Nāc uz naves Salu, Strēnielki Dziesma [Latvian riflemen song]

The "Death Island defenders" were the 3rd latvian riflemen battalion, leaded by general Jāni Kalniņu. Their journey started in the spring of 1916 with the assistance of the 2nd battalion Riga, leaded by general Jāni Franci. Like many times before, during the great war, they were so close to the German positions, that the german soldiers could hear an orchestra from the latvian part and could start dancing a valzer in a nearby plain. In october 1916 the german launched an attack with chemical gas that created havoc in the 173°rd Kamenec reggiment, causing the death of some of them. The 2nd  battalion  converged there to save the position and ,after a long confrontarion, they won the skirmish. Of the 800 people that remainded wounded during the fight (  two of them were the generals), 167 of them sadly passed away. Greatings and honors came from the imperial army to the latvian soldiers but, despite this event, in 1917 the high russian generals decided to withdraw the position for narrow the front. After the end of the first world war and the collapsing of the russian provisional government, leaded by Kerensky, some soldiers received the Lāčplea Kara Ordeni for their bravery during the conflict. Nāves sala, the death island, is today the symbol of the resistance put up from the brave latvian soldiers.