Otomārs Oškalns

Otomārs Oškalns (12 April 1904 — 1 September 1947) was a prominent Latvian communist and partisan fighter.[1]

Otomārs Oškalns
Born12 April 1904
Kaive Parish, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire
Died1 September 1947
Riga, Latvian SSR,
Soviet Union
Allegiance Soviet Union
Years of service1941–1945
Unit3rd Latvian partisan brigade
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awards

He was one of three Latvian Soviet partisans who became Heroes of the Soviet Union.[2]

Life

In 1925 Oškalns received his teacher's exam.[1]

In 1939 he joined the Communist Party of Latvia, and in 1940 he became a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR. After Nazi Germany invaded Latvia in 1941, Oškalns was active as a leader of communist partisans.

He is buried in Riga.[1]

Awards

Memory

Small bronze monument was erected in Jēkabpils after his death.[3]

After his death, Riga's second largest railway station was named after him.[4]

When Latvia became independent in 1991, Oškalns was viewed as a Soviet collaborator, and his name was stripped from the railway station. Monuments to him were also removed from public locations.

See also

Sources

Notes
  1. Ошкалн Отомар Петрович // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / под ред. А. М. Прохорова. 3-е изд. Т.19. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1975. стр.53
  2. А.К. Рашкевиц. За Советскую Латвию // Советские партизаны: из истории партизанского движения в годы Великой Отечественной войны / ред.-сост. В.Е. Быстров, ред. З.Н. Политов. М., Госполитиздат, 1961. стр.590-630
  3. Ошкалнс Отомар Петрович // Герои Советского Союза: краткий биографический словарь в 2-х тт. / редколл., предс. И.Н. Шкадов. том 2. М., Воениздат, 1988. стр.216
  4. В сражениях за Советскую Латвию. Рига, "Лиесма", 1975. стр.207


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.