[24][25] Offensive destroyed the Estonian Red Army, captured Pskov on 25 May and cleared the territory between Estonia and the Velikaya River of Soviet forces. Colonel Johan Laidoner was appointed Commander in chief of the Estonian armed forces. The Red army attempted to create a bridgehead across the Narva river, but were stopped and pushed back by the German. The battle of Narva (30 November 1700 NS) was a key battle early in the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The Estonian 3rd Division continued their advance towards Riga. In November 1917, upon the disintegration of the Russian Empire, a diet of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, the Estonian Provincial Assembly, which had been elected in the spring of that year, proclaimed itself the highest authority in Estonia. [13] Distrustful of the White Russians, the Estonian High Command disarmed and interned the remains of the Northwestern Army that retreated behind the state border. On the left, in a cemetery just across from it, is a monument to those who died in Estonia's war for independence, 1918 - 1920. The Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919 was part of the campaign by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic into areas abandoned by the Ober Ost garrisons that were being withdrawn to Germany following that country's defeat in World War I. The campaign eventually bogged down and led to the Estonian Pskov Offensive, the White Russian Petrograd Offensives, the Lithuanian–Soviet War, the Latvian War of Independence, continuation of the Ukrainian–Soviet War and the start of the Polish-Soviet War. It was to no avail, as the region was successfully defended against Bolshevik attacks. Subsequently, the 'Estonian' Red Army was pushed behind the Optjok River. The terms of the treaty stated that Russia renounced in perpetuity all rights to the territory of Estonia. On 25 April 1919, Hungarian Communists offered to mediate a settlement between the Bolsheviks and the Estonians, but Admiral Cowan threatened withdrawal of support to the Estonians unless they rejected the Hungarian offer. Having received reinforcements, the Estonian 2nd Division counterattacked and regained Petseri by 29 March. The 7th Red Army was routed outside the boundaries of contemporary Estonia and the battle-front continued outwards into the ancient, historical Estonian settlement area. This video is inspierd by the events of the great northern war, so it's not a documentary. The Battle of Narva on 19 November 1700 (30 November, N.S.) [16], On 5–7 April 1919 the Estonian Constituent Assembly was elected. The Soviet 2nd Novgorod Division opened a second front south of Lake Peipus, with 7,000 infantry, 12 field guns, 50 machine guns, two armored trains, and three armored vehicles. Most of today's Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States were granted to the government of Germany, which in turn decided to grant these states limited independence as buffer states. British naval and air forces arrived in December 1918, after lobbying in London by Estonian politicians. On 5 December, Finland delivered 5,000 rifles and 20 field guns along with ammunition. The so-called 'Estonian' Red Army captured Alūksne, Setomaa, Vastseliina, and Räpina parishes by 15 March. The war started in Narva on 28 November 1918; on the next day the city was captured by the Red Army. [citation needed], The Estonian and Polish armies proved to be far more capable opponents than the Red Army had assumed. Similar Bolshevik groups were operating in the sector and a series of skirmishes ensued. This German force, led by general Rüdiger von der Goltz, consisted of the Baltische Landeswehr formed from Baltic Germans, the Guards Reserve Division of former Imperial German Army soldiers who had stayed in Latvia, and the Freikorps Iron Division of volunteers motivated by prospects of acquiring properties in the Baltics. The 2nd Division continued to advance southwards facing increasing Soviet resistance. On 19 June, fighting resumed with an assault of the Iron Division on positions of the Estonian 3rd Division near Limbaži and Straupe, starting the Battle of Cēsis. The Germans disrupted the organization of Latvian national forces, and on 16 April 1919 the Provisional Government was toppled and replaced with the pro-German puppet Provisional Government of Latvia led by Andrievs Niedra. The Estonian Army stopped the 7th Red Army's advance along the entire front on 2–5 January. On 13 May, the Northern Corps went on the offensive at Narva, catching the Soviets by surprise and destroying their 6th Division. The German authorities recognized neither the provisional government nor its claim for Estonia's independence, counting them as a self-styled group usurping sovereign rights of the Baltic nobility. Battle of Narva (1918), the starting event of the Estonian War of Independence between Estonia and Soviet Russia; Battle of Utria, between Estonian-Finnish forces and Soviet Russia January 1919; Battle of Krivasoo, between Estonia and Soviet Russia in November and December 1919; Battle of Narva (1944), between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, part of World War II After signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Bolshevik Russia lost the European lands it annexed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The squadron captured two Russian destroyers, Spartak and Avtroil, and turned them over to Estonia, which renamed them Vambola and Lennuk. The Latvian democrats led by Kārlis Ulmanis had declared independence as in Estonia but were soon pushed back to Liepāja by Soviet forces, where the German VI Reserve Corps finally stopped their advance. The Battle of Narva (Russian: Битва при Нарве Bitva pri Narve; Swedish: Slaget vid Narva) on 30 November [O.S. On 25 April, the Latvian Riflemen captured Rūjiena, but were soon pushed back by the 3rd Division to Salacgrīva-Seda-Gauja line. The 6th Red Division captured the railway junction of Tapa from the freshly formed Estonian 4th and 5th Regiments on Christmas Eve and advanced to 34 km (21 mi) from the capital Tallinn. Both the Soviet offensive and the Polish counterattack started at the same time, which resulted in an increasing number of troops being brought to the area. However, it is unlikely that the Soviets really expected to reach the Vistula. 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