Otomārs Aleksandrs Oškalns (12 April 1904 — 1 September 1947) was a prominent Latvian communist and

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

fighter.Ошкалн Отомар Петрович // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / под ред. А. М. Прохорова. 3-е изд. Т.19. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1975. стр.53 He was one of three Latvian Soviet partisans who became

Heroes of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both t ...

Life

Born in to the family of a farm laborer, in 1925 Oškalns received his teacher's exam. In 1934 he was arrested for political activities after the Ulmanis Coup. In 1939 he joined the

Communist Party of Latvia The Communist Party of Latvia (, LKP) was a political party in Latvia. History Latvian Social-Democracy prior to 1919 The party was founded at a congress in June 1904. Initially the party was known as the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party ...

, and in 1940 he became a member of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

of the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation of the Bal ...

. After

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...

Latvia in 1941, Oškalns was active as a leader of communist partisans. from April 30, 1942 he was commissar of the Latvian Soviet partisan detachment "For Soviet Latvia" ("Par Padomju Latviju"), which operated as part of the 2nd Leningrad Partisan Brigade. Later, he was the commander of the 3rd Latvian partisan brigade. Member of the Task Force of the Central Committee of the CPL (b). In 1944, Oškalns became the first secretary of the Riga Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Latvia. After the war, In 1946 he became the Minister of Technical Cultures of the Latvian SSR and a deputy of the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

. He is buried in

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 ...

Awards

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

(1945) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

II class * medals

Memory

Small bronze

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

was erected in

Jēkabpils Jēkabpils () is a state city in Jēkabpils Municipality in southeastern Latvia, located roughly halfway between the capital Riga and Daugavpils, and spanning the Daugava River. The name of the city literally translates into "Castle of Jacob". H ...

after his death.Ошкалнс Отомар Петрович // Герои Советского Союза: краткий биографический словарь в 2-х тт. / редколл., предс. И.Н. Шкадов. том 2. М., Воениздат, 1988. стр.216 After his death, Riga's second largest railway station was named after him.В сражениях за Советскую Латвию. Рига, "Лиесма", 1975. стр.207 When Latvia became independent in 1991, Oškalns was viewed as a Soviet collaborator, and his name was stripped from the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. Monuments to him were also removed from public locations.

References

Ошкалнс Отомар Петрович
/ сайт "Герои страны" (Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oskalns, Otomars 1904 births 1947 deaths People from Cēsis Municipality People from Cēsis county Communist Party of Latvia politicians People's commissars and ministers of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Deputies of the People's Saeima Second convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Soviet Army officers Soviet Latvian partisans Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin

Life

Awards

Memory

See also

References