- Andres Larka
Andres Larka VR I/1 (
March 5 1879 Pilistvere ,Kabala Parish ,Estonia -January 8 1943 Malmõz , Kirov,Soviet Union ) was anEstonia n military commander during theEstonian War of Independence and a politician.In 1902 he graduated from
Vilnius Military Academy. Larka participated in theRusso-Japanese War and graduated from the Imperial Nicholas Military Academy in 1912. He participated inWorld War I fighting on the Eastern front against theGerman Empire , including fighting inEast Prussia ,Poland andRomania . Larka became the first Minister of War ofRepublic of Estonia ; in March he achieved rank ofMajor General . In 1918, during the German occupation, he participated in organising theDefence League . After the start of the Estonian Liberation War in 1918, Larka soon moved from position of Minister of War to Chief of Staff. In February 1919 he became the aide of the Minister of War and held that position to the beginning of 1925. In that position his job was to organize mobilization and actions of reserve units. After the war he also organized demobilization. He retired in 1925 because of health issues. In 1930 he became official leader of theLeague of Liberators and was their candidate in the April 1934 presidential elections. But in March 1934Konstantin Päts andJohan Laidoner made a pre-emptivecoup d'état and established authoritarian rule. Larka was in prison twice (1934-1935 and 1935-1937). In 1940 the Soviet occupation authorities arrested Larka; he died in imprisonment in 1943.See also
*
Estonian War of Independence
*Freikorps in the Baltic
*League of Liberators References
*
Ülo Kaevats et al. 2000. "Eesti Entsüklopeedia 14". Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, ISBN 9985-70-064-3
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