Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps Explained

Unit Name:Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps
Native Name:Dansk-Baltisk Auxiliær Corps
Dates:26 March 1919
Type:Infantry
Size:213 volunteers
Command Structure:2nd Division
Garrison:Tartu
Nickname:Det Danske Frivillige Korps
Colors:Gray and White
March:"Björneborgarnas marsch"
Mascot:Røv (Corps Dog)
Disbanded:1 September 1919
Commander1:Iver de Hemmer Gudme
Commander1 Label:Corps Commander
Commander2:Richard Gustav Borgelin
Commander2 Label:Company Commander
Identification Symbol Label:War flag

Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps (DBAC) was a Danish company of military volunteers, established 1919 as a non-governmental initiative to help in the Estonian and Latvian war of independence.[1] It was originally planned to send several companies to help, but due to the success of war, only one company was sent, French: Compagnie Borgelin. The company consisted of approximately 200 men with Captain Iver de Hemmer Gudme as corps commander and Captain Richard Gustav Borgelin as company commander.[2]

History

DBAC left on th 26 March 1919 for Hanko in Finland on board the Finnish ship M/S Merkur.[2]

DBAC was contracted by the Estonian Army and participated on its side in the months of May to August 1919 during the Estonian War of Independence and the Latvian War of Independence. During the months of May and June DBAC conducted a long push from Võru in southern Estonia to Jēkabpils in Latvia, and ultimately the Daugava River, to cut off the Bolshevik's eastern supply lines.

After the successful campaign, the DBAC was pulled back to Estonia, since interfering political conflicts between Baltische Landeswehr and the Latvian Army was not part of the contract. At the end of July 1919 DBAC was sent to a section of the eastern front between Ostrov and Porkhov in the Russian Pskov Governorate, which turned out to be a bloody experience and costly to the corps (four dead, twenty wounded and four prisoners of war).[3] On 2 September 1919, the Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps marched through Tallinn to their ship Kalevipoeg, in a victory parade with over 1000 Estonian soldiers, Johan Laidoner and Otto Strandman participating.

On 22 June 2013, a memorial for the Danish volunteers was revealed in Estonia.[4] [5]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FOV Nyhedsbrev nr. 19, 15. årgang, 4. oktober 2001 . FOV Newsletter no. 19, 15th volume, 4 October 2001 . da . Sune Wadskjær . Nielsen . Forsvarets Oplysnings- og Velfærdstjeneste . 4 October 2001 . 6 August 2016 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20070217234339/http://www.sunewad.dk/estonia.htm . 17 February 2007 .
  2. Web site: For Dannebrogs Ære . For the honor of Dannebrog . 12 . Dansk Militærhistorisk Selskab . da . Per . Finsted . 6 August 2016.
  3. Web site: Det Dansk-Baltiske Auxiliær Corps . The Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps . Dansk Militærhistorie . da . 1 May 2016 . 6 August 2016.
  4. Web site: Memorial Honors Volunteer Fighters From Denmark . news.err.ee . 25 June 2013 . . 2 April 2016.
  5. Web site: Raudvere . Rein . Memorial for Danish Volunteer Fighters . maaleht.delfi.ee . maaleht . 2 April 2016 . et.