Latvian anti - Nazi resistance movement 1941 – 45 A large number of Latvians resisted the occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany . The Latvian resistance movement was divided between the pro - independence units under the Latvian Central Council and the pro - Soviet units under the Central Staff of the Partisan Movement in Moscow . Around 22 , 000 deserted both from the Red Army and German Army during 1943 – 45 in Latvia . Daugavpils was the scene of fierce Jewish resistance during the Holocaust . Soviet partisans . Armed combat behind the German front lines was carried out by the soldiers of the Red Army units : Latvian Riflemen Soviet Divisions and people guards . Activity picked up in 1942 , one year after the first winter war , but real work by the partisans in Latvia started only in 1943 after the German Army Group B stalled at Stalingrad and Kursk . The partisan regiment " To padomju Latviju " was organized and started training in June 1942 in Leningrad , and from Staraya Russa three small Latvian partisan units ( about 200 men ) headed for Latvia . On July 7 the regiment reached the Latvian Kārsava region , but there the German found and disperse d them with great losses and only several partisans escaped . The next partisan unit was formed in September 1942 by Moscow from volunteers from 201st Latvian Riflemen Division and the Latvian partisan regiment " Par Padomju Latviju " . The commander was Vilis Samsons . This partisan regiment began fighting east of the Latvian border and only in the winter of 1943 did it start to fight in Latvia . In March this unit was renamed as Latvian Partisan Brigade . Since the local population in Latvia would not support Soviet partisans , they could not gain a foothold . From January 1943 the Red Partisans in Latvia were directly subordinated to the central headquarters in Moscow under the leadership of Arturs Sproģis . Another prominent commander was Vilis Samsons , who later became a historian . Altogether Latvia had 24 partisan units , together with 33 smaller groups . From March 1944 until July they formed 4 partisan brigades : 1st Brigade with about 3000 men ( commander V . Samsons ) fought in Northern and Northeastern Latvia . 2nd Brigade ( about 1500 men , commander P . Ratins ) fought in the centre of Latvia . 3rd Brigade ( about 500 men , commander Otomars Oškalns ) fought at Zemgale , along with the 4th Brigade , also with about 500 men . The Leningrad partisan brigade , which consisted only of Russians ( commander M . Klementyev ) fought around Lake Lubāns . In 1944 and 1945 in Courland they formed many partisan units ( 2 to 12 men each ) which , though small , were very active . Most noted was " Sarkana bulta " . The Latvian Red partisans suffered great losses , and many from smaller groups were completely eliminated . The Red partisan movement in Latvia ended in October 1944 . The Latvian commander of the pro - Soviet units was Arturs Sproģis . However , Moscow failed to create pro - Soviet units on a large scale in 1941 – 1942 . In the beginning of 1944 Sproģis reported to Moscow that only 1500 Soviet partisans had been transferred to Latvia . Because of lack of local support for Soviet partisan units they were based in woods in Belarus and Russia and only made raids into Latvia , afterwards retreating to their bases across the border . Many local Latvians were actively involved in the resistance movement against the ethnic policies of the German occupation regime . Žanis Lipke risked his life to save more than 50 Jews . Kurelians . Civic circles in Latvia were dissatisfied with the German occupation regime and secretly plotted to reinstate democracy . An underground organization was established called the Latvian Central Council , which published the outlawed publication " Brīvā Latvija " ( Free Latvia ) . The periodical propagated the idea of renewing democracy in Latvia after the war . The Latvian Central Council managed to form their own military unit , disguised as a Home Guard unit , commanded by General Jānis Kurelis ; the men were popularly known as “ Kurelians . ” The unit was organized in July 28 , 1944 by a directive from Veide , the administrator of the Rīga township , for the officially avowed purpose of fighting Soviet partisans who had recently been dropped by parachutes in great numbers , and for the formation of German - supported Latvian partisan groups which would operate in Soviet - occupied Latvian regions . The size of the Kurelians is uncertain . Estimates range from 1 , 200 to 16 , 000 , while the Germans were told that the group had only 500 men . Volunteers were attracted by word of mouth . The Kurelians expected ultimately to fight both Soviets and Nazis and to remain in Latvia as nationalist partisans if the Germans withdrew , or even to hold a part of Latvia until help arrived from the Western Allies . On September 23 the Kurelians retreated through Rīga to northern Courland , leaving behind a group of 150 men to operate in the Soviet rear . On November 14 the Germans surrounded and disarmed the Kurelians . Seven of their officers ( including Upelnieks , the member of the military committee of the underground Latvian Central Council ) were sentenced to death by a Nazi military tribunal and shot in Liepāja on November 19 . A Kurelian battalion commanded by Lt . Rubenis fought the Germans for three days and was annihilated ; Rubenis fell during a Latvian counter - attack trying to break through the German encirclement but some of the Kurelians escaped . General Kurelis was deported to Germany . 545 of his men were sent to the Stutthof concentration camp . After World War II . After the end of World War II , resistance continued against the Soviet regime . From 1945 to 1956 , around 40 , 000 were involved in the national partisan resistance movement . In the 1990s the former Soviet partisan Vassili Kononov was accused of war crimes .