Red Latvian Riflemen

Latviešu strēlnieku bataljoni/pulki/divīzija Latvian Riflemen Battalions/Regiments/Division
1916 Uniform of Latvian Riflemen
Active	July 1915 - 1917
Country	Russian Empire
Branch	Imperial Russian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~ 40,000
Part of	Russian 12th Army
Engagements	Defence of Nāves sala (Death island) (1916) Christmas Battles (1916-1917) Battle of Jugla (1917)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Augusts Ernests Misiņš Andrejs Auzāns Jānis Francis Frīdrihs Briedis Jukums Vācietis Mārtiņš Peniķis

Latviešu strēlnieku padomju divīzija Latvian Riflemen Soviet Division
Active	13 April 1918 - 1920
Country	Latvian SSR  Russian SFSR
Branch	Red Army
Motto(s)	Visu zemju proletārieši, savienojieties! ("Proletarians of all countries, unite!")
March	The Internationale
Engagements	Latvia, Estonia, Daugavpils, Oryol, Yevpatoria
Battle honours	Honorable Red Flag of VTsIK
Commanders
Notable commanders	Jukums Vācietis

Latvian riflemen (Latvian: Latviešu strēlnieki, Russian: Латышские стрелки) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic territories against Germans in World War I. Initially the battalions were formed by volunteers, and from 1916 by conscription among the Latvian population. A total of about 40,000 troops were drafted into the Latvian Riflemen Division.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Riga, the capital of Latvia, became one of the most industrialised cities in the Russian Empire. The Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party (LSDRP) was well organised and its leading elements were increasingly sympathetic to the Bolsheviks by the time of the 1905 Revolution. When punitive expeditions were mounted by the state following this, armed resistance groups - often affiliated to the LSDRP - were set up to conduct guerilla warfare against the Tsarist regime. Many of these seasoned fighters were subsequently recruited into the Latvian Rifles. At the outbreak of war Indriķis Lediņš, the Latvian chief of police in Vladivostok, had called for the establishment of Latvian Cavalry units.

By April 1915, when the German Army was advancing into Latvian territory, some prominent Latvians, led by Jānis Goldmanis used their position in the Duma to call on the Tsar to establish all-Latvian battalions. As Germany was advancing into Latvia, they argued, such units would be particularly effective. Latvians knew the area and had high morale because despite the policy of Russification, Latvian nationalist sentiments were more anti-German. At Jelgava two battalions of the Latvian Home Guard had already held back the German advance guard.

Following increasing German advances, the Russian Stavka approved the measure and on 19 July 1915 the Tsar approved the formation of the Latvian Rifles. On the same day Latvian deputies Jānis Goldmanis and Jānis Zālītis published a patriotic appeal Pulcējaties zem latvju karogiem ("Gather under Latvian flags") in Riga. First volunteers started to apply on August 12 at Riga. It was planned to form two battalions but volunteers were so many that actually three battalions were formed.