The Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion () is a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of the

Estonian Land Forces The Estonian Land Forces (), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the ...

. It is a part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Battalion headquarters is at Taara Army Base,

Võru Võru (; ; ) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the o ...

History

Estonian War of Independence

Julius Kuperjanov Julius Kuperjanov VR I/2, VR II/2 and VR II/3 ( – 2 February 1919) was an Estonian military officer who helped to liberate Tartu during the War of Independence, and was the commander of the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion, posthumously renamed ...

was a school teacher who was commissioned into 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 ...

during

World War I 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 ...

and served as a commander of partisan and reconnaissance units. In 1918, he joined the

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces (), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the ...

at the beginning of the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

. On 23 December 1918, Kuperjanov received permission from

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 ...

Ernst Limberg, commander of the 2nd Division, to form a special purpose partisan unit. Kuperjanov's unit initially consisted of 37 volunteers and was based at

Puurmani manor Puurmani manor () is a historical manor located in the village of Puurmani, Jõgeva County, Estonia. The manor is protected by the Estonian government as a cultural heritage object. The object was listed on 23 November 1999, and has the number 2 ...

. New volunteers continued to arrive and the unit soon grew to 600 troops, becoming Tartumaa Partisan Battalion. On 13–14 January 1919, the battalion took part in liberating

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

from 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 ...

. After taking back Tartu, the battalion began moving south towards Valga. On 30 January 1919, the battalion reached Paju manor, where they met strong resistance from the Red Army. Tartumaa Partisan Battalion won the ensuing

Battle of Paju The Battle of Paju () was fought in Paju, near Valga, Estonia, on 31 January 1919 during the Estonian War of Independence. After heavy fighting, the Tartu-Valga group of the Estonian Army pushed the Red Latvian Riflemen out of the Paju Manor. ...

, but Kuperjanov was badly wounded during the battle and died shortly after on 2 February 1919. Following his death, the battalion was renamed Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion in his honour. Having liberated Southern Estonia from the Soviets, the battalion moved south into

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 ...

against the ''

Baltische Landeswehr The Baltic Landwehr or ("Baltic Territorial Army") was the name of the unified armed forces of Couronian and Livonian nobility from 7 December 1918 to 3 July 1919. Command structure The Landeswehr was subordinated to the German VI Re ...

''. On 25 May 1919, the battalion successfully stopped the German advance at

Rauna Rauna (; ) is a village in Rauna Parish, Smiltene Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative center of Rauna Parish. The community developed around a Rauna Castle, medieval bishop's castle. References External li ...

, and took part in defeating the German forces in the Battle of Cēsis. On 30 September 1919, Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion took part in the unsuccessful attack against the

Krasnaya Gorka fort Krasnaya Gorka (; meaning "Red Hill") is a coastal artillery fortress in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, opposite Kotlin Island and the Baltic Fleet's base at Kronstadt. ...

. In November 1919, the unit became Kuperjanov Partisan Regiment.

1992–present

The unit was reconstituted as the Kuperjanov Single Infantry Battalion on 18 March 1992. Based at the Taara Army Base in

, it was the largest and the most capable battalion in the

, known for its strict rules and ''

esprit de corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...

''. In 2004, the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

transformed the battalion into an infantry training unit. On 1 January 2009, the battalion was renamed Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion. It currently forms the core of the 2nd Infantry Brigade which is the principle force being raised in what used to be called the ''Southern Defence District''.

Current structure

Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion: * Battalion Headquarters ** A - Infantry Company ** B - Infantry Company ** C - Infantry Company ** D - Intantry Company ** Combat Support company ** Staff and support company

References

External links