Christmas Battles

Part of the Eastern Front of the First World War

German scheme of the Riga front and Christmas battles

Date	December 23-29, 1916 (Julian) January 5-11, 1917 (Gregorian)
Location	Tīreļpurvs (Tirelis swamp) near Riga
Result	Indecisive

Belligerents

German Empire

Russian Empire

Commanders and leaders

Friedrich von Scholtz

Nikolai Ruzsky

Radko Dimitriev

Strength

German 8th Army
~25,000

Russian 12th Army
~40,000

Casualties and losses

Unknown

13,000 Among them ~8,000 Latvian Riflemen (2,000 dead)

The Christmas Battles (Latvian:Ziemassvētku kaujas; German:Aa-Schlachten; Russian:Митавская операция) were offensive operations of the Russian army and Latvian units during World War I in the area of Jelgava, Latvia, by the Russian 12th Army of the Northern Front. They took place from December 23 until December 29, 1916 according to the calendar used in Russia at the time (or January 5 to January 11, 1917 according to the Gregorian Calendar then in use in the West and now in use almost everywhere), The Army was commanded by Gen. Radko Dimitriev; it was opposed by the 8th German Army.

The battles took place in a swampy region, Tīreļpurvs (Tīrelis swamp), between Lake Babīte and Jelgava. The main assault force was the VI Siberian Rifle Corps which included two Latvian Rifleman brigades ( "strēlnieki" who are a very important part of Latvian folklore and the first sign of having independence from Russia).

The German 8th army's advance was stopped near Riga in October 1915. Almost immediately German forces started to fortify their positions. A huge, 30 km. long wall (the so-called:German Wall) built out of sand and wood was constructed across Tīreļpurvs, separating both armies for more than a year.

Also a railway line was constructed to ease the delivery of ammo. The Russian 12th army was divided into three groups before it attacked. The main task force was Babīte group which consisted of 48 battalions and 208 cannon. On the opposite side were 19 German battalions from the 6th Landwehr-Brigade. The core of the Babīte group was the VI Siberian corps. which included both Latvian Rifleman brigades.

After the failure of the 1916 campaigns in Romania the Commander of the Russian Empire's 12th Army received an order to attack on the Riga front. Its objective was to attract the German reserve forces, thus helping their allies to resist on the Verdun battlefield. In mid-December 1916 there was a deep fall in temperature with a heavy frost, making it possible to move through the now frozen bog and gain access to the German fortifications. It was quickly decided to launch an attack at Christmas. The main objective being to the capture of Jelgava (Mitau).

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Wikipedia