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Latvian voluntary militia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aizsargi (lit. 'Defenders' or 'Guards'; officially – Latvian: Latvijas Aizsargu organizācija, lit. 'Guards Organization of Latvia', or LAO) was a volunteer paramilitary organization, militia with some characteristics of a military reserve force in Latvia during the interbellum period (1918–1939).
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| Aizsargi Latvijas Aizsargu organizācija | |
|---|---|
Aizsargu motorcyclists during a 20-year anniversary in 1939. | |
| Active | 1919–1940 |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 60,684 (1940) |
| Motto(s) | Visu par Latviju (Everything for Latvia) |
| Engagements | Latvian War of Independence 1934 Latvian coup d'état |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ludvigs Bolšteins Augusts Tons Kārlis Prauls |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |  |
The Aizsargi was created on March 30, 1919, by the Latvian Provisional Government as a self-defense force - a kind of National Guard - during the Latvian War of Independence.[1] In 1921, it was reorganized to follow the example of the Finnish Suojeluskunta (known as the "White Guard").[2]
The Aizsargi published a newspaper, entitled Aizsargs ("Defender"/"Guard"), and the movement had subsidiary sections for women ("Aizsardzes", established in 1926)[3] and youth ("Jaunsargi").
The organization, along with the Latvian Army, provided military support to the 1934 coup d'état of Kārlis Ulmanis.
By 1 January 1940, the organization had a membership of 60,684: 31,874 guards (aizsargi), 14,810 women members (aizsardzes), and 14,000 youth members (jaunsargi).[2] The organization consisted of 19 infantry regiments and the separate Railroad and Aviation Regiments.[4][5]
On 23 June 1940, the organization was disbanded as a result of the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. During the Soviet occupation, the former members of the LAO were heavily persecuted.[6]
After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, the Aizsargi organization was not re-established by the government, as the Latvian National Guard was formed in 1991 as the main volunteer defence force of the country. Since then, separate small-scale NGOs have claimed to be the successors of the original LAO, which sometimes espoused fringe right-wing political views, e.g. the LAO group led by Riga Film Studio make-up artist Jānis Rība who was assassinated in 1997, possibly by Pērkonkrusts members; the Latvijas Aizsargi ('Aizsargi of Latvia') and others.[7][8][9]
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