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First Battle of Ķekava

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1st Battle of Kekava
Part of the Eastern Front of World War I

Officers of the 1st Daugavgrīva Latvian Rifle Battalion after the battle
Date21 March 1916
Location
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Russian Empire  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Radko Dimitriev Oskar von Hutier
Units involved
13th Siberian Rifle Division
Latvian Riflemen
35th Infantry Reserve Regiment
Casualties and losses
704 casualties 63 killed
87 injured

The First Battle of Kekava occurred in March 1916 in Kekava, Latvia, along the Eastern Front during World War I.

Background

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Following Russian retreats, Russian forces ended up outside of Kekava and decided to begin an attack alongside the Lake Naroch offensive.

Forces

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The 13th Siberian Rifle Division of the 12th Army of the Imperial Russian Army fought against the 35th Infantry Reserve Regiment of the Imperial German Army and were joined by Latvian Riflemen battalions.[1][2]

Battle

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The attack at Ķekava began on March 21, 1916, in meadows flooded by the tides. After an artillery shelling of the enemy's forts, Latvian riflemen and soldiers of the 51st Siberian Rifle Regiment advanced towards the German fortified positions.[3] Despite initial success of the first two Latvian rifle battalions, it was not possible to maintain the front brake for a long time. The Germans, attracting additional reserves, launched a counterattack in the evening to regain lost positions. the German forces then them back to their starting positions.[4][5]

Aftermath

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Following the battle, another battle, the second Battle of Ķekava took place in July in the same region.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Zariņš, Klāvs (2017-11-28). "Pirmā pasaules kara vēstures liecības vācbaltiešu muižnieka Silvio Brēdriha atmiņās (1914–1915)". Latvijas Universitātes Žurnāls Vēsture (3): 171–186. doi:10.22364/luzv.3.2017.12. ISSN 2592-9593.
  2. ^ "The View from the Top: German Soldiers and Lithuania in the Two World Wars", Forgotten Pages in Baltic History, BRILL, pp. 211–237, 2011-01-01, doi:10.1163/9789042033160_012, ISBN 978-90-420-3316-0, retrieved 2024-02-22
  3. ^ Celotajs, LLTA Lauku. "Battles of Ķekava". militaryheritagetourism.info. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  4. ^ Zariņš, Klāvs (2017-11-28). "Pirmā pasaules kara vēstures liecības vācbaltiešu muižnieka Silvio Brēdriha atmiņās (1914–1915)". Latvijas Universitātes Žurnāls Vēsture (3): 171–186. doi:10.22364/luzv.3.2017.12. ISSN 2592-9593.
  5. ^ Celotajs, LLTA Lauku. "Battles of Ķekava". militaryheritagetourism.info. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  6. ^ Zariņš, Klāvs (2017-11-28). "Pirmā pasaules kara vēstures liecības vācbaltiešu muižnieka Silvio Brēdriha atmiņās (1914–1915)". Latvijas Universitātes Žurnāls Vēsture (3): 171–186. doi:10.22364/luzv.3.2017.12. ISSN 2592-9593.