Expedition to Poland uncovers new evidence about Latvian Legion's 15th Division
An expert team organized by the Daugavas Vanagi association traveled to a former West Prussian area in Poland in August, where soldiers of the Latvian Legion's 15th Division were stationed at the end of World War II, and found new evidence of their presence. The search also continues for possible burial sites of fallen soldiers and ways to repatriate remains to Latvia.
More than eight decades after the end of World War II, historians continue searching for missing pieces of Latvian Legion history. The current focus is on an area that once belonged to Germany as West Prussia and now lies within Poland, where soldiers of the Legion's 15th Division were stationed for roughly half a year in the war's final months.
In August this year, an expert team assembled by the Daugavas Vanagi association traveled to the region, including two representatives from Delfi — social media content editor Dita Liepiņa and journalist-historian Viesturs Radovics. The idea for the trip followed earlier visits to Poland in late 2025 and early 2026 by the organization's chairman, Aivars Sinka, together with British writer and Legion researcher Vincent Hunt, during which they connected with local history researchers.
What remains on site
During the war, a German armed forces training ground operated in the area, where Latvian soldiers also trained. Although documented records of the division's time there are scarce, physical traces remain visible today — Latvian soldiers' names carved into building walls, along with the word "Latvija." Searches also extended into nearby forests, where additional traces were found.
Material gathered during the trip formed the basis of a Delfi article series titled "Searching for the Legion's Footprints," already published on the portal. Beyond the new findings, the team continues looking for possible burial sites of fallen legionnaires, aiming to assess whether their remains could eventually be repatriated to Latvia.
Related to this topic, Radovics also published his second book this year — a collection of previously unpublished documentary-biographical stories about 15 legionnaires, based on interviews he has been gathering over the past 15 years. Journalist Līva Daniela Borisova discussed the expedition's findings and significance with Radovics and Sinka on the program "Spried ar Delfi."
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