Latvian Officer's Parade Dress Belt with Buckle

No country cannot exist without its armed forces. There are few exceptions with fully sovereign countries without any official national armed forces, but even the smallest nations have their own armies. The Republic of Latvia was born in combat. With great difficulty the national Latvian government managed to form their own armed forces. Latvian Army fought the Bolsheviks and Germans and secured the Latvian independence. During first twenty years, Latvian Army became a disciplined and venerable force. However, in 1939 -1940 Latvian Army was unable to defend their country against Soviet occupation.

The first largest Latvian armed unit was formed in 5 January 1919. The Special Latvian battalion later brigade was commanded by lieutenant – colonel Oskars Kalpaks. He became the first supreme commander of the Latvian army.