Schlacht in der Festung Kurzeme bei Lestene
Jutustaja kirjeldab oma muljeid lahingutest Lestene ümbruses ja Läti 19. diviisi rolli lahingutes.
“(..) Pärast viit suurt lahingut usuvad Kurzeme kaitsjad, et raskeim on selja taga, mistõttu seisatakse kindlalt oma positsioonidel, et Saksamaa kapitulatsioon ei jätaks kasutamata võimalust kodumaa vabastamiseks.
Paljud kahtlusalused on üksuste juurde tagasi pöördunud, kuid uusi võitlejaid taotleb endiselt nii Kuramaa elanike kui ka põgenike seast. Saksamaalt on täiendamisele saadetud ka mitu tuhat Läti sõdurit.
14. märtsil lähen 43. rügemendi staapi, kus pean raporteerima. Teel kohtan kindral Bangerskit, kes on jõudnud Kurzemesse. Tundub, et ka vana sõdur usub rohkem kui kunagi varem, et meie riigile on lähenemas väga otsustav hetk, seetõttu hoiab ta ka oma staapi Kuramaas. Kindral tuletab mulle meelde, et seitsmekordse haavatuna, kes on oma varanduse ammendanud, pean minema tema juurde komandöriks. Seda tuleb muidugi veel jaoülemaga arutada.
Rügemendi staabis käib segadus. Rügemendi ülem kolonel Osis lahkub rügemendist. Major Reinholds võib igal ajal ilmuda ja võtab rügemendi juhtimise üle. Nii langes tema armu alla veel üks kolonel. Esimene nelja kuu jooksul oli Lobe.
Reinhold on lõpuks kohal ja võtab rügemendi üle. Mind määratakse pataljoni kapten Bumbieriks kompanii ülemaks. Ornament on puhkeseisundis ja reserveeritud pataljoni staabis. Pataljoni ülema asetäitja vanemleitnant Jaunzems on vana lahinguhunt ja teab rinde seisust üksikasjalikult rääkida. Enamlased on Lestene koolis, kust on meie asukohale künka pealt hea vaade, nii et kohe, kui väikseimgi seltskond välja ilmub, avavad nad tule granaadiheitjate pihta.
"Ei, see ei saa nii jääda," hindame ja vaatame rünnaku suunda, et venelased koolist välja visata.
Lestene ise on põhilahinguliinil. Peale minu on ainult üks ohvitser - leitnant Zutis. Ka meeste arv ehetes jääb alla saja. Bolševistlikud kõnelejad helistavad iga päev relvad maha panema, räägivad Riiast. Siin räägib Lilita Bērziņa, siin räägib Lācis ja siin räägib teine avaliku elu tegelane.
Ööl vastu 16.-17.märtsi asendavad meid Saksa üksused ja oleme teel uutesse kaevikutesse, kuhu vaenlane on sissetungi teinud. 19. diviis, kui võiks öelda, täidab Kurzemes tuletõrjuja rolli - kus toimub, seal peavad läti mehed kiirustama ja korda looma. (..)
Avaldatud USA-s Daugava Hawksi kuukirjas. Leitnant Roberts Ancānsi mälestused lahingutest Kurzemes "Sõdur räägib"
Related timeline
Related objects
Memorial Stone to Defenders of the Kurzeme Fortification
Located in Tukums region, on the side of the A9 motorway, 500 m from the turn to Lesteni in the direction of Riga.
The memorial site was established in 1991 near the Rumbu houses, in the vicinity of which there was active warfare. This is a tribute to the defenders of the "Kurzeme Fortress" who fought against the Red Army in World War II. The battles were significant because they temporarily stopped the Red Army's complete occupation of Latvia. About 300,000 Latvians emigrated, avoiding crimes against the civilian population by the Soviet regime.
At the end of World War II, a peculiar situation had developed in the territory of Latvia. There were German army forces in Kurzeme, which the Red Army tried to eliminate or prevent their involvement in the fighting in East Prussia or around Berlin. "Kurzeme Fortress" - the most common term to describe the warfare in Kurzeme from 1944 to 1945. The "battles of Kurzeme" were the battles of the German army to repel the large-scale attacks of the Red Army. The Kurzeme fortress ceased to exist shortly after the German capitulation.
Today you can see a place of remembrance and rest, which has been popular among Latvian legionnaires since the restoration of Latvia's independence.
Lestene Brothers' Cemetery
Located in Tukums region, Lestene, next to the church.
The construction of the Brothers' Cemetery in Lestene began in 1998. It is the second largest cemetery of soldiers in Latvia, where more than 1,300 Latvian legionnaires are buried together. Only after the restoration of the Republic of Latvia was it possible to bury Latvian soldiers who died in World War II from various places.
The Latvian Legion was a combat unit of the German army, formed mainly from illegally mobilized Latvians. The soldiers perceived their presence in the legion as a struggle for the restoration of Latvia's independence, despite the fact that it took place in the ranks of the German armed forces and that Germany had occupied Latvia. There was no other military force that could delay the return of the Soviet occupation. Latvian legionnaires fought against the Red Army, which had abolished Latvia's independence, destroyed its army and committed crimes against civilians. Between 110,000 and 115,000 soldiers fought in the ranks of the German army, and between 30,000 and 50,000 of them left their lives on the battlefield.
Today in Lestene you can see the Brethren's Cemetery, next to which is Lestene Church. It is an outstanding example of baroque sacred art. In the old church pub you can get acquainted with the exposition dedicated to the history of the Latvian Legion. The central image of the Brothers' Cemetery "Motherland - Mother - Latvia" was created by the sculptor Arta Dumpe. Nearby is Lestene Manor, which belonged to the Latvian Army General Mārtiņš Hartmanis before the Second World War.
Excursions to Lestene Church can be booked at the head of the parish of Lestene Evangelical Lutheran Church Inguna Kokina, phone +371 29993743.
Lestene Brothers' Cemetery, Memorial Exposition and bunker
Lestene Brothers’ Cemetery is located in Tukums municipality, Lestene, next to the Lestene church. The construction of the Brothers’ Cemetery in Lestene began in 1998. It is the second largest military cemetery in Latvia, and more than 1,300 Latvian legionnaires are buried here. Only after regaining the independence, it was possible to rebury Latvian soldiers who fell during World War II. The Latvian Legion was a combat unit of the German Army, formed mainly from illegally drafted Latvians. The soldiers thought of their presence in the legion as something that had to be done to be able to restore Latvia’s independence, despite the fact that they were in the ranks of the German armed forces and that Germany had occupied Latvia. Latvian legionnaires fought against the Red Army, which had destroyed Latvia's independence and its army and committed crimes against civilians. Between 110,000 and 115,000 soldiers fought in the ranks of the German Army and about 30,000–50,000 of them never left the battlefield. The Brothers’ Cemetery central theme ‘Motherland – Mother – Latvia’ was created by the sculptor Arta Dumpe. Across the road an exhibit dedicated to the history of the Latvian Legion has been created in a former pub. Right next to it the men of the Latvian Officers Association, under the leadership of Captain Jānis Slaidiņš, have built an underground bunker to show how soldiers and officers lived on the front lines.
