Johan Pitka award received Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Estonian War of Independence
At the beginning of the Estonian War of Independence, the Defence League was one of the main forces of the Republic of Estonia, and at that time Pitka also started organising the armoured trains. The first armoured train was ready ten days after the beginning of the war, and the second became ready two weeks later. In total, 12 armoured trains were built during the war (only one was lost in battle), and they played a crucial role in the victory of the Estonian War of Independence. Many called Pitka "the father of the armoured trains" and "the Spirit of the War of Independence" for this.
Pitka was also one of the main organizers of the Estonian Navy. In December 1918 he became the Commander of the Estonian Navy and led it in all major operations including supporting the Estonian 1st Division in the capture of Narva from the Russian SFSR in January 1919 and supporting the Estonian 3rd Division by attacking Landeswehr naval fortifications at Riga in July 1919. In September 1919 he achieved the rank of a rear admiral. Pitka retired in November 1919. In 1920, for his service in the Baltic region during and after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Pitka was awarded a knighthood – Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) – by Britain's King George V upon the recommendation of British Admiral Sir Walter Cowan.
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