| 1. Diviis 1st Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1918–1940 |
| Country |  Estonia |
| Branch |  Estonian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Rakvere, Estonia |
| Engagements | Estonian War of Independence |
| Commanders | |
| First commander | Major General Aleksander Tõnisson |
| Last commander | Major General Aleksander Pulk |
The 1st Division was one of the three Estonian divisions created during the Estonian War of Independence, which was active until the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
On 16 November 1918, the Estonian Provisional Government made the decision to create an armed force of volunteers. It was decided that army would consist of a single division which would have six infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment, one artillery regiment, and one engineering battalion. [1] Major General Aleksander Tõnisson was assigned commander of the division, with Colonel Jaan Rink as chief of staff. However, when the Estonian War of Independence started on 28 November 1918 with the Soviet attack on Narva, the Estonian Army numbered only 2,200 to 2,300 men, with the bulk of the fighting actually conducted by the paramilitary Defence League.
Soviet forces included the 6th Red Rifle Division at Narva and the 2nd Novgorod Division south of Lake Peipus. After losing at Narva a period of retreat began for the 1st Division. Advancing against weak Estonian defences the Red Army captured Valga on 18 December, Tartu on 22 December, and Tapa on 24 December. In order to conduct a more flexible defence of South Estonia, a separate 2nd Division was formed on 24 December under command of Colonel Viktor Puskar. [2] By the end of the year the Soviets had advanced to within 34 kilometres (21 mi) of the capital, Tallinn.
By the beginning of 1919 the Estonian Army had been increased to 13,000 men, with 5,700 on the front facing 8,000 Soviets. [3] The strengthened Estonian Army stopped the 7th Red Army's advance on 2–5 January 1919, and went on the counter-offensive on 7 January. Tapa was liberated two days later with the support of armoured trains, followed by Rakvere on 12 January. With the aim of capturing Narva, a 1,000 strong Finnish-Estonian force was landed at Utria on 17 January, in the rear of the 6th Rifle Division, cutting off the Soviet forces west of them. On 18 January Narva was liberated. Subsequently, the north eastern front stabilized along the Narva river. Over the course of 11 days the 1st Division had advanced 200 kilometres (120 mi). [4]
After repulsing the Soviet forces in North Estonia the 1st Division was involved in active combat near Narva. During spring the Red Army made several unsuccessful attacks against 1st Division positions. By April 11,000 Estonians of the 1st Division were facing 16,000 Soviets near Narva, during which the main Soviet effort was concentrated in South Estonia. [5] After the White Russian Northern Corps' (later renamed to Northwest Army) offensive against Soviet forces began to fail in June at the hands of the 7th Red Army, the front was stabilized on Luga River and Saba River with support of the 1st Division. In July and August the 1st Division was involved in heavy fighting with Soviet forces in that area.
At the end of September 1919, the Northwest Army had initiated a new attack on Petrograd, but was repelled by the Red Army in November. The 7th and 15th Soviet Armies advancing behind the collapsing White Russian forces continued to attack fortified positions along the Estonian border near Narva. The first clashes took place on the Luga River on 16 November, starting the final battles of war with 120,000 Soviets facing just 40,000 Estonians. [6] After repeated attacks on the fortified Estonian positions, the 7th Red Army managed to achieve limited success. At the end of November the situation on front calmed as the Soviets needed to replenish their forces. In order to exert pressure on Estonia in the peace talks, intensive Soviet attacks resumed on 7 December. [7]
On 16 December there was critical breakthrough, with the 15th Soviet Army crossing the Narva River, however the Estonian counter-attack the following day successfully pushed the Soviets back. The Estonian high command actively reinforced the 1st Division at Narva during the fighting, dispatching the 3rd Division command, while general Tõnisson became commander of whole Viru Front. He was replaced as 1st Division commander by Colonel Otto Heinze. After suffering 35,000 casualties in the heavy battles, the Red Army was completely exhausted by the end of December. [6] A ceasefire came into effect on 3 January 1920. [8]
After the Estonian War of Independence, the 1st Division relocated to Northern and Northeastern Estonia, with its headquarters in Rakvere. On 15 March 1924, all 3 divisions of the Estonian Defence Forces rearranged their artillery formations, with the 1st Division changing their artillery organization into two formations: the 1st Artillery Regiment and the 2nd Fortress Artillery Division. [9]
By the decision of the State Elder on 1 February 1940, the landmass of the Republic of Estonia was divided into four divisions, with the divisions in turn divided into military districts:
Units comprising the 1st Division 1918:
The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the 1919 aggression of the pro–German Baltische Landeswehr. The campaign was the struggle of the newly established democratic nation of Estonia for independence in the aftermath of World War I. It resulted in a victory for Estonia and was concluded in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.
The Battle of Narva Bridgehead was the campaign that stalled the Soviet Estonian operation in the surroundings of the town of Narva for six months. It was the first phase of the Battle of Narva campaign fought at the Eastern Front during World War II, the second phase being the Battle of Tannenberg Line.
The Battle of Narva was a World War II military campaign, lasting from 2 February to 10 August 1944, in which the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus.
The Battle of Tannenberg Line or the Battle of the Blue Hills was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment Narwa and the Soviet Leningrad Front. They fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July–10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favorable base for the invasions of Finland and East Prussia. Waffen-SS forces included 24 volunteer infantry battalions from the SS Division Nordland, the SS Division Langemarck, the SS Division Nederland, and the Walloon Legion. Roughly half of the infantry consisted of the personnel of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS. The German force of 22,250 men held off 136,830 Soviet troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, their overall casualties are estimated by Estonian historian Mart Laar to be 170,000 dead and wounded.
Johan Laidoner was an Estonian general and statesman. He served as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces during the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence and was among the most influential people in the Estonian politics between the world wars.
Julius Kuperjanov VR I/2, VR II/2 and VR II/3 was an Estonian military officer who was well-known in Estonia for being one of the Liberators of Tartu during the War of Independence and commander of the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion.
Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II (1939–1945), but the country was repeatedly contested, invaded and occupied, first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and ultimately reinvaded and reoccupied in 1944 by the Soviet Union.
The Battle of Paju was fought in Paju, near Valga, Estonia, on 31 January 1919 during the Estonian War of Independence. After heavy fighting, the Tartu-Valga group of the Estonian Army pushed the Red Latvian Riflemen out of the Paju Manor. It was the fiercest battle in the early period of war. Estonian commander Julius Kuperjanov fell in the fighting.
The 6th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed multiple times, it participated in several battles, most notably the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919, the Estonian War of Independence and the Polish–Soviet War.The division's first formation was awarded the Order of the Red Banner twice and the Order of Suvorov 2nd class for its valor in combat. In November 1945, the division was disbanded. It was briefly reformed in 1955 but disbanded again in 1957.
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 an Estonian force moving from the north, supplemented by Latvian units, repelled Baltic German attacks and went on full counter-attack.
15th Artillery Battalion of the 1st Infantry Brigade, formerly the Artillery Group, is an artillery battalion of the Estonian Defence Forces, based out of Tapa Army Base. The unit is part of the Estonian Land Forces. It is tasked with supporting combat units with indirect fire during war-time.
The Estonian Legion was a military unit of the Combat Support Forces of the Waffen-SS during World War II, mainly consisting of Estonian soldiers.
This is a sub-article to Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive and Battle of Narva.
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva (1944).
The Narva offensive was an operation conducted by the Soviet Leningrad Front. It was aimed at the conquest of the Narva Isthmus from the German army detachment "Narwa". At the time of the operation, Joseph Stalin, the supreme commander of the Soviet Armed Forces, was personally interested in taking Estonia, viewing it as a precondition to forcing Finland out of the war.
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva (1944).
The Viru Infantry Battalion is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 1st Infantry Brigade and its primary task is to train conscription-based infantry and anti-tank units. The battalion has been previously known as the 4th Infantry Regiment and as the 4th Single Infantry Battalion. The battalion is currently based at Jõhvi.
The Capture of Tapa, sometimes known as the Battle of Tapa, took place on 9 January 1919 in Tapa, Estonia, between troops of the Russian Red Army and Estonia. The goal of the Estonian troops was to capture and liberate the Tapa Railway Station from occupation by Russia. Three armored trains (soomusrong) were used in the engagement, led by Captain Anton Irv, Captain Oskar Luiga, and Captain Jaan Lepp.
The Armored Train Regiment was an armored regiment of the Estonian Defense Forces from 1934–1941. In 1939, the strength of the regiment was 544 men. The symbol of the regiment was a skull with wings on train wheels, symbolizing how armored trains fought in the Estonian Independence War. The symbol was nicknamed "Flying death on the railway".
Voldemar Karl Koht VR II/3 was an Estonian soldier and commander of the Estonian Armored Train Regiment.