Latvian War of Liberation

Battle of Daugavpils was the final battle of the joint Polish and Latvian Operation Winter against the Red Army. It took place in late December 1919... in the area around the city of Daugavpils. The fighting in the area started on September 28, and ended in January 1920. From the Polish perspective it was a part of the Polish-Bolshevik War, while in Latvia it is referred to as a part of Latvian War of Independence. The Polish commander of the 1st Legions Infantry Division general Edward Rydz-Śmigły in late autumn of 1919, proposed that a joint Polish-Latvian operation against the Bolshevik forces be commenced. The front lines in the area were relatively peaceful and the city of Daugavpils could be captured relatively easily, especially since the Red Army was concentrating its forces further southwards. However, lack of support from Polish headquarters, as well as a personal conflict with general Stanisław Szeptycki resulted in Rydz-Śmigły's plan being refused. However, the situation changed in December 1919, after an military alliance had been signed between the governments of Poland and Latvia.
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The British Campaign in the Baltic 1918-19 was a part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The intervention played a key role in... enabling the establishment of the independent states of Estonia and Latvia but failed to secure the control of Petrograd by Russian White forces, one of the main goals of the campaign. The purposes of Operation Red Trek in the wake of the Russian collapse and revolution of 1917 were to stop the rise of Bolshevism, protect Britain's interests and to extend the freedom of the seas. The situation in the Baltic states in the aftermath of World War I was chaotic. The Russian empire had collapsed and Bolshevik Red Army, pro-independence, and pro-German forces were fighting across the region. Riga had been occupied by the German army in 1917 and German Freikorps and Baltic-German Landeswehr units were active in the area. Estonia had established a national army with the support of Finnish volunteers and were defending against the 7th Red Army's attack. The Russian Baltic Fleet was the key naval force available to the Bolsheviks and essential to the protection of Petrograd.
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The Battle of Cēsis fought near Cēsis in June 1919 was a decisive battle in the Estonian War of Independence and the Latvian War of... Independence. After heavy fighting Estonian forces repelled German attacks and went on full counter-attack. Latvia had declared independence in 1918, but was unable to stop the advance of the Red Army, resulting in the loss of Riga. The advance of the Red Latvian Riflemen was stopped by the German VI Reserve Corps. The Reserve Corps under general Rüdiger von der Goltz consisted of the Baltische Landeswehr, the Freikorps Iron Division, and the Guard Reserve Division. The Latvian volunteers loyal to the Provisional Government were also placed under the command of the Baltische Landeswehr. On 16 April 1919, the Latvian government of Kārlis Ulmanis was toppled by the Germans, who installed a puppet German Provisional Government of Latvia headed by Andrievs Niedra. However, the Latvian Brigade led by Janis Balodis remained passively under the German command.
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