/specialCollection/nwcda2/27/LAUNAGS, FREDS VOL. 1/LAUNAGS, FREDS VOL. 1_0015.pdf

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C. The German Occupation of Latvia
(1) Hahn and friends arranged with the arriving German
forces that the former would patrol the Jurmala area and seek
out remaining Communists for which purpose they were permitted
to retain their arms. Their offer to go along with the German'
forces and fight the Communists, however, was refused. The
first few days of the German occupation brought Hahn and his
friends news that the two foremost Latvian Communists, _Augusts-
kKirchensteins and VilisYLaois were hiding in the Jurmala area.
—A-11-e-froTere m-At.tA-td-fliid these two individuals, however,
these efforts were not successful and it later developed that
one could judge with reasonable certainty that the news that
they were in this area was erroneous.
On 4 July 1941 Hahn proceeded, tp Riga with Bans where
both of them contacted the Latvia/1f Col Weiss, who was organi-
zing the so-called Latvian Intériial protectfve forces (Selbst-
schutz). Hahn and Bans reported the Jurmala situation to Co].. :
Weiss and volunteered to aid the Colonel in any way possible.
After a few days' wait Hahn was ordered to proceed to Ragana
where he was to assist in clearing the area of any remnants
of the Communist form.; this clearance was under the command
of tha_Latvian(Capt.cenieks, When Hahn returned to Riga he
requested thatThis friend, wno had remained at the former "Pioneer"
camp, return to Riga because the Latvian Internal Security Force
was being formed. When they returned to Riga some of his
friends returned to their families, however eight members of
the Jurmala group, including Hahn joined this security ore,$
were assigned to a bicycle squad, whose leader was R.arlis at-
berts, were armed, issued the pre-war Latvian army unifFirar",--
-anzr,-as tai part of the 40 men group, under the command of Latvian
qt. Col.Mergs and Latvian(First Lt. FNUentins, proceeded
o clear -MI-Woods along the left siHT-Tir-the River Daugava of
remaining Communists. This group also aided the local popula-
tion in setting up security forces, as the group itself was too
small to cover a large area, and since remnants of the Communist
army which had turned into gangs of robbers and cutthroats were
terrifying the countryside. When this 40-man group arrived at
their final destination in Bauska the recently appointed local •
German army commander, a major, called this group "Latvian
bandits", disarmed them, arrested them, and held them for fur-
• ther investigation. -After the local. German commander had re-
ceived TOnfirmatioli-Thm headquartets In Rigs .about their status
they were released and ordered to return to Riga unarmed. In
Riga the group found the Germans had outlawed the Latvian Inter-
nal Secur it Force, causing Hahn's groin) to disband. Hahn and
decided to proceed to the headquarters og he
Perkonkrus because they heard rumors that Gustav ins,
Lamberts
the chief of his organization, was at that timerfi-Berlin
awaiting permission to form a national Latvian army, which he
hoped to get in the very near flatfifify ITI4Ae„Ivtedquarters of
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