Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion

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The Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion, now the Kuperjanov Independent Infantry Battalion is an elite Estonian military unit established during the Estonian War of Independence. ^[1] The commando-type unit composed of volunteers was established after the Estonian Provisional government call for volunteers to the Estonian National Army. On December 23 , 1918 Colonel Johan Laidoner was appointed Commander in chief of the Estonian armed forces, and the same day Col. Ernst Limberg gave Lt. Julius Kuperjanov the order to form the battalion.

Kuperjanov had been a school teacher who was commissioned in the Imperial Russian Army. In 1917 he joined Estonian forces at the start of the War of Independence. In December 1918 he received permission to raise a ranger battalion. School students were among the first recruits of the Tartumaa (that is, Tartu County) Partisan Battalion, which was formed at Puurmani manor. Due to a flow of young, but highly motivated volunteers, Kuperjanov's unit became an independent battalion known for its high morale and daring tactics. The battalion played a crucial role in liberating the southern part of Estonia.

After the death of Julius Kuperjanov on 2 February 1919 from wounds received at the manor of Paju, the battalion was officially named Julius Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion by the Commander in Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces Gen. Johan Laidoner.

In 1919 Kuperjanov's Battalion had a central part in destroying the imperialist German Landeswehr Army and liberating Latvia.

After victory in the War of Liberation and the Landeswehr War, the Kuperjanov Battalion acted as part of the peacetime Estonian Defence Forces.

The battalion was disbanded in 1940 after the Soviet occupation. The Kuperjanov Battalion was re-established on 9 March 1992 as the Kuperjanov Independent Infantry Battalion after Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union.^[2]

The Kuperjanov Independent Infantry Battalion is based in Võru in southeast Estonia and is now one of the largest battalions of the Estonian Defence Forces. It is known for high demands from its recruits and officers and a special esprit de corps uniting its members in service and in reserve.