Jānis Puriņš was a

Latvian Rifleman The Latvian Riflemen (; ) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic governorates against the German Empire in World War I. Initially, the battalions were formed ...

and later colonel (since 1925), commander of the 1st Kurzeme Division of the

Latvian Army The Latvian Land Forces () together with the Latvian National Guard form the land warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces. From 2007 to 2024, the Land Forces were organized as a fully professional standing army until the re-introduct ...

and commander of the Eastern Front during the Latgale liberation operation during the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...

. He received the Knight's rank of the

Order of Lāčplēsis The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, ), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during the Latvian War of Independ ...

Biography

Puriņš was born on 25 April 1889 in the "Sakaiņi" homestead in

Mārsnēni Parish Mārsnēni Parish () is an administrative unit of Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, al ...

near

Priekuļi Priekuļi () is a village in Priekuļi Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is situated 7 kilometres east of Cēsis and had 2,136 residents as of 2022. Climate Priekuļi has a humid continental climate (Köppen Köppe ...

to the family of farmer Jānis senior. As a child, Puriņš studied at the

Rauna Parish Rauna Parish () is an administrative unit of Smiltene Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia (Prior to 2009, it belonged to the former Cēsis district). The administrative center is the village of Rauna. Towns, villages and settlements of ...

school and

Valmiera Valmiera () is the second largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020, it was at 24,879. It is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city, and ...

city school. In November 1910, he was drafted into the army of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He served as head of the

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

war district, then in the curatorium of the

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Military District. At the beginning of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in 1915 he was transferred to the 173rd, later the 3rd Reserve Regiment in Toropec and Peterhof. From October 1916 to February 1917 he studied at the 1st Moscow

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

School. He was the leader of the 4th Vidzeme

Latvian Riflemen The Latvian Riflemen (; ) were originally a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army assembled starting 1915 in Latvia in order to defend Baltic governorates against the German Empire in World War I. Initially, the battalions were forme ...

Regiment, later - the commander of a machine gun team until demobilization in March 1918. After the proclamation of the Republic of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

in November 1918, he joined the and at the beginning of the

took part in the battles against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

near Āraiši,

Līgatne Līgatne (; ) is a town in Līgatne Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is situated on the Gauja, Gauja River. The village of Līgatne was built around the paper mill, still extant, on the River Ligatne (river), Līg ...

and Ieriķi; later he retreated to Kurzeme, where he took part in the 16 January 1919 battle near Lielauce. On 31 March Puriņš was appointed battalion commander after taking

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and head of the Riga Fortified District In June 1919, Lieutenant Colonel Puriņš was sent to the

Latgale Latgale (; ; ; ; ; ; Belarusian Latin alphabet, Belarusian Latin: ''Łathalija''; ), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the Daugava River. Wh ...

Front in the vicinity of Lubāna and Atašiene, and on 7 August he was appointed commander of the 2nd

Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...

Infantry Regiment. On 16 October he was appointed Commander of the 1st Kurzeme Division and Commander of the Eastern Front. He led the division's battles against the

Bermontians The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a pro-German White Russian military formation in Latvia and Lithuania during the Russian Civil War from November 1918 to December 1919. History The , unlike the pro- Entente Volunteer Army ...

Selonia Selonia (; ), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is one of the Historical Latvian Lands encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia () as well as a portion of northeastern Lithuania. Its main city and cultural ce ...

and held a front against the Red Army along the banks of the

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

. During the operation to liberate Latgale, Latvian Army units under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Puriņš captured most of Latgale from the Red Army. On 13 August 1920 he was awarded the Military Order of Lāčplēsis for leading battles in Latgale and for winning battles at

Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

and the

liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ''Rēzne'' or ''Rēzekne'' , ) is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven ...

, and was appointed a member of the Council of the Order.Davies, N., 1972, White Eagle, Red Star, London: Orbis Books, On 29 September 1920 Janis Puriņš resigned as the commander of the Kurzeme Division but remained as the commander of the 2nd Ventspils Infantry Regiment. On 22 June 1925 he was promoted to colonel. In the middle of 1928, he was transferred to the Riga War District Administration. At the end of the 1930s, he again served as commander of the regiment retired from service in 1939, and lived in his father's home in Sakaiņi, Mārsnēni Parish. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was the commandant of the Mārsnēni, Liepa and Ranka parishes (1941-1944). On 13 October 1944, during the Soviet re-occupation of Latvia, he was arrested by Soviet soldiers, and on 18 November 1944, after the verdict of the 3rd Baltic Navy Military Tribunal, Jānis Puriņš was imprisoned in Riga's 2nd Prison, where he disappeared and was likely executed.

References

Bibliography

*Es viņu pazīstu: latviešu biogrāfiskā vārdnīca. edaktors Žanis Unāms randheivena Raven Printing, 1975.398.lpp. *Bebris, R. "Daugavpils atbrīvošana 1920. gada 3. janvārī." Militārs apskats, 1935. Nr. 2, 214.-229. lpp. {{DEFAULTSORT:Puriņš, Jānis 1889 births 1944 deaths People from Cēsis Municipality People from Cēsis county Latvian military officers Russian military personnel of World War I Latvian military personnel of the Latvian War of Independence Executed Latvian collaborators with Nazi Germany Latvian people executed by the Soviet Union Latvian prisoners of war Recipients of the Order of Lāčplēsis, 1st class German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union