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Occupation of Latvia 1940-1945

Encyclopedia : O : OC : OCC : Occupation of Latvia 1940-1945

This article is about the occupation of Latvia by the USSR in 1940, its subsequent occupation by Nazi Germany 1941-1944, and its reoccupation by the USSR in 1944 through to the end of World War II. Latvia views that the occupation continued until its renewed independence and that the current Latvian state is a continuation of the first. Russia maintains Latvia joined the Soviet Union voluntarily and legally (statement by the Russian Duma, to "remind deputies of the Latvian Saeima that Latvia's being a part of the Soviet Union was grounded by fact and by law," November 19, 1999.)

Plaque at Bauska NKVD building.

Contents

1918-1939: Historical background

Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Russia on November 18, 1918. After a prolonged War of Independence, Latvia and Soviet Russia (the predecessor of the Soviet Union) signed a Peace Treaty on August 11, 1920. In its Article 2 Soviet Russia "unreservedly recognises the independence and sovereignty of the Latvian State and voluntarily and forever renounces all sovereign rights (...) to the Latvian people and territory." The independence of Latvia was recognised de jure by the Allied Supreme Council (France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Belgium) on January 26, 1921. Other states followed suit. On September 22, 1921 Latvia was admitted to membership in the League of Nations and remained a member until the formal dissolution of the League in 1946. On February 5, 1932, a Non-Aggression Treaty with the Soviet Union was signed, based on the August 11, 1920 treaty whose basic agreements inalterably and for all time form the firm basis of the relationship of the two states. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began, Latvia declared its neutrality.

1939-1940: The road to loss of independence

Stalin and Hitler trade on Baltics

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed August 23, 1939 cleared the path for Germany and the Soviet Union to pursue their territorial interests in Eastern Europe. Secret protocols of this pact split up the territory separating Germany and the Soviet Union between the two powers. According to these protocols, the Soviet Union had a right to Finland, Estonia and Latvia, Germany had a right to Poland and Lithuania. (The Soviet Union continued to deny the existence of these protocols until, under pressure from the Baltic SSRs, on December 24, 1989, the Congress of the USSR People’s Deputies officially recognized the secret deals illegal and invalid from their inception.)

Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Stalin ordered the Red Army on September 17, to cross the Soviet-Polish frontier under the pretense of liberating the Belorussians and Ukranians from Poland. It was Stalin's means of insuring Hitler go only so far as had been agreed to. Stalin then suggested a "trade" to Hitler to solve the "Baltic problem." On September 28, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a border agreement, including a second secret protocol, handing Lithuania to Stalin in exchange for two Polish provinces. All three Baltic states were now in Stalin's hands.

Baltics accept \"mutual assistance\" under threat of invasion

The Soviets were now free to push their agenda forward, having for some years already declared that any developments in the Baltics which were not to their liking would be viewed as a threat to Soviet security. It was during talks in Moscow, on October 2, 1939, that Stalin told Vilhelms Munters, the Latvian foreign minister: "I tell you frankly, a division of spheres of interest has already taken place. As far as Germany is concerned we could occupy you." The Baltics took this threat seriously.

Estonia signed their "mutual assistance pact" with the Soviet Union on September 28, 1939; Latvia following on October 5, 1939; and Lithuania shortly thereafter, on October 10, 1939. In Latvia's case, the agreement called for Latvia to:

At face value, this pact did not impinge upon Latvian sovereignty. Section 5 of the Pact reads as follows: "The carrying into effect of the present pact must in no way affect the sovereign rights of the contracting parties, in particular their political structure, their economic and social system, and their military measures. The areas set aside for the bases and airfields remain the territory of the Latvian Republic."

With Baltic sovietization imminent, Hitler issued the "call home" to ethnic Germans. Latvia entered into agreement with Nazi Germany on the repatriation of citizens of German nationality on October 30, 1939. Publicly, on October 31, 1939, the Soviet Supreme Council called fears of Baltic sovietization "all nonsense." Privately, this stationing of Soviet troops in Latvia under the terms of the mutual assistance pact marked the beginning of the fruition of long-standing Soviet desires to gain control of the Baltics.

(As early as December 3, 1922, the head of the Soviet War Information Department suggested that the Soviet Union encourage Poland to occupy Lithuania; at the same time, two Soviet army corps would invade Estonia. With Lenin's concerns about potential negative impact on image and trade, the plan did not carry. Stalin, however, was in favor, and after Lenin's death he ordered the Estonian Communist party to organize a putsch in Tallinn on December 1, 1924, which, should it succeed, would lead to the proclamation of the Estonian Soviet Republic.)

Finland invaded

With the success of this first stage, the Soviets soon confirmed the threat under which the Baltics had signed the pacts of mutual assistance. On October 5, 1939, the Finns had also been invited to Moscow to "discuss mutual problems." The Finns refused, and on November 30, the Soviet Union attacked Finland, launching the Winter War. Finland succeeded in resisting and on March 13, 1940 signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union. Finland was, however, compelled to give up the Hanko peninsula and parts of Karelia with the city of Viborg in return for guaranteeing its security.

USSR had already determined to incorporate the Baltics

Apparent escape from Finland's fate may have led to a false sense of security for Latvia. Four months after the arrival of Soviet troops in Latvia, Vilhelms Munters, addressing an audience at the University of Latvia on February 12, 1940, stated, "We have every reason to describe the relations existing between Latvia and the Soviet Union as very satisfactory. There are people who will say that these favourable conditions are of a temporary nature only, and that sooner or later we shall have to reckon with internal-political and foreign-political pressure on the part of the Soviet Union. The foundation on which they base these prophesies is a secret of the prophets themselves. The experience of our Government certainly does not justify such forebodings."

Munters was not aware that General Ivan Serov, Deputy People's Commissar of Public Security of the Soviet Union, had already on October 11, 1939 - less than a week after the signing of the mutual assistance pact - issued and signed Order № 001223, "regarding the Procedure for carrying out the Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia."

With Soviet failure in Finland sealed for the moment, it was little more than a month after Munters' positive expressions that Molotov, speaking on March 25, 1940, essentially announced Soviet intentions to annex the Baltic States, stating, "...the execution of the pacts progressed satisfactorily and created conditions favorable for a further improvement of the relations between Soviet Russia and these States." Improvement of the relations being a euphemism for Soviet takeover.

In March and April, 1940, immediately after Molotov's speech, the Soviet press commenced attacks on the Latvian government. Next, the NKVD orchestrated a series of strikes in Rīga and Liepāja. When those failed to develop into a general strike, the Soviets blamed that failure on the "irresponsible element which spoils the good neighborly relations."

Fearing Soviet action, on May 17, 1940, the Latvian government secretly issued emergency powers to the Latvian minister in London, Kārlis Zariņš, designating Alfreds Bilmanis, the Latvian minister in Washington, as his substitute.

USSR stages events to justify invasion

On May 28, 1940, the Lithuanian Minister in Moscow received a note from Molotov which dealt with the alleged kidnapping of two Soviet soldiers in Vilna. The Lithuanian government sought to clear up this matter by a Soviet-Lithuanian commission under the terms of the mutual assistance pact. Moscow rejected this proposal and cut off further discussion, soon showing and rapidly playing their hand:

Loss of independence

Soviet orchestration of events continued following the invasion, complete with protestors, who had arrived with the Red Army troops, organizing mass marches and meetings in order to create the impression of popular unrest:

1940-1941: The first Soviet occupation

Accurate numbers for the losses the Soviets inflicted on Latvia are not available. They can, however, be conservatively estimated at 290,000 dead from military action, executions, or deportation. Many more found refuge abroad. These losses all began during the first Soviet occupation. This has also been referred to, in Latvian, as "Baigais Gads" (Year of Terror). (This term was also used in anti-Soviet propaganda of the period—these two uses should not be confused or allied in purpose. "Baigais Gads" is also a title of an openly antisemitic, false account of the events of the year penned by Pauls Kovalevskis, a Nazi sympathiser, in 1942.)

Defining and deporting enemies of the state

On June 22, 1940, all three Baltic parliaments passed initial resolutions on the nationalization of land, followed in Latvia by a Bill of Land Reform a week later. Initially, a maximum of 30 hectares of land could be used by a family, reduced during the second Soviet occupation to 15-20 hectares. Anyone holding more land was categorized as an enemy of the state. Based on land ownership in 1935, that put over 40% of Latvian farmers and their families into that category, destined for deportation.

The purpose of deportations was to eliminate the native middle class, replaced through aggressive Russification). Given Latvia's predominantly agricultural economy following independence, this meant elimination of most of Latvia's farming class.

Serov's deportation Order № 001223 applied to all the Baltics. The following NKVD order of November 28, 1940, was issued in Lithuania; this document was left behind when the Soviets evacuated. Similar orders were issued for Estonia and Latvia.

"For the task of operative work it is of profound importance to know how many former policemen, white-guardists, ex-army officers, members of anti-Soviet political parties and organizations are in the territory of Lithuania and where this element is concentrated. This is necessary in order to define the counter revolutionary force and to direct our apparatus of active agencies for their annihilation and liquidation. Executing the Order of the People's Commissar of NKVD of USSR No. 001223 referring to a report on the anti-Soviet element, and the demand to be most careful in the exact execution of that task, I issue the following order:
§ 5. Into the alphabetic files must be entered all those persons who, because of their social and political past, their nationalistic-chauvinistic inclinations, religious beliefs, moral and political instability, are hostile to the socialistic form of State, and consequently might be exploited by foreign intelligence services and counter-revolutionary centres for their anti-Soviet purpose. Among such elements are to be counted:
    a) all former members of anti-Soviet political parties, organizations and groups: Trotskyites, right-wingers, Essers, Mensheviks, Social Democrats, anarchists, etc.
    b) all former members of nationalistic, chauvinistic anti-Soviet parties, Nationalists, Christian Democrats, the active members of student fraternities, of the National Guard etc.
    c) former policemen, officers of the criminal and political police and of prisons.
    d) former army officers and members of military courts.
    e) persons who are dismissed from the Communist Party and Communist Youth Organization for various offences against the party.
    f) all refugees, political emigrants, immigrants, repatriants and contrabandists
    g) all citizens of foreign states, representatives of foreign firms, employees of foreign state institutions, former citizens of foreign states, former employees of foreign legations, firms, concessions, and stock companies.
    h) persons who maintain personal contact or are in correspondence with foreign countries, legations and consulates, with philatelists and esperantists.
    i) former officials of Ministerial Departments.
    j) former Red Cross officials.
    k) clergy of religious communities, Orthodox priests, Roman Catholic priests, sectarians and active members of religious congregations.
    l) former noblemen, estate owners, merchants, bankers, businessmen, owners of factories and shops, owners of hotels and restaurants.

§ 6. For the completion of the alphabetic files for all anti-Soviet elements there must be made the most careful use of all sources, among them: reports of agencies, material of special investigations, material of Party and Soviet Organizations, declarations of citizens, testimonies and other, official material must be proved at first in the agential way.
...
§ 9. The chief of the 1st Special Branch of the NKVD is under obligation to report to me daily about the progress of this Order."

Later orders expanded the list, including anyone related to someone in hiding from the government or who had fled abroad—which act made them a traitor to the state.

The first Soviet mass deportations took place on June 13 and 14th, 1941, estimated at 15 600 men, women, and children, and including 20% of Latvia's last legal government. Approximately 35 000 total (1.8% of Latvia's population) were deported during the first Soviet occupation. Stalin's deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews. Hitler was not the first catastrophe to afflict that community. (The mass deportation totalled 131 500 across the Baltics.)

The deportations were swift and efficient and came in the middle of the night. Deportees were given an hour or less to get ready to leave. They were allowed to take with them their belongings not exceeding 100 kg in weight (money, food for a month, cooking appliances, clothing). The families would then be taken to the railway station. That was when they discovered that the men were to be separated from the women and children: "In view of the fact that a large number of deportees must be arrested and distributed in special camps and that their families must proceed to special settlements in distant regions, it is essential that the operation of removal of both the members of the deportee's family and its head shall be carried out simultaneously, without notifying them of the separation confronting them.... The convoy of the entire family to the station shall be effected in one vehicle and only at the station of departure shall the head of the family be placed separately from his family in a car specially intended for heads of families."

The trains were escorted by a NKVD officer and military convoy. Packed into barred cattle cars, with holes in the floor for sanitation, the deportees were taken to Siberia. Many died before even reaching their final destination because of harsh conditions. Many more perished their first winter.

The Soviet-Nazi war cut short this first year of Soviet occupation. The Nazi offensive, launched June 22, 1941, just over a week after the mass deportations were executed, entered Riga on July 1, 1941. This disrupted documented NKVD plans to deport several hundred thousand more from the Baltic states on June 27 and 28, 1941.

1941-1944: Nazi occupation

Main article: Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany

With memories of the mass deportations still fresh, the German troops were widely greeted at their arrival by the Latvians as liberators. The Latvian national anthemn played on the radio. Nazi Germany, however, had no plan or desire to restore autonomy to the Baltics. Jewish fears of the Nazis—which had led some to look upon the Soviet occupation as a measure of security—were to prove tragically well founded. [more TBD]

1944(-1945): Second Soviet occupation

Oct 10-29, 1944 - Soviet troops capture Riga. [more TBD]

References

External links

 

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