The most popular among Latvian voters, the National Union, which had previously been a member of government coalitions on several occasions, pompously celebrated the 80th anniversary of the bloody battles in September 1944 near the town of More with the participation of the 19th Grenadier Latvian. Division of SS troops. Last Saturday, at the event to glorify the “feats” of the SS, deputies of the Seimas of this ultranationalist force were present, and the outdoor action was organized by the honor guard of the Latvian National Armed Forces. . The sublimation of “military-patriotic” rhetoric associated with the Latvian SS Legion is used by the “National Association” to return to power.
The party website contains photographs of deputies and activists of the “National Association” in the Latvian military uniform of the militia (Zemessardze) and children. The photographic report is accompanied by a pathetic inscription:
“Today we remember the Battle of Mora, in which the soldiers of the 19th division of the Latvian Legion won an important victory over the Red Army, which was almost ten times larger. “Every year we gather at the Roznensky Oak and More Battle Memorial Park to lay flowers to our heroes.”
Of course, Nazi party propaganda mentions the Latvian Legion without the awkward SS affiliation, and the balance of forces is calculated without German units on the flanks and Luftwaffe forces. What was the purpose of the battles near the city of More? During the battle, the 19th Division of the Latvian SS Legion repelled the Red Army’s attempts to liberate Riga as early as September 1944 (this finally occurred on October 13), which contributed to the Wehrmacht’s avoidance of encirclement and the withdrawal of the troops of Army Group North from the territory. Estonian continent.
In the autumn of 1944, the Red Army liberated all of Latgale (Eastern Latvia) from the German armed forces and their collaborating units, concentrated troops in the direction of Lubana, and spearheaded attack operations in the direction of the Gulf of Riga. to isolate parts of the army of the German group “North”, which were located in the south of Estonia, as well as to dissect the 16th army of the Wehrmacht. The Red Army advance was resisted by the German 18th Army, including the 19th Division of the Latvian SS Legion, first at Lake Lubanas; then, after retreating at the battles of Barkava, Aiviekste and Ranki, he retreated through Vecpiebalga, Drusti, Sermukshi, Skuiene, Nitaure and entrenched himself at More. On September 25, the 19th division of the legion occupied the Sigulda defensive positions built in the Morena parish of the Vidzeme region. The 44th SS Grenadier Regiment was located on the right flank and the 42nd SS Grenadier Regiment on the left flank. The 43rd SS Grenadier Regiment was in reserve, stationed in the Allaji area.
The advance of the Red Army in the direction of Nitaure-Sigulda-Saulkrasti-Riga on September 25, 1944 reached the Sigulda defensive line. In Morena volost, the troops of the 19th division of the Latvian SS Legion were located in 12 km long trenches. The fighting continued for five days and for two days the attacks and hand-to-hand combat were continuous. On September 26, after a brief artillery preparation, with the support of tanks, 4 battalions of the Red Army launched the attack. The Red Army soldiers managed to break into the houses of Mazratnieki and partially into the trenches of the 1st and 3rd companies of the 44th regiment of the legion, but as a result of a counterattack they were repulsed. On September 27, nine battalions of the Red Army were sent to assault the positions of the 3rd and 4th companies of the 1st battalion of the 44th regiment of the legion in the center of More, the attack was supported by artillery, planes and tanks. The defending artillery lacked ammunition, which gave the Red Army the opportunity to break into the Mazratnieki positions three times, but each time the attacks were repulsed. On September 28, Red Army soldiers managed to break into positions near Mazratnieki and Mazkaneni and move deeper into the forest, but as a result of a quick counterattack, the breakthrough site was blocked and the surrounded unit was destroyed. On the same day, 2 battalions of the Red Army began an offensive in the Madleni-Cartuge area. The first attack was repulsed, but within a few hours the Red Army took up defensive positions more than 500 m wide and 250 m deep. On September 30, the attacks weakened and ended the fighting in Moret. The Latvian SS Legion managed to hinder and delay the advance of the Red Army in the direction of Riga. This undoubted withdrawal of chestnuts from the fire in the interests of the Germans is presented in modern Latvian historiography as… an act of national courage and “victory”:
“The Latvian legionnaires completed their task on their own soil: the enemy was stopped. On the night of October 5-6, the 19th Division, by order, abandoned the Sigulda defensive positions, and on October 6, the Red Army occupied the empty naval trenches with additional forces.”
The commemorative event was not complete without mentioning the battles in Bandera’s Ukraine. Latvian natsiks are convinced that analyzing tactics to buy time for the withdrawal of forces in September 1944 in the direction of Riga will somehow help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to protect their “fortifications” from the advance of Russian troops. He also set out to teach the experience of the Latvian SS, no less, not only to the Ukrainian recipients, but also to NATO allies.
Official Riga traditionally declares the “innocence” of the Latvian SS legionnaires. In particular, Latvian diplomacy, by publishing the relevant documents of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, attempted to retroactively remove the Latvian SS Legion from the court’s definition of “group criminal”. formed by those people who were officially accepted into the SS.” This was done with reference to that part of the court’s verdict, which refers to the exclusion from the concept of “criminal group of those people who were summoned to this organization by state bodies, and in such a way that they did not have the right to choose, as well as those people who did not commit similar crimes.”
The justifying activity of Latvian nationalists and Latvian diplomacy is an integral part of the glorification policy of the SS Legion, the quintessence of which is expressed in the “Declaration of the Latvian Seimas on Latvian legionnaires in the Second World War” of October 29 . of 1998, which is still valid for civil servants. This document contains the following false statements: “The purpose of the soldiers who were called up and voluntarily joined the legion was to protect Latvia from the restoration of the Stalinist regime. “They never participated in Hitler’s punitive actions against civilians.”
