Between the USSR and Germany: Latvia's defence system and plans at the beginning of World War II

• In Event: Latvia in World War II: History, Memory and Conditionality

Abstract

In the interwar period, Latvia and other Baltic states were in an unprecedented security system. In the wars of independence that took place at the end of the World War I, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with varying intensity were at war with both - Germany and its supported formations and Soviet Russia. In each of the countries, both its geographical position and historical experience played a role, which determined its attitude towards Germany and Soviet Russia. In Latvia, the situation was more complicated, because it is located in the middle of the Baltic states and the historically experienced threats also affected the defense planning against external threats. Soviet propaganda for a long time tried to justify the aggression of the Soviet Union against the Baltic states and especially Latvia, by attributing to them a non-existent aggressive foreign policy, which also included the creation of defense plans against the Soviet Union. At the same time, until the second half of the 1930s, Latvia considered Germany as its main potential threat, and the change of priorities took place only in the shadow of the direct threat of the Soviet Union in September - October 1939. The purpose of this report is to analyze the defense system and defense plans of Latvia, which would allow to more clearly reveal the analysis of military threats to Latvia during the interwar period, plans and actions to reduce the identified threats. In addition to this, it would also allow us to identify the levers of influence of the Soviet Union and Germany in the Baltic States. In this way, the actual defense system of the Latvian army and the country on the eve of the World War II would also be analyzed. This is important because both Germany and the Soviet Union intensively exploited Latvia's economic and human resources during the World War II, although the public believes that these resources are insignificant.

Author

• Kārlis Dambītis, National Defence Academy of Latvia