the 16th century, incl. Latvia and Estonia. Military reforms in the army of the Russian Empire are continuing, and the introduction of a recruitment system in the territory of Latvia is being started. 19th century on the other hand, many young Latvians and Estonians start studying in Russian military schools, as studying there is free and was a way to secure a place in society. Many of them become officers and also generals.

The war brought about by the First World War reached the territory of Latvia in the first days after the beginning of the conflict. For its people, the Russian Empire's involvement in the war first meant mobilization, the confiscation of food, clothing, fuel and vehicles, and the subjugation of all civilian life to war. The general mobilization, which began in full in the Russian Empire on July 31, 1914, followed the 1910 prescription, recruiting men between the ages of 18 and 43. In total, during the war, mobilization took place in the territory of Latvia seven times, mobilizing 120-140 thousand people. Latvian soldiers were included in the Russian troops deployed in the territory of Latvia.

The 20th Army Corps (sometimes referred to in the literature as the "Latvian Corps") was one of the most combat-capable parts of the Russian army, which was involved in the fighting in East Prussia shortly after the war. Despite initial success, the Russian army was defeated and forced to retire. In February 1915, the 20th Army Corps crashed when the Germans besieged and destroyed it in the forests of Augustów (northeastern Poland today). 15-20 thousand soldiers mobilized in the Baltic provinces (Estonia, Vidzeme and Kurzeme) lost their lives and disappeared, most of them Latvians.

Along with the order of August 1, 1915 to form Latvian rifle units in the Russian Imperial Army, 8 rifle battalions were established, which went down in the first battles in October 1915. After the end of the First World War, some Latvian riflemen remained in Russia and fought in the Civil War on various sides of the front, some participated in the Freedom Fights in Latvia. In 1921, with the advent of peacetime, a large number of former riflemen who had spent the last five years at war returned to Latvia.