Latvian War of independence. Latvia declares war to Germany

The Allies ordered the German government to withdraw its troops from the Baltic after defeat of Bolsheviks. Due Bolsheviks, which occupied Latvia & declared all the persons of German origin in Baltics territory illegal (special concentration camps were established, for example in Zakusala island, in Riga etc.)  Freikorps 1918  was organised to fight against Bolsheviks

Later they merged in the West Russian Volunteer army under command of the White Russian general Yudenich. At the same time Russian-German forces attempted to seize control of Latvia with the assistance of the local ethnic German population under command of Russian army collonel P. Bermont - Avalov.

On April 16 he organised a coup d'état in Liepāja, the provisional national government of Latvia took refuge aboard steamship "Saratow". A new puppet government headed by Pastor Andrievs Niedra was proclaimed. Pastor Niedra was a Latvian Lutheran minister with pro-German sympathies. The Germans convinced the British to postpone the withdrawal of the German Freikorps units because this would give the Bolsheviks a free hand. Britain backed down after recognizing the gravity of the military situation, and the Freikorps moved on and captured Riga on May 23, 1919.

In October 1919 the West Russian Volunteer Army attacked the newly independent states of Lithuania and Latvia. It briefly occupied the west bank of the Daugava river in Riga and the government of Kārlis Ulmanis had to request military assistance from Lithuania and Estonia.

The Estonians sent two armoured trains to aid the Latvians (according to some explanations, in exchange for Latvia ceding the island of Ruhnu and its territorial waters to Estonia) while the Lithuanians were engaged in battles with the Bolsheviks and could only issue diplomatic protests.

The Latvians also received assistance from the guns of a British Royal Navy battleships in Riga harbour.

In 11th November the Latvian army managed to drive the Bermont-Avalov West Russian Volunteer army forces back from Riga and in few days-  nearly almost from Latvia' swestern teritories.

2 weeks after the initial defeat of the army of Bermont, Latvia received German radio message that the West Russian Volunteer army is now under the command of the State of Germany.  After Latvian received the confirmation from the German Foreign ministry; the Latvian government concluded that Latvia is at the state of war with Germany.

On November 25 Latvia issued a note to Germany of entering the state of war and cancelation of all diplomatic relations. Ironically the German government did not understand the reason for this declaration of war and replied that Germany is in no means in the state of war with Latvia.

Finally, the West Russian Volunteer Army suffered heavy defeats by the Lithuanians near Radviliškis, a major railway centre. After the involvement of the Entente military mission, the remaining elements of the West Russian Volunteer Army withdrew from the Baltics into Germany.

Many of the German Freikorps / West Russian Volunteer Army members who served in the Baltic left Latvia with the belief that they had been "stabbed in the back" by the Weimar Republic under president Friedrich Ebert.

Hundreds of Baltic Freikorps soldiers had planned to settle in Latvia, and for those who had fought there, the land made a lasting impression and many of them longed for the day that they could return there.