Jukums VÄcietis
| Jukums VÄcietis | |
|---|---|
 Jukums VÄcietis | |
| Born |
November 11, 1873 Saldus municipality, Latvia |
| Died |
July 28, 1938 (aged 64) Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Empire (to 1918) Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1891–1938 |
| Rank |
Polkovnik Komandarm 2nd rank |
| Battles/wars | World War I, Russian Civil War |
Jukums VÄcietis (November 11, 1873 – July 28, 1938) (Russian: Иоаким Иоакимович ВацетиÑ, Ioakim Ioakimovich Vatsetis) was a Latvian Soviet military commander. He was a rare example of a notable Soviet leader who was not a member of the Communist Party (or of any other political party), until his own demise during Joseph Stalin's Great Terror.
Early life
Jukums VÄcietis began his academic life at the Skede Parish School and the Ministry of Kuldiga school. He had a tough childhood. Besides studying, he also worked in a match factory.[1]
Military career
He started his military career in Imperial Russia in 1891. During World War I he commanded the 5th Latvian Zemgale Rifle Regiment (eventually with the rank of colonel), which supported Lenin's Bolsheviks after the October Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War. From April 1918 he was the commander of the Red Latvian Riflemen division. From July to September 1918 he commanded the Eastern Front. He was the first commander-in-chief of the Red Army (RKKA), a member of the Revolutionary Military Council (September 4, 1918 – July 8, 1919). In July he was arrested under the false accusation of membership in a counter-revolutionary reactionary White Guardist organization, but was soon released.
In 1922 he became a professor of the RKKA Military Academy (future Frunze Military Academy). During this time, he wrote several books, most notable among them being 'Latvian Riflemen's Historical Importance'. In 1935 he was assigned a personal rank of Comandarm, 2nd Rank.
On November 29, 1937 he was arrested as a member of the alleged "Latvian Fascist Organization within the RKKA", and executed in 1938. He was rehabilitated in 1957.
Literature
- Ģērmanis, Uldis (1974). Oberst Vacietis und die lettischen Schützen im Weltkrieg und in der Oktoberrevolution. Acta Universitatis Stockholmiensis; Stockholm studies in history (in German) 20. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell. OCLC 1171718.
- JÄ“kabsons, Ä’riks (2005-04-01). "Krieviski. Ar jÅ«tamu akcentu (NezinÄmais VÄcietis)" (PDF). MÄjas Viesis (in Latvian) (Latvijas AvÄ«ze). pp. 10–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-14. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- Ģērmanis, Uldis (1969–1972). "ZemgalieÅ¡u komandieris". JaunÄ Gaita (in Latvian). 76-90.
References
- ↑ "Jukums VÄcietis". Nekropole.info. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jukums VÄcietis. |
|