Ludvigs Bolšteins

Ludvigs Bolšteins (February 5, 1888 – June 21, 1940) was a Latvian general. From 1925 to 1928 Bolšteins was commander of the Aizsargi home guard, from 1928 to 1940 commander of the Latvian border guard. He killed himself following the Soviet occupation of Latvia.

Biography

Ludvigs Bolšteins was born on February 5, 1888, in Sesavas parish. In 1907 Bolšteins graduated from St. Petersburg University, where he studied in the physics-mathematics faculty. In 1912 he joined the Russian army, and was decommissioned at the end of 1913.

When the World War I broke out, he was mobilised and initially he served in Daugavgrīvas fortress, later assisting in the formation of Latvian riflemen battalions. He served in the 1st Daugavgrīvas Latvian riflemen battalion, where he started his service as praporshchik, but by the end of his service in the Russian army he had risen to the rank of stabskapitan.