Alfreds Riekstinš
Encyclopedia
Alfrēds Riekstiņš was a soldier of the Latvian Legion who later collaborated with British Intelligence to fight the Soviet Union.
Alfrēds Riekstiņš was born in Matkule, Tukuma County, Latvia
.
commenced the occupation of Latvia
. This was followed in June 1941 by Nazi Germany's occupation
, part of its invasion of the Soviet Union. In 1942, like tens of thousands of Latvian citizens who "volunteered" and were illegally drafted into Germany
's military to fight the Soviets, Alfrēds Riekstiņš enlisted in the 24th Talsu Battalion of Self Defense (Schutzmannschaften).
On January 23, 1943, following Hitler's verbal "permission and order" (written order of February 10, 1943) to form Latvian SS Volunteer Legion, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler
ordered the conversion of the 2nd SS Infantry (Motorised) Brigade into the Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade. On April 18, 1943, the 24th Battalion of Self Defense was withdrawn from the front line in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, Russia, and was subsequently renamed the 1st Battalion of the 2nd "Imanta
" Latvian SS Volunteer Regiment, subordinated to the 2nd Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade.
In 1945, Riekstiņš was in Latvia, serving with the 19th SS-Fusiliers Battalion of 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (Latvian 2nd), defending Courland
bridgehead, which surrendered only after the capitulation of Germany. He was promoted to Corporal
(Waffen-Unterscharführer
der SS) on April 22, 1945, and awarded the Knights Cross
(Ritterkreuz).
, on May 9, 1945, Riekstiņš, instead of surrendering to the Soviets, made a successful escape by boat to Sweden
, settling in Göteborg. Riekstiņš sought to return to Latvia to fight for the resistance against the Soviet annexation of Latvia and, at the beginning of the 1950s, was recruited by the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Having completed training in Germany, Riekstiņš and two other agents were parachuted into Latvia on August 30, 1952. Betrayed by the Soviet "Cambridge Five
" spy ring in Britain, Riekstiņš found his hiding place surrounded by NKVD
soldiers less than two weeks later. Riekstiņš fired all of his ammunition, the committed suicide by swallowing his cyanide
capsule on September 11, 1952.
On September 12, 1992, the 40th anniversary of his death, a commemorative stone was erected at the place of his death; his final resting place remains unknown to this day, though it is probable that his body was dumped in a mass grave
.
, regardless of whether they volunteered or were drafted, were not members of the Nazi Party.
In 1949-50, United States Displaced Persons Commission investigated the Estonian and Latvian "SS" and found these military units to be neither criminal nor Nazi collaborators. On 12 September 1950, Harry N. Rosenfield, the United Nations Refugee Relief Association commissioner, wrote to Jūlijs Feldmanis, Latvia's chargé d'affaires in Washington, saying that "the Waffen-SS units of the Baltic States (the Baltic Legions) are to be seen as units that stood apart and were different from the German SS in terms of goals, ideologies, operations and constitution, and the Commission does not, therefore, consider them to be a movement that is hostile to the government of the United States under Section 13 of the Displaced Persons Act, as amended."
Alfrēds Riekstiņš was born in Matkule, Tukuma County, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
Occupation and war
On June 17, 1940, the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
commenced the occupation of Latvia
Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers, according to the European Court of Human Rights, the Government of Latvia, the State Department of the United States of America, and the European Union, to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union ostensibly under the...
. This was followed in June 1941 by Nazi Germany's occupation
Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany was completed on July 10, 1941 by Germany's armed forces. Latvia became a part of Nazi Germany's Reichskommissariat Ostland — the Province General of Latvia...
, part of its invasion of the Soviet Union. In 1942, like tens of thousands of Latvian citizens who "volunteered" and were illegally drafted into Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's military to fight the Soviets, Alfrēds Riekstiņš enlisted in the 24th Talsu Battalion of Self Defense (Schutzmannschaften).
On January 23, 1943, following Hitler's verbal "permission and order" (written order of February 10, 1943) to form Latvian SS Volunteer Legion, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
ordered the conversion of the 2nd SS Infantry (Motorised) Brigade into the Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade. On April 18, 1943, the 24th Battalion of Self Defense was withdrawn from the front line in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, Russia, and was subsequently renamed the 1st Battalion of the 2nd "Imanta
Imanta
Imanta is a neighbourhood on the northwestern edge of Riga, Latvia. The neighbourhood's northern border is Kurzeme Prospekts ; and in the south, Imanta is separated from the newer Zolitude neighbourhood by the Riga railroad...
" Latvian SS Volunteer Regiment, subordinated to the 2nd Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade.
In 1945, Riekstiņš was in Latvia, serving with the 19th SS-Fusiliers Battalion of 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (Latvian 2nd), defending Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
bridgehead, which surrendered only after the capitulation of Germany. He was promoted to Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
(Waffen-Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
der SS) on April 22, 1945, and awarded the Knights Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
(Ritterkreuz).
Post-war
After the capitulation of Army Group CourlandArmy Group Courland
Army Group Courland was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end...
, on May 9, 1945, Riekstiņš, instead of surrendering to the Soviets, made a successful escape by boat to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, settling in Göteborg. Riekstiņš sought to return to Latvia to fight for the resistance against the Soviet annexation of Latvia and, at the beginning of the 1950s, was recruited by the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Having completed training in Germany, Riekstiņš and two other agents were parachuted into Latvia on August 30, 1952. Betrayed by the Soviet "Cambridge Five
Cambridge Five
The Cambridge Five was a ring of spies, recruited in part by Russian talent spotter Arnold Deutsch in the United Kingdom, who passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and at least into the early 1950s...
" spy ring in Britain, Riekstiņš found his hiding place surrounded by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
soldiers less than two weeks later. Riekstiņš fired all of his ammunition, the committed suicide by swallowing his cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
capsule on September 11, 1952.
On September 12, 1992, the 40th anniversary of his death, a commemorative stone was erected at the place of his death; his final resting place remains unknown to this day, though it is probable that his body was dumped in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
.
Miscellaneous
The Latvian Legion's attachment to the SS, unit designations and ranks were considered a formality. Latvian and Estonian soldiers like Alfrēds Riekstiņš and Alfons RebaneAlfons Rebane
Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane, known simply as Alfons Rebane was an Estonian military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian military officer in the course of the Second World War, serving in various German military units against the armed forces of the Soviet Union.After World War...
, regardless of whether they volunteered or were drafted, were not members of the Nazi Party.
In 1949-50, United States Displaced Persons Commission investigated the Estonian and Latvian "SS" and found these military units to be neither criminal nor Nazi collaborators. On 12 September 1950, Harry N. Rosenfield, the United Nations Refugee Relief Association commissioner, wrote to Jūlijs Feldmanis, Latvia's chargé d'affaires in Washington, saying that "the Waffen-SS units of the Baltic States (the Baltic Legions) are to be seen as units that stood apart and were different from the German SS in terms of goals, ideologies, operations and constitution, and the Commission does not, therefore, consider them to be a movement that is hostile to the government of the United States under Section 13 of the Displaced Persons Act, as amended."
External links
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: The Volunteer SS Legion in Latvia