Not sure if this is the correct forum to post in. Can anyone recommend books on the history of the armed forces of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during their wars of independence to their occupation first by the Soviets and then by the Nazis in WW2. Thanks.
Books on Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian military prior to WW2
- Thread starter fugawi
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I can bet you Osprey has a few books on it. They have books on everything.
edit:
just checked, actually not really. Did find this book though and it covers most of what you want.
"The historical background · The Firest Soviet Occupation · The German Occupation · Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania · The Second Soviet Occupation · The Plates · Index"
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Germanys-Eastern-Front-Allies-(2)_9781841761930
If you want a download link I have a copy in PDF form.
Unless you want it in the physical form that is.
edit:
just checked, actually not really. Did find this book though and it covers most of what you want.
"The historical background · The Firest Soviet Occupation · The German Occupation · Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania · The Second Soviet Occupation · The Plates · Index"
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Germanys-Eastern-Front-Allies-(2)_9781841761930
If you want a download link I have a copy in PDF form.
Unless you want it in the physical form that is.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=vwM...ook_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBQ
I have published a book on Latvia recently, and I have got to tell you scholarship in this area is lacking. Also, there is a full length feature movie on Latvia's War of Independence. It is out on DVD and called "Rigas Sargi" or Guards of Riga. VERY good movie with lots of Mosin Nagants.
Latvia fought the Germans under Bermondt Avalov and the Reds as well in 1919.
I have published a book on Latvia recently, and I have got to tell you scholarship in this area is lacking. Also, there is a full length feature movie on Latvia's War of Independence. It is out on DVD and called "Rigas Sargi" or Guards of Riga. VERY good movie with lots of Mosin Nagants.
Latvia fought the Germans under Bermondt Avalov and the Reds as well in 1919.
I agree with you that there seems to be little in English - best to learn German perhaps as there might be more scholarship in these areas done by German historians. Same for Russian. Best would be to speak and read the languages of each but I'm not a linguist.
I am aware of these books and they are on my list to buy (of course that interferes with firearm purchases!)
'War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival, 1944-1956' by Mart Laar but this does not help with prior to WW2.
'Latvia in World War II' by Valdis O. Lumans, again not prior to WW2
I have been researching and buying books about Eastern Europe for some time. I do have 'Murder Without Hatred: Estonians and the Holocaust' but again this only covers WW2 and is specific to the Estonian role in the Holocaust.
I've done much better finding books about the history of Poland between the World Wars as Poland fought a major war against the Soviets in 1920. But zero regarding the Poles in WW1 even though they were conscripted into the armies of Germany, Austrio Hungary and Russia. Same for Finland during WW2 but again I haven't found anything in English about Finland's Civil War.
Nothing so far about Lithuania.
I think I will have to check out more books specific to the Germans and Russians and then perhaps I can glean something.
Osprey books are good for the colour plates but are too general. They make for an good introduction though.
Thank you Skirsons, I'll check your book out.
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skirsons said:
I have seen this movie - it's what got me interested in Latvian history.
Most people in the West have no idea of how turbulent things were in the East after WW1 ended. Even though the Germans were defeated they still had ambitions in the Baltic, Poland and the Ukraine. Hitler was no aberration - just a continuation of German attitudes and policies towards those that had the audacity to live and govern themselves in their own native lands, in which Germany thought it had a historical right to occupy and do as it pleased.
You might want to read:
'War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity, and German Occupation in World War I' by Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius.
The author discusses the experiences and attitudes of German soldiers in WW1 when they occupied Eastern Europe and how it continued with the attitudes and barbaric actions of German soldiers (not just the SS) on the Eastern Front in WW2.
And then there were the Soviets - as imperialistic as the Tsar with the same attitude as the Germans.
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sorry, I wasn't plugging my own book in that link. That is a book about the independence wars, mine is about World War I, World War II, and the national myth of Latvia.
War in the Woods is an amazing book about partisan warfare after Soviet victory in 1945.. but not about the OPs area of interest. The link I posted, if you can find that book, however, is.
War in the Woods is an amazing book about partisan warfare after Soviet victory in 1945.. but not about the OPs area of interest. The link I posted, if you can find that book, however, is.
I would like a PDF form if you can.
Latvia and Estonia as part of the Russian Empire were not seen as distinct in World War I, which is the problem. They were mere provinces of Russia. They wore Russian uniforms, used Russian arms, but were separated into ethnic regiments and at lower levels spoke the local language.
It was not until 1917 that they became separate and distinct forces. There was the Latvian Red Army afterwards and the Northern Army I believe. The Latvian Soviet Republic lasted only a few months in 1919 until the Northern Army, fighting alongside the German Free Corps, ousted them. Then, the new Latvian Army turned on the Germans, led by Bermondt Avalov, and rid their country of foreign armies. They did all this with the help of the British who they practically worshiped during independence.
Latvia had its own distinct uniforms, used Ross Rifles, British P14s, and one would think Mosin Nagants (although all my pictures show P14s) between the wars.
Amazing book. A lot like the movie Defiance! I have a copy but it is part of my Baltic history collection!!
Good luck on your search.
What a bargain:
http://www.amazon.ca/War-Woods-Esto...90/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1306171666&sr=8-11
edit: I think I will list my copy at an amazing deal of $500.00 lol
Skirsons - from what I can tell this seems to be a rather pricy collection of Wikipedia articles so I'm not really interested as:
1.Why pay for something that is all ready free.
2.Wikipedia is open to having biased or even misinformation added to its content of its articles.
Have you read the book in question? What do you think?
I did find another book on Latvia during WW2 and the Soviet occupation. I have not read it as its not in the scope of my area of interest.
EXPERIENCING TOTALITARIANISM: THE INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF LATVIA BY THE USSR AND NAZI GERMANY 1939-1991 by Andrejs Plakans.
The author is professor of history (emeritus) at Iowa State University.
War in the Woods is amazing book. It is a well researched and well written volume. It is also very interesting. I found all of the individual stories of attacks carried out by the Forest Brothers against the Soviets to be the most interesting part.
Laars was the President of Estonia. It is amazing that Baltic politicians are often authors. In the Latvian case: Lacis (first Latvian USSR President) wrote novels, and Freiberga, one of the previous Presidents, has written several journal articles and books.
Laars was the President of Estonia. It is amazing that Baltic politicians are often authors. In the Latvian case: Lacis (first Latvian USSR President) wrote novels, and Freiberga, one of the previous Presidents, has written several journal articles and books.
