Andrejs Auzāns (1871–1953) was a
Latvian general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and
topographer.
Auzāns was a major general in the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
, best known for being the commander of the 7th Bauska Rifleman Regiment and the 2nd Rifleman Brigade. He also served as the chief of the Russian General Staff Topographical Section for 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 ...
.
Early life
Andrejs Auzāns was born on April 4, 1872, in
Pļaviņu parish, in the ''Bormaņi'' homestead. He studied in a parish school in
Koknese and
Vietalva. In 1893, he graduated from a school in the city of
Pskov, Russia as a
land surveyor.
Life until the First World War
After graduating from school, Auzāns enlisted in a military
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
school from which he graduated in 1895. He later served as ''
podporuchik'' (
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
) in
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. Starting in 1896, he was an officer at a topography unit near
St. Petersburg.
In 1900, he began his studies in the
Russian Academy of General Staff and graduated in 1903 as a
captain.
In 1905, he graduated from a practical course in
geodesy
Geodesy or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the Figure of the Earth, geometry, Gravity of Earth, gravity, and Earth's rotation, spatial orientation of the Earth in Relative change, temporally varying Three-dimensional spac ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
at the
Pulkovo observatory and was admitted into the Russian General Staff. He participated in the
Russo-Japanese war
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
.
Later, he served as an officer and topographer in
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
,
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
,
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
and
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...
.
In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of ''
podpolkovnik'' (
lieutenant colonel).
From 1907 until 1910 he worked as an
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
.
In 1911, he was promoted to the rank of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
.
From 1911 until 1916 he was a director of the
Tashkent
Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
observatory.
First World War
When
Latvian riflemen units formed in 1915, Auzāns was in
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
. He returned to Latvia in 1916 and enlisted in a rifleman unit; ultimately becoming the commander of the 7th Bauska Rifleman Regiment. Before the legendary
Christmas Battles, Auzāns was appointed as the commander of the 2nd Latvian Rifleman Brigade.
In 1917 he was promoted to the rank of
major-general and appointed chief of the Russian General Staff Topographical Section. He served in this post until 1920, after the
October Revolution
The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
. In 1921, he worked as a lecturer in the Soviet Military Academy.
Life in the Republic of Latvia
Auzāns returned to
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 1923 and enlisted in the
Latvian Army. He was promoted to the rank of
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and became a member of the Military Council at the Ministry of War.
In 1927, he became the chief of the topographical section of the Latvian Army Headquarters. Auzāns also worked as a lecturer in the Latvian Military Academy, and was the chief of a Latvian rifleman association. In 1933, he reached the maximum service age and retired. In later years, he published several books about topography and
military history
Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationship ...
.
Last years
During and after the
occupation of Latvia in 1940 Auzāns was not repressed. He did not collaborate with either the Soviet or
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
powers.
In the autumn of 1944, Auzāns migrated to Germany with his family. In 1948 he settled in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
.
Andrejs Auzāns died on March 23, 1953, in
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...
, Great Britain.
He was buried in a local cemetery.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auzans, Andrejs
1871 births
1953 deaths
People from Aizkraukle Municipality
People from Riga county
Imperial Russian major generals
Latvian generals
Russian astronomers
Latvian Riflemen
Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War
Russian military personnel of World War I
Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class
Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class II
Latvian World War II refugees
Latvian expatriates in Germany
Latvian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Latvian military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I