Relief of Valmiera
With the final treaties signed by the end of January, the first relief forces began arriving in Latvia. It was agreed that both sides would first secure the key strategic objectives so that the Latvian forces could reorganize. The plan assigned the Lithuanian forces to take over the defence of the Daugava River, focusing mostly on its eastern half.
Meanwhile, Estonian units were positioned along the Gauja River, where the Red forces were only just starting to arrive due to the weather. In order to delay their advance, reinforcements were ordered to the city of Valmiera, where Latvian troops had already been engaged with Russian forces for several days.
Due to poor communication, the 1st Platoon was sent ahead to scout the area and link up with the Latvians. Once contact was established, they were to take over the defensive positions and prepare for the arrival of the rest of the company.
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5th of February – Operation Begins
On the morning of 5 February, the 1st Platoon of the Pärnu Rifles Company began their advance. Their convoy consisted of three trucks of infantry, two armored cars, and four motorcycle teams. With the motorcycles scouting ahead, progress was quick — until just a few kilometers from Valmiera.
As the lead motorcycle approached a bend in the road, the riders noticed movement in the nearby forest, along with signs of digging along the roadside. They stopped immediately. The two scouts dismounted, leaving the machine gunner on the bike to cover the road. As they moved toward the treeline, gunfire suddenly erupted. They dove behind cover and returned fire.
The machine gunner tried to dismount the MG, but was hit in the arm. Swearing, he ran across the road and threw himself into a ditch. The second motorcycle, a few hundred meters behind, quickly turned to allow its gunner to open fire into the forest. The fire team dismounted and began maneuvering to flank the enemy.
The third crew arrived moments later, while the fourth bike sped off to alert the rest of the platoon.
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Engagement in the Forest
Four men dashed into the woods, moving fast to circle around the enemy position. One of them remained behind to help direct MG fire from the road. After roughly a minute of movement through the trees, they spotted an enemy soldier. Once all four confirmed visual, they opened fire simultaneously and cut him down.
Using short sprints, they pushed forward toward the enemy flank while the MG gunner did his best to suppress the front. Upon reaching the fallen Red soldier's position, they spotted three more Russians attempting to crawl away. They opened fire immediately and neutralised them before they could escape.
With the last shots fired, the forest fell silent. They scanned for movement — nothing. The area was declared clear, and they began checking the bodies. The wounded MG gunner was brought back to cover and treated by his comrades.
Among the enemy, maps and undisclosed orders were found. One Red soldier was still alive but unconscious, and they dragged him out as a prisoner. Defensive positions were established by the roadside, awaiting the rest of the platoon.
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Reinforcements Arrive
Ten minutes later, the rest of the column reached the position. Infantry dismounted and began securing the area. The platoon leader exited the lead armored car and approached the returning bike crews.
Ltn. Tamm:
"What's the situation? How are your men?"
Sgt. Post:
"Aside from Sulev, everyone's fine. Looks like they were preparing an ambush — they knew our route, but we caught them before they were ready. We found maps and orders on them. Three are dead, one captured. The prisoner is unconscious but stable. We haven't checked for mines yet, but I doubt they got far with them."
Ltn. Tamm:
"Good. Have the medics treat Sulev and the prisoner. Joosep will have the engineers sweep the road for mines. Once that's done, we move. And get all squad leaders to me — now."
Joosep, who had just stepped off the armored car, ran to gather the squad leaders. Meanwhile the motorcycle crews evacuated Sulev and the prisoner to the medics at the rear of the column.
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Arrival at Valmiera
After that encounter, the road to Valmiera remained clear. But once they reached the town, the sight was grim:
Latvian soldiers were gathered around small campfires wearing mismatched coats, their rifles lying in the mud beside them. Many were sick or wounded.
Joosep approached one of them and asked for directions to their headquarters. It was located in an old cellar on the eastern side of town, guarded by two exhausted riflemen.
Lt. Tamm, Joosep, and two squad leaders proceeded to the cellar to meet Latvian command — and to begin coordinating the defensive efforts.