Battle of Cēsis ( 1919 ) The Battle of Cēsis ( ; Battle of Võnnu ; , Battle of Wenden ) fought near Cēsis ( or Võnnu , Wenden ) in June 1919 was a decisive battle in the Estonian War of Independence and the Latvian War of Independence . After heavy fighting Estonian forces repelled German attacks and went on full counter - attack . Background . Latvia had declared independence in 1918 , but was unable to stop the advance of the Red Army , resulting in the loss of Riga . The advance of the Red Latvian Riflemen was stopped by the German VI Reserve Corps . The Reserve Corps under general Rüdiger von der Goltz consisted of the " Baltische Landeswehr " , the Freikorps Iron Division , and the Guard Reserve Division . The Latvian volunteers loyal to the Provisional Government were also placed under the command of the " Baltische Landeswehr " . On 16 April 1919 , the Latvian government of Kārlis Ulmanis was toppled by the Germans , who installed a puppet German Provisional Government of Latvia headed by Andrievs Niedra . However , the Latvian Brigade led by Janis Balodis remained passively under the German command . After recapturing Riga from the Red Army , the VI Reserve Corps continued its advance north . At the same time , the 3rd Estonian Division , having pushed the Soviets out of south Estonia , was advancing into Latvia from the north . Estonia continued to recognise the Ulmanis government , and neither side was ready to back down . On 5 June , fighting started , with the " Landeswehr " capturing Cēsis the following day . On June 10 , with the mediation of the Allies a ceasefire was declared , but talks failed , and on 19 June fighting recommenced . Battle . On 19 June , fighting resumed with an Iron Division attack on the Estonian positions near Limbaži . At that time , the 3rd Estonian Division , including the 2nd Latvian Cēsis regiment under Colonel Krišjānis Berķis , had 5990 infantry and 125 cavalry . The pro - German forces had 5500 – 6300 infantry , 500 – 600 cavalry and a strong advantage in cannon s , machine gun s and mortar s . German forces achieved some success under Limbaži , but were soon pushed back . The Landeswehr main attack started on 21 June , breaking through the positions of the 2nd Latvian Cēsis Regiment at the Rauna River . The situation became critical for the 3rd Estonian Division , but the German assault was stopped by three Estonian armoured trains and the Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion . The Landeswehr continued attacking at several parts of the front , and more Estonian forces joined the battle . After stopping the last German attacks , the Estonian forces started a full counter - attack on June 23 , resulting in the recapture of Cēsis . The German units started a general retreat toward Riga . Aftermath . The Battle of Cēsis was a decisive victory for Estonia against the pro - German forces . The 3rd Estonian Division continued their advance towards Riga . On 3 July , the Estonian forces were at the outskirts of the city . Estonia , Latvia and the pro - German Provisional Government of Latvia signed the Ceasefire of Strazdumuiža on the demand of the Entente . The armistice restored the Ulmanis government in Riga . German forces were ordered to leave Latvia , the Baltic - German Landeswehr was put under command of the Latvian government and sent to fight against the Red Army . However , to circumvent Entente ' s orders , many German soldiers instead of leaving , were incorporated into the West Russian Volunteer Army . Fighting in Latvia and Lithuania restarted in October and continued until December 1919 . Estonia celebrates the anniversary of the battle as Victory Day , a national holiday .