Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps

{{Short description|Danish military unit in Estonia (1919)}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{Expand Estonian|topic=mil|date=December 2016}}

{{expand Danish|date=June 2023|topic=mil}}

}}

{{Infobox military unit

|unit_name =Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps

|native_name =Dansk-Baltisk Auxiliær Corps

|image =Compagnie Borgelin.svg

|caption =The insignia of Borgelin Company

|dates =26 March 1919

|country ={{DEN}}

|allegiance ={{EST}}

|branch =

|type =Infantry

|role =

|size =213 volunteers

|command_structure=2nd Division

|garrison =Tartu

|nickname =Det Danske Frivillige Korps

|patron =

|motto =

|colors =Gray and White {{color box|#B7B7B7}}{{color box|#FFFFFF}}

|colors_label =

|march ="Björneborgarnas marsch"

|mascot =Røv (Corps Dog)

|battles = Estonian war of independence
Latvian War of Independence

|anniversaries =

|equipment =

|equipment_label =

|decorations =

|battle_honours =

|website =

|disbanded =1 September 1919

|commander1 =Iver de Hemmer Gudme

|commander1_label =Corps Commander

|commander2 =Richard Gustav Borgelin

|commander2_label =Company Commander

|current_commander =

|colonel_of_the_regiment=

|ceremonial_chief =

|notable_commanders =

|identification_symbol =150px

|identification_symbol_label =War flag

|identification_symbol_2 =

|identification_symbol_2_label=

}}

Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps ({{Langx|da|Dansk-Baltisk Auxiliær Corps}}, DBAC) was a Danish company of military volunteers, established 1919 as a non-governmental initiative to help in the Estonian and Latvian war of independence.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sunewad.dk/estonia.htm |title=FOV Nyhedsbrev nr. 19, 15. årgang, 4. oktober 2001 |trans-title=FOV Newsletter no. 19, 15th volume, 4 October 2001 |language=da |first=Sune Wadskjær |last=Nielsen |publisher=Forsvarets Oplysnings- og Velfærdstjeneste |date=4 October 2001 |access-date=6 August 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217234339/http://www.sunewad.dk/estonia.htm |archivedate=17 February 2007 }} It was originally planned to send several companies to help, but due to the success of war, only one company was sent, {{lang|fr|Compagnie Borgelin}}. The company consisted of approximately 200 men with Captain Iver de Hemmer Gudme as corps commander and Captain Richard Gustav Borgelin as company commander.{{Cite web |url=http://www.chakoten.dk/Nr.%203,%20side%201-60,%20september%202010.pdf |title=For Dannebrogs Ære |trans-title=For the honor of Dannebrog |page=12 |publisher=Dansk Militærhistorisk Selskab |language=da |first=Per |last=Finsted |access-date=6 August 2016}}

History

DBAC left on th 26 March 1919 for Hanko in Finland on board the Finnish ship M/S Merkur.

DBAC was contracted by the Estonian Army and participated on its side in the months of May to August 1919 during the Estonian War of Independence and the Latvian War of Independence. During the months of May and June DBAC conducted a {{Convert|200|km}} long push from Võru in southern Estonia to Jēkabpils in Latvia, and ultimately the Daugava River, to cut off the Bolshevik's eastern supply lines.

After the successful campaign, the DBAC was pulled back to Estonia, since interfering political conflicts between Baltische Landeswehr and the Latvian Army was not part of the contract. At the end of July 1919 DBAC was sent to a section of the eastern front between Ostrov and Porkhov in the Russian Pskov Governorate, which turned out to be a bloody experience and costly to the corps (four dead, twenty wounded and four prisoners of war).{{Cite web |url=http://milhist.dk/slaget/konfliktzone-ostersoen/det-dansk-baltiske-auxiliaer-corps/ |title=Det Dansk-Baltiske Auxiliær Corps |trans-title=The Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps |publisher=Dansk Militærhistorie |language=da |date=1 May 2016 |access-date=6 August 2016}} On 2 September 1919, the Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps marched through Tallinn to their ship Kalevipoeg, in a victory parade with over 1000 Estonian soldiers, Johan Laidoner and Otto Strandman participating.

On 22 June 2013, a memorial for the Danish volunteers was revealed in Estonia.{{cite web|title=Memorial Honors Volunteer Fighters From Denmark |url=http://news.err.ee/v/f6ab54f6-b5a6-4d20-9bf7-9762e2ce1488 |website=news.err.ee |date=25 June 2013 |publisher=Estonian Public Broadcasting |access-date=2 April 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Raudvere |first1=Rein |title=Memorial for Danish Volunteer Fighters |url=http://maaleht.delfi.ee/news/maaleht/uudised/rouges-avatakse-taanlaste-malestuskivi?id=66278682 |website=maaleht.delfi.ee |publisher=maaleht |access-date=2 April 2016 |language=et}}

References

{{Reflist}}

  • {{cite book |last1=Jensen |first1=Niels |title=For Dannebrogs ære : danske frivillige i Estland og Letlands frihedskamp 1919 |trans-title=In honor of Dannebrog: Danish volunteers in Estonia and Latvia's freedom struggle 1919 |date=1998 |publisher=Odense Universitetsforlag |location=Odense |isbn=87-7838-377-3 |language=da}}