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78-562: Raginis was born in Zariņi ( Zariny ) village near to Dźwińsk ( Daugavpils ), Courland Governorate , Russian Empire (present-day Latvia ) to a landowning family with patriotic traditions. Soon after graduating from a gymnasium in 1927, he joined the Infantry NCO School in Komorowo near Ostrów Mazowiecka where he was a mediocre student and completed his studies in 1928. He then completed

156-439: A civilian or military/civilian airport, although no plans have come to fruition as of 2023. Griva Airfield is located 4 km NW of Daugavpils, next to the river. It's movements mainly involve parachute jumping and paragliding. The head of the city government is the mayor of Daugavpils or, literally, 'Council Chairman' ( domes priekšsēdētājs ). The incumbent since January 2021 is Andrejs Elksniņš , an independent formerly of

234-486: A legend in the history of Warsaw. The following day in the early morning the general assault was started on all fronts of surrounded Warsaw. Western parts of the city were attacked by 5 German divisions (10th, 18th, 19th, 31st and 46th) while the eastern part was attacked by 4 divisions (11th, 32nd, 61st and 217th). The attack was supported by approximately 70 batteries of field artillery, 80 batteries of heavy artillery and two entire air fleets (1st and 4th), which bombarded

312-630: A new castle and a town were built 20 km (12 mi) downriver, by the Polish King and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephen Báthory . In 1582 Daugavpils was granted Magdeburg town rights . In 1654, Russia invaded Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , seizing much of the eastern lands. Russian troops besieged Daugavpils in April and May 1655, but did not capture the city; it was only taken by Swedish troops on July 11, 1655, who invaded Poland at that time. When

390-582: A short practice of the military and the same year he enrolled at the Infantry Officers School in Ostrów Mazowiecka . One of his schoolmates recalled: " He had a borderland accent, and was quiet and shy. Slim, small, blond hair .... " After graduating on July 15, 1930, he was assigned to the 76th Infantry Regiment stationed in Grodno , where he was a platoon commander and instructor-lecturer at

468-753: Is currently held at the Latvijas Spīdveja Centrs with America's triple World Champion Greg Hancock being the most successful rider in Latvia winning the GP in 2009, 2009 and 2013. Lokomotiv Daugavpils is a Motorcycle speedway team which successfully competes in the Polish league system . The football club BFC Daugavpils play at Celtnieks Stadium in Daugavpils. They play in the Latvian Higher League . In

546-753: Is now situated. In 1281–1313 the castle was ruled by Lithuania . In 1561 it again became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and, subsequently, of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 (see Duchy of Livonia ). In 1621 Daugavpils became the capital of the newly formed Inflanty Voivodeship , which existed until the First Partition of Poland (1772). In 1577 the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible captured and destroyed Dünaburg castle. That same year,

624-537: Is probably a low estimate. It is certain, however, that the Wehrmacht lost at least 10 tanks and several other AFVs in the struggle. The defense of Wizna, despite the clear imbalance of forces, of which the defenders were aware, was significant. It had pinned down the German forces for two days, allowing the remnants of Polish troops in western Poland to defend the capital, Warsaw . It helped gain time for many Polish units and

702-677: The Battle of Bzura ended, the remnants of the Poznań Army and the Pomorze Army broke through the German encirclement and arrived in Warsaw and Modlin between 18–21 September from the Kampinos Forest . After that the forces of the defenders amounted to approximately 140,000 soldiers. The German forces preparing for an all-out assault numbered 13 divisions with one thousand artillery pieces. On September 22

780-485: The Battle of Daugavpils in the area from 1919 to 1920. Daugavpils and the whole of Latvia was under Soviet rule between 1940–41 and 1944–1991. Nazi Brandenburgers led the German attack against the town in 1941, speaking Russian and wearing Soviet uniforms, and Germany occupied it between 1941 and 1944. The Nazis established the Daugavpils Ghetto where the town's Jews were forced to live. Most were murdered. During

858-559: The Cold War the Lociki air-base operated 12 km (7 mi) northeast of Daugavpils itself. In the late Soviet era, there was a proposal to build a hydroelectric power station on the Daugava river that was successfully opposed by the nascent environmental movement in Latvia. On 16 April 2010 an assassin shot vice-mayor Grigorijs Ņemcovs in the center of the city. He died almost immediately and

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936-726: The Daugavpils fortress began in 1810 and was completed in 1878. The new centre of the city was built southeast of the fortress in the 19th century according to the project endorsed in St. Petersburg in 1826. The city was located on the Saint Petersburg-Warsaw railway line, to which it was connected in 1860. As part of the Russian Empire , the city was called Dvinsk from 1893 to 1920. The newly independent Latvian state renamed it Daugavpils in 1920. Latvians, Poles and Soviet troops fought

1014-690: The Fortified Area Silesia , some units, including Raginis, instead went to Osowiec Fortress , near the border with East Prussia . In anticipation of the outbreak of the Second World War , on September 2, 1939, Major Jakub Fober gave Raginis command of all the Wizna Fortified Area, a buffer of 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) between the Narew River and Biebrza River , which was part of defensive line of Independent Operational Group "Narew" on

1092-647: The Harmony party . It is his third term in office, his initial term was ended after the coalition broke apart in September 2017 less than a month following the 2017 municipal elections and he was succeeded by Rihards Eigims  [ lv ] of the Latvian Green Party (elected on the "Our Party" electoral list). "Our Party" governed in coalition with the Latgale Party of the previous mayor Jānis Lāčplēsis . Eigims

1170-807: The Polish Scouting Association in Białystok , chose Raginis as their patron in 1969. On May 13, 1970, Raginis was posthumously awarded, by the Council of State of the Polish People's Republic , with the Virtuti Militari - Gold Cross (IV Class) medal. On August 28, 2009 he was posthumously awarded, by the President of Poland , with the Order of Polonia Restituta (Grand Cross) . On August 21, 2012 Raginis

1248-680: The Russo-Swedish war started, the Russians captured Daugavpils on 10 August 1656, renamed the town Borisoglebov and controlled the region for 11 years, between 1656 and 1667. Russia returned the area of Latgale to Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Treaty of Andrusovo (1667). Called Dyneburg, the city became the capital of the Inflanty Voivodeship , also known as the Duchy of Livonia , and

1326-447: The Wehrmacht entered Warsaw, which started a period of German occupation that lasted until the devastating Warsaw Uprising and later until January 17, 1945, when the Wehrmacht troops abandoned the city due to the advance of Soviet forces. Around 18,000 civilians of Warsaw perished during the siege. As a result of the air bombardments, 10% of the city's buildings were entirely destroyed and further 40% were heavily damaged. From

1404-537: The 1990s. The Dauteks synthetic fibre plant was one of the largest in the USSR and was the second largest industrial employer in Latvia. The Ķīmija suburb built to house it's workers in the 1960s was named after the plant. It was owned by the French company Rhodia in the early 2000s before closing entirely. A number of tax incentives exist to attract new industrial investment to eastern Latvia. The Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia

1482-592: The Ditton Driving Chain Factory ( Ditton pievadķēžu rūpnīca ), Latvijas Maiznieks commercial bakery, the Ziegler GmbH machine works, Axon cable assembly plant, Nexis Fibers industrial yarn, Latgales alus SIA brewery and Fores , a manufacturer of windows and interior wood fittings. The chemical industry was well developed during the Soviet era and largely disappeared after the return to capitalism in

1560-506: The Holocaust in Daugavpils see Daugavpils Ghetto . Under the Köppen climate classification , Daugavpils features a humid continental climate (Dfb), with warm summers and cold winters. As of 1 January 2023, the city had a population of 78,850. Historically, Daugavpils has been known to be a multicultural city and according to the census carried out in 1935, the demographic image of

1638-588: The Jews had conspired to set fire to the town and that they were assisting the Soviet army, the Germans and their Latvian collaborators carried out large executions on 28–29 June. During July the Jews were enslaved and forced to cut down timber. On 7–11 July Einsatzkommando 1b under Erich Ehrlinger executed many of the remaining Jews. Later in July the 14,000 remaining Jews were forced into a Ghetto along with those from nearby towns. By

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1716-461: The Latvian border with Russia . Daugavpils is a major railway junction and industrial centre, and was an historically important garrison city lying approximately midway between Riga and Minsk , and between Warsaw and Saint Petersburg . Daugavpils, then called Dyneburg, was the capital of Polish Livonia while in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Following the first partition of Poland in 1772,

1794-477: The Latvian word pils (meaning "castle" - cognate with Lithuanian pilis , with Greek polis and with Old Prussian pils ). Historically, several names in various languages have identified Daugavpils. Some are still in use today. The town's history began in 1275 when the Livonian Order , led by Ernst von Ratzeburg , built Dünaburg Castle 20 km (12 mi) up the Daugava river from where Daugavpils

1872-709: The Modlin fortress was an important relief to the defenders of Warsaw. On 15 September, the German Third Army from Army Group North attacked Praga . They attacked from both sides of the Vistula . After heavy fighting for the Grochów area the German 23rd Infantry Regiment was annihilated by the Polish defenders of the 21st "Children of Warsaw" Infantry Regiment under colonel (later promoted to general) Stanisław Sosabowski . After

1950-531: The Narew River area retreated and reached Warsaw on September 14. They were incorporated as the core of the defence forces of the borough of Praga district. On September 15 the German forces reached Warsaw from the east and the capital of Poland was under siege . Only a strip of land along the Vistula leading towards the Kampinos Forest and Modlin Fortress was still controlled by Polish forces. The defence of

2028-543: The Saules College of Art . More than 1,000 teachers and engineers graduate from the University of Daugavpils (formerly Daugavpils Pedagogical University) and the local branch of Riga Technical University annually. There is also a Polish gymnasium (academic secondary school) on Varšavas iela (Warsaw Street). The historical centre of Daugavpils city is an architectural heritage of national importance (the construction work

2106-555: The School Cadet Corps. In 1939, as a distinction, he was advanced to lieutenant and then to captain and assigned to the elite Border Defence Corps (KOP) as the commander of the 3rd company, heavy machine gun battalion, of the Border Defence Corps Regiment "Sarny" under the command of Lt-Colonel Nikodem Sulik . In the late summer of 1939, the "Sarny" Regiment sent the bulk of its forces to Upper Silesia to man

2184-542: The approximately 220 that took part in the assault. By then General Czuma had gathered an equivalent of 2 infantry divisions under his command. His forces were supported by 64 pieces of artillery and 33 tanks (27 of Vickers E , 7-TP and R-35 and 6 TK-3 and TKS tankettes ). On September 8 the Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered the creation of an improvised Warsaw Army ( Armia Warszawa ) under General Juliusz Rómmel . The newly created force

2262-429: The barricades erected on main streets, successfully managed to repel all initiated assaults and unexpected attacks. One of the barricades erected at the crossing of Opaczewska and Grójecka streets was defended by the 4th company of the 40th "Children of Lwów" Regiment. After the war a monument was built on the spot to commemorate the battle. On several occasions lack of armament had to be made up for by ingenuity. One of

2340-456: The bodies to be dug up and moved next to the Łomża - Białystok road, where an obelisk stands today. His symbolic grave is located next to the ruins of the bunker in which he died. The inscription on the monument tablet says; Przechodniu, powiedz Ojczyźnie, żeśmy walczyli do końca, spełniając swój obowiązek which translates into English as: Passerby, tell the Fatherland that we fought to

2418-533: The city became part of the Russian Empire . Since the Second World War, it has maintained an overwhelmingly Russian -speaking population, with Latvians and Poles being significant minorities. Historically, German and Yiddish were additional prominent native languages. In the Latvian language , the current name Daugavpils ( Latvian pronunciation: [ˈdauɡaupils] ) references Daugava and

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2496-538: The city continuously causing heavy losses in the civilian population. On 26 September, the Forts of Mokotów, Dąbrowski and Czerniaków fell to the German assault. General Czuma managed to gather enough forces and war material to successfully defend the city for several weeks longer. However, the situation of the civilian inhabitants of Warsaw became increasingly tragic. Constant bombardment of civilian facilities, lack of food and medical supplies resulted in heavy casualties among

2574-518: The city was completely different: totaling 45 160 inhabitants, Latvians made 33.57%, followed by Jewish people making 24.59%, then Polish people equaling 18.15%, Russians 17.84%, and Belarussians 2.56%. In Daugavpils 85% of the voters supported the proposal to make Russian the second state language in the 2012 referendum . Back in 1930 Daugavpils was one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Europe, with no ethnic group making up more than 30% of

2652-464: The city's administration to return to their posts. In his daily radio releases he asked all civilians to construct barricades and anti-tank barriers on the streets and at the outskirts of Warsaw. On September 7 the 40th Infantry Regiment "Children of Lwów" (commanded by Lt.Col. Józef Kalandyk) – transiting through Warsaw towards previously assigned positions with the Army Pomorze – was stopped and joined

2730-480: The city's population. The water works were destroyed by German bombers and all boroughs of Warsaw experienced a lack of both potable water and water with which to extinguish the fires caused by the constant bombardment. Also, the strategic situation became very difficult. The Soviet Union's entry into the war and lack of support from the Western Allies made the defence of the city pointless and heavily demotivated

2808-416: The city. Despite German radio broadcasts claiming to have captured Warsaw, the initial enemy attack was repelled and soon afterwards Warsaw was placed under siege . The siege lasted until September 28, when the Polish garrison, commanded under General Walerian Czuma , officially capitulated . The following day approximately 140,000 Polish troops left the city and were taken as prisoners of war . On October 1

2886-410: The combat capability of the emplacements. On September 7, Raginis' forces (approximately 720 men, out of which roughly 650 were killed) were attacked by more than 42,000 German soldiers. To keep the morale of his men high, Raginis pledged that he would not leave his post alive. The defense of Wizna against overwhelming odds lasted for three days. On September 10, 1939, the bunker commanded by Raginis

2964-539: The crime remains unsolved. Prior to 1941, Daugavpils, called Dvinsk by its Jewish inhabitants, was home to the most prominent Jewish community in eastern Latvia. The city was already a Jewish center as early as the 1780s and by the time of the 1897 census, they numbered 32,400 (44% of the overall population of the city). The Jews of the town were very prosperous and ran 32 factories and there were 4000 artisans among them. By 1911 they had increased to 50,000. However, tens of thousands of Jews migrated away from Daugavpils; in

3042-489: The defense of Warsaw. The field fortifications were constructed mostly to the west of the city limits. Gradually, the forces of General Walerian Czuma were reinforced with volunteers composed of mostly civilians, including women and children, as well as rearguard troops and units withdrawing from the front. On the morning of September 8, the suburbs of Grójec , Radziejowice , Nadarzyn , Raszyn and Piaseczno were captured by forces of German XVI Panzer Corps. At exactly 5pm

3120-468: The early surrender by lowering of morale of the Polish army defending the city. The anti-aircraft defence of the capital was divided into active and passive parts. The former was composed mostly of units of the Pursuit Brigade ( Brygada Pościgowa ) under Colonel Stefan Pawlikowski, and anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns detachments under Colonel Kazimierz Baran. The Pursuit Brigade

3198-580: The eastern bank of the Vistula started daily attacks on the Praga suburb. All were successfully counter-attacked by the Polish forces. On September 24 all German units concentrated around Warsaw were put under command of general Johannes Blaskowitz An initial German attack took place on 23 September, which was successfully repulsed. On September 25 the next attack started with an artillery and air bombardment, including 1,200 aircraft. This so-called "Black Monday" became

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3276-504: The end of August an additional 7000 Jews had died at the hands of the Nazis and the local Latvian collaborators. The largest execution took place in November 1941 and was followed by plagues that decimated the few survivors. Only about 1500 Jews remained in the city. These were murdered on 1 May 1942. When the town was liberated in 1944 only 100 survivors remained of a community of 16,000. For more on

3354-573: The end, fulfilling our duty (In the style of the epitaph for the soldiers at Thermopylae ). The family of Raginis was officially notified of his death in Wizna three years later in 1943 when his sister, Maria Morawska, received a notice through the Red Cross. The local primary school is named after him, as well as several streets in Poland, including one in Białystok , Rzeszów and Warsaw , The 31st Council of

3432-488: The façades of these buildings even many decades later make one appreciate and admire the striking accuracy of detail. Daugavpils satiksme AS oversees the city's bus and tram networks. The city's railway station is the terminus of the Riga–Daugavpils Railway . A former Soviet Air Force base is located at Lociki 12 km (7 mi) northeast of downtown Daugavpils with the potential to be redeveloped as

3510-462: The forces of German 3rd Army (under General Georg von Küchler ) broke through Polish lines along the Narew river and started its march southwards to cut off Warsaw from the east. It was assaulted by cavalry units under Władysław Anders , but after heavy fighting the Polish counter-offensive failed and the forces were withdrawn to the south. Other Polish units fighting under General Juliusz Zulauf near

3588-542: The forces of German 4th Panzer Division under Major General Georg-Hans Reinhardt managed to break through positions of the Polish Łódź Army near Częstochowa and started their march towards the river Vistula and Warsaw. The same day Polish Commander in Chief , Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered the creation of an improvised Command of the Defence of Warsaw ( Dowództwo Obrony Warszawy ). General Walerian Czuma ,

3666-464: The forces of the German 4th Panzer Division attempted an assault on Warsaw's western borough of Ochota . The assault was repulsed and the German forces suffered heavy casualties with many Panzer I and Panzer II tanks lost. The following day, the 4th Panzer Division was reinforced with artillery and motorised infantry , and began another assault towards Ochota and Wola . The well-placed Polish 75 mm anti-tank guns firing at point-blank range, and

3744-507: The government leadership to conduct an orderly withdrawal to the Romanian bridgehead ( Polish : Przedmoście rumuńskie ). The Germans agreed to allow burial of the corpses of Raginis and Lieutenant Stanisław Brykalski by Kazimierz Puchowicz, a friend of Raginis, next to the bunker where a tree was planted as an impromptu memorial. When the Red Army entered Wizna, the Soviet authorities ordered

3822-423: The head of the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), became its commander and Colonel Tadeusz Tomaszewski its Chief of Staff . Initially the forces under the command of General Czuma were very limited. Most of the city authorities withdrew together with a large part of the police forces, fire fighters and the military garrison. Warsaw was left with only four battalions of infantry and one battery of artillery . Also,

3900-427: The last census taken prior to the Second World War, in 1935, the Jewish population of Daugavpils numbered only 11,106 (24.6% of the overall population of the city). The city not only boasted a large Jewish population but a rich religious culture including 40 synagogues. The city was home to two of the most prominent rabbis of their time: Joseph Rosen (1858–1936), known as the Rogatchover Gaon (genius from Rahachow ),

3978-401: The last lines of communication between Warsaw and Modlin were cut by German forces reaching the Vistula. As preparation for the storming, the city was shelled day and night with artillery and aerial bombardment. Among the guns used were heavy railway guns and mortars. Two entire air fleets took part in the air raids against both civilian and military targets. After September 20 the forces on

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4056-413: The left flank of the German forces advancing towards Warsaw. As a result of this offensive that later became known as the Battle of Bzura , German commanders withdrew the 4th Panzer Division and sent it to counter the Polish threat near Kutno . Its positions were replaced by forces of a weakened German 31st Infantry Division. In this sense the desperate attempt to buy time for organising a defence of Warsaw

4134-591: The military authorities 11 AA batteries were withdrawn from Warsaw towards the eastern cities of Lublin , Brześć and Lwów . Furthermore, as the war progressed, the German high command redirected more bombers to attack the city, especially the historical old town , the Warsaw Royal Castle and other iconic monuments, significant to the Polish nation and its capital. At the peak of the initial bombing campaign on September 10, there were more than 70 German bombers above Warsaw. During that day, nicknamed "Bloody Sunday", there were 17 consecutive bombing raids. On September 3,

4212-503: The north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region of Latgale , and those to the south lie in Selonia . It is the second-largest city in the country after the capital Riga , which is located some 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest and is the ninth most populous city in the Baltic states . Daugavpils is located relatively close to Belarus and Lithuania (distances of 33 km (21 mi) and 25 km (16 mi), respectively), and some 120 km (75 mi) from

4290-750: The past there was Dinaburg FC which played at the former Daugava Stadium . FBC Latgale represent the city in floorball . There is also a hockey team called HK Dinaburga , which currently plays in the Latvian Hockey Higher League . In 2008 the construction of the Daugavpils Multifunctional Sports Complex was started and was completed in October 2009. Daugavpils is twinned with: Siege of Warsaw (1939) German victory [REDACTED] Warsaw Army [REDACTED] Prussian Army Peak strength: 124,000 soldiers (excluding volunteers) 86 anti-aircraft guns 64 artillery pieces 33 tanks Baltic coast 4–10 September Northern Front Southern Front The siege of Warsaw in 1939

4368-439: The picturesque surroundings create the essence of Daugavpils’ image and endow it with a special charm. In 2020, the municipality allocated 70,000 euros for the restoration of eight historical buildings, including Art Nouveau and red brick buildings. There are also several architectural, historical, and cultural monuments in Daugavpils. The most prominent are: Daugavpils is exceptionally rich in red brick buildings. This style

4446-414: The right wing of Polish forces. "Wizna" secured a major artery of communication, the Łomża – Białystok road and the Zambrów – Osowiec railway. It is worth noting that some of the shelters were incomplete as war broke out, some had little to no ventilation, many of them not camouflaged and some were not fitted with armored observation domes. The incomplete state of the shelters significantly reduced

4524-485: The shelter - he would keep his word and not surrender. Seweryn Biegański, who was the last to leave the shelter, describes the moment; "The captain looked at me warmly and softly urged me to leave. When I was at the exit, I was hit on my back with strong gust and I heard an explosion." Raginis decided to end the resistance and died by suicide by throwing himself on a grenade. In his diaries, Guderian noted that 900 German soldiers were killed in action, although that number

4602-426: The spokesman of the garrison of Warsaw issued a communique in which he ordered all young men to leave Warsaw. To coordinate civilian efforts and counter the panic that started in Warsaw, Czuma appointed the president of Warsaw Stefan Starzyński as the Civilian Commissar of Warsaw. Starzyński started to organize the Civil Guard to replace the evacuated police forces and the fire fighters. He also ordered all members of

4680-436: The starostwo of Dyneburg. It was a place of local sejmik 's gatherings. Roman Catholic Bishop of Inflanty , who was always residing outside of diocese, moved his seat to Dyneburg at the end of 17th century. At the end of the 18th century, 540 people lived in the city itself, but counting the population of the suburbs the number was 1,373. It became part of the Russian Empire after the First Partition of Poland in 1772. It

4758-404: The streets leading towards the city center was covered with turpentine from a nearby factory. When the German tanks approached, the liquid was ignited and the tanks were destroyed without a single shot fired. The German forces suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat westward to help thwart the Bzura River counter-offensive . The 4th Panzer Division alone lost approximately 80 tanks out of

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4836-446: The total: Church Hill ( Baznīcu kalns ) is a city landmark. Very prominently, all of the main denominations practiced in Latvia: Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox and Old Believer are represented. Places of worship in the city: Before the Second World War, there were more than 40 synagogues in the city. Daugavpils is an important cultural centre in eastern Latvia. There are 22 primary and secondary schools, four vocational schools, and

4914-440: The train from Daugavpils to Libau , travelling westwards from Radviliškis on the Libau-Romny Railway , and would have crossed the seas by one of the steamships departing for New York via a regular service established in 1906 by the Russian American Line . Jewish Daugavpils, a 16,000 strong community, already greatly diminished by emigration, came to an end following the Nazi German invasion on 26 June 1941. Falsely claiming that

4992-492: The very first hours of World War II, Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was a target of an unrestricted aerial bombardment campaign initiated by the German Luftwaffe , which was controlled by Hermann Göring . Apart from the military facilities such as infantry barracks and the Okęcie airport and aircraft factory, the German pilots also targeted civilian facilities such as water works, hospitals, market places and schools, which resulted in heavy human casualties that possibly led to

5070-476: The volunteers in participating in any further military actions. On September 26, Army Warsaw General Juliusz Rómmel , started capitulation talks with the German commander. On September 27, at 12:00 a cease fire agreement was signed and all fighting halted. Soon afterwards, Warsaw capitulated. Several units declined to put down their weapons and cease fire, and their commanding officers had to be visited by generals Czuma and Rómmel personally. On September 29,

5148-445: Was a success. The defenders of the city were joined by various units of the routed Prusy Army . In addition, several new units were created in Warsaw out of reserve centres of Warsaw-based 8th Polish Infantry Division and 36th "Academic Legion" Infantry Regiment . On September 11 the Polish Commander in Chief ordered that Warsaw was to be defended at all costs, despite the possible heavy casualties and civilian losses. The following day

5226-428: Was born here in 1873. She was a leading figure in establishing equal rights for women in pre-state Israel . Another famous Jewish resident, moving in a very different direction, was the abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko . Born in Daugavpils in 1903 he immigrated at the age of 10 to the United States where he painted over 800 paintings in his unique style. Rothko and many of his fellow Jews would have taken

5304-480: Was carried out in the 19th century according to the project endorsed in St Petersburg in 1826). The historical centre is the greatest attraction of the city and one of the most successful examples of balancing the aspects of ancient and modern times. Daugavpils is one of the few cities in Latvia which can pride itself on a unified ensemble of both classic and eclectic styles. The cultural heritage of architectural, artistic, industrial, and historical monuments combined with

5382-516: Was composed of the forces defending Warsaw and Modlin Fortress , as well as all Polish units defending the Narew and the Vistula between Warsaw and Pilica river lines. General Czuma continued to be the commander of the Warsaw Defence Force, which he split into two sectors: East (Praga district) under Lt.Col. Julian Janowski and West under Colonel Marian Porwit . The Army Poznań commanded by General Tadeusz Kutrzeba , and Army Pomorze under General Władysław Bortnowski started an offensive on

5460-426: Was developed by many outstanding architects. In Daugavpils, this variety of eclecticism is most widely represented in the buildings designed by Wilhelm Neumann , an architect of German origin who was the chief architect of the city from 1878 to 1895. Bright examples of brick architecture are the buildings at 1/3 Saules Street and at 8 Muzeja Street. The shape-forming techniques typical of eclecticism that were applied in

5538-416: Was equipped with 54 fighter aircraft, mostly the obsolete PZL P.7 and PZL P.11 types. The AA artillery had 86 pieces of anti-aircraft artillery, as well as an unknown number of other anti-aircraft machine guns. The latter was composed mostly of fire-fighter brigades and volunteers and was supervised by Colonel Tadeusz Bogdanowicz and Julian Kulski , the deputy president Initially the air defence of Warsaw

5616-579: Was fairly successful and by September 6, 1939, the Pursuit Brigade had shot down 43 enemy aircraft, while anti-aircraft artillery had shot down a similar number of enemy bombers. There were also 9 unconfirmed victories and 20 damaged enemy planes. However, the brigade also suffered heavy losses, and by September 7 it had lost over 38 pieces of equipment, or approximately 70% of its initial strength, which greatly contributed to an early surrender. The AA defence started to crumble when on September 5 by order of

5694-752: Was famed for his commentaries on the works of Maimonides and on the Talmud. Famed for his acidic wit and penetrating genius, he led the towns Hasidic Jews . His 'competitor', the leader of the local Misnagdim (non-Hasidic Jews) was the Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843–1926). Rabbi Meir Simcha was also renowned for his work on Maimonides ( Or Somayach ) as well as Bible commentary Meshech Chochma. In one famous comment he predicted that since some Jews had assimilated and viewed Berlin as their ' Jerusalem ' they would suffer persecution originating in Berlin. Sarah Azariahu

5772-697: Was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army ( Polish : Armia Warszawska, Armia Warszawa ) garrisoned and entrenched in Warsaw and the invading German Army . It began with huge aerial bombardments initiated by the Luftwaffe starting on September 1, 1939 following the German invasion of Poland . Land fighting started on September 8, when the first German armored units reached the Wola district and south-western suburbs of

5850-512: Was posthumously promoted, by the Minister of National Defence Tomasz Siemoniak to the rank of Major . The heroic struggle and death of Raginis has inspired a number of films and videos: Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names ) is a state city in southeastern Latvia , located on the banks of the Daugava River , from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to

5928-613: Was previously mayor from 2001–2003 as leader of the Light of Latgale party and briefly in 2009 as a member of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party . The Council consists of 15 members who are elected every four years. The most recent election was in 2021. Light industry is important and local employers include the Daugavpils Locomotive Repair Plant ( Daugavpils Lokomotīvju Remonta Rūpnīca ),

6006-597: Was the uyezd administrative center as part of the Pskov Governorate (1772-1776), Polotsk (1776-1796), Belarusian (1796-1802), and finally Vitebsk (1802-1917), first as Dinaburg , then Dvinsk later during Russian rule. From 1784 onwards, the city had a large and active Jewish population, among them a number of prominent figures. According to the Russian census of 1897 , out of a total population of 69,700, Jews numbered 32,400 (ca. 44% percent). The construction of

6084-414: Was the last remaining pocket of resistance. Although heavily wounded, Raginis was still commanding his troops. At noon on the third day, the German commander, Heinz Guderian , threatened that all Polish POWs would be shot if the defense of the bunker did not cease. Turning to his men in the shelter, Raginis thanked them for their bravery, and for doing their duty. He then ordered them to surrender and leave

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