serviceyears branch death_place death_date allegiance unit awards battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name
1897-1917 russian imperial army 1918 -- 1932 estonian army estonia tallinn , estonia june 24 , 1932 -lrb- aged 53 -rrb- russian empire estonia imperial russian army estonian army cross of liberty order of lāčplēsis -lrb- latvia -rrb- russo-japanese war world war i estonian war of independence february 10 , 1879 vana Õkva kindralmajor ernst põdder - kaitseliit.jpg ernst põdder
 ernst põdder
ernst põdder

ernst põdder vr i/1 -lrb- february 10 , 1879 aleksandri parish , võrumaa , estonia - june 24 , 1932 tallinn , estonia -rrb- was a famous estonian military commander in the estonian war of independence .
in 1900 põdder graduated from the vilnius military academy .
in the russo-japanese war he achieved the rank of lieutenant , and in world war i became polkovnik -lrb- colonel -rrb- .
in july 1917 he joined the estonian national units as commander of the 3rd and 1st estonian regiments .
in 1918 põdder was promoted to the rank of major general .
during the german occupation of 1918 he was one of the main founders of the underground defence league .
at the beginning of the estonian liberation war , põdder was chief of internal security .
on april 4 , 1919 he became commander of the 3rd division , where his main achievement was victory over the baltische landeswehr .
after the war põdder commanded the 3rd division and , after 1921 , the 2nd division .
he actively participated in defeating the 1924 coup attempt .
in 1926 he became a permanent member of the war council , as well as an active organizer of scouting .
ernst põdder was the only honorary member of the league of liberators .
põdder is recipient of the latvian military order of lāčplēsis , 2nd class .
