{"id":8963,"date":"2025-12-06T14:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T14:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zolyno.com\/?page_id=8963"},"modified":"2026-01-14T17:34:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:34:48","slug":"baltenregiment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freiherren-von-wolff.com\/en\/baltenregiment\/","title":{"rendered":"Baltic Regiment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Baltic Regiment<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Karl Freiherr von Manteuffel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the end of the First World War, Estonia was still under the control of the German 8th Army. As the German withdrawal became apparent and it simultaneously became clear that Soviet troops would advance into the Baltic region, the Reich Plenipotentiary August Winnig reached an agreement with the young Republic of Estonia on November 19, 1918, regarding the transfer of captured Russian military equipment. This was intended to enable the rapid establishment of an independent Estonian army.<\/p>

In view of the immediate threat, the new Prime Minister and Minister of War, Konstantin P\u00e4ts, saw himself compelled to mobilize all available forces. In a meeting on November 26, 1918, it was therefore decided, together with representatives of the Baltic German community, to form a protective force composed of Baltic German volunteers.<\/p>

Already on November 27, the first core of what would later become the Baltic Regiment was formed in Rakvere (Wesenberg), initially as part of the 5th Estonian Regiment under Colonel Wei\u00df. After heavy fighting and a retreat toward Imavere, this unit merged on December 29, 1918, with a second Baltic German formation under Rittmeister Viktor von zur M\u00fchlen, which had previously been formed in Tartu (Dorpat) with German support. From this merger emerged the Baltic Battalion, numbering approximately 450 men, which grew to 700 to 800 soldiers in 1919.<\/p>

The volunteers came predominantly from Baltic German student corps circles of the University of Dorpat and the Riga Polytechnic Institute - often sons of noble estate-owning families. The officers had mostly served in the Tsarist army. Equipment and weapons were partly taken over from the withdrawing German army or donated by the Baltic German population. In this way, the Baltic Regiment became a decisive contribution of the Baltic German community to the defense of Estonia amid the turmoil of the wars of independence.<\/p>

Memorial sites commemorating the fallen members of the Baltic State Defense Force and the Baltic Regiment:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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