The
Order of Lāčplēsis, the first and the highest
Latvian
military award, was
established in 1919 on the initiative of the Supreme Commander of
Latvia's Army Colonel Jānis
Balodis. The Lāčplēsis Order has First, Second and Third
Class. It was named after the Latvian
epic
hero,
Lāčplēsis.
The medal of Lāčplēsis Military Order was a white enameled Thunder
Cross and Fire Cross (Latvian left facing
swastika) with red and golden edging. In the centre
of the face side there was a medallion with picture of folk hero
Lāčplēsis wrestling with a bear.
On the reverse side there was date 11
November 1919 (the date when the Army of Latvia expelled Pavel Bermondt-Avalov troops from
Riga
) and engraved phrase "Par Latviju" (For
Latvia). Edges of the cross were engraved with initials
H.B., the
trademark of silversmith
Hermanis Banks. Order was designed by
J. Līberts. The holders received also a diploma, designed by
Rihards Zariņš, with brief description of their achievement.
In the period 1919-1928 I Class were conferred on 11 persons. 61
persons (18 Latvians and 43 foreigners) were awarded with the II
Class. III Class was conferred on 2072 persons (1600 soldiers of
the Latvian army, 202 former
Latvian
riflemen and 271 foreigners). Among recipients are 11
Lithuanians, 47
Germans,
15
Russians, 9
Poles,
4
Jews and 3
Belarusians.Three women:
Valija Vesčūnas-Jansone,
Līna Canka-Freidenfelde
and
Elza Ziglevica were holders of
the III Class of the decoration. The Order has been conferred on
soldiers of the Armies of Estonia, Poland, Finland, France,
Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, USA and
Japan.
The first
Award Ceremony took place on Esplanade
Square in Riga on 11
November 1920, with President Jānis Čakste personally presenting
the decorations to seven highest-ranking commanders of the Army of
Latvia: General Pēteris
Radziņš, Colonels Mārtiņš Peniķis,
Krišjānis Berķis,
Jūlijs Jansons and Jānis Apinis and Colonel-Lieutenants
Oskars Dankers and Jānis Puriņš.
Military
Order of Lāčplēsis was also awarded to the foreigners: the
Commander of Estonian
Army General
Johan Laidoner, Polish Marshall
Józef Piłsudski, Edward Rydz-Śmigły, King of
Italy Victor Emanuel
and Prime Minister Benito
Mussolini, King Albert I of
Belgium and French Marshal and Generalissimo Ferdinand Foch.
The
fortress of Verdun
, was also
awarded the Lāčplēsis Military Order for heroism of it defenders
during World War I.
References
Further reading
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