Hawks of Daugava
Daugavas Vanagi | |
Hawks of Daugava logo | |
| Formation | December 28, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Zedelgem, Belgium |
| Type | NGO veterans' organization |
| Purpose | Veteran support |
| Headquarters | Riga, Latvia |
| Origins | |
| Services | Mutual aid, assistance to the wounded and disabled |
Official language | Latvian |
Key people |
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Hawks of Daugava (Latin: Daugavas Vanagi) is a Latvian nationalist, antisoviet organization. It was created after World War II in a prisoner of war camp in Zedelgem, Belgium, on 28 December 1945. The founders and members of the organization were former Latvian Legionnaires.
The organization's center was located in Münster (FRG); branches were created in twelve Western countries. The organization had more than 9,000 members in 135 local branches.
The initial goal of the organization was to help veterans of the Latvian Legion and their families. The society actively participated in marches on the Legionnaire Day on 16 March. The chairman was Artūrs Silgailis, one of the organizers of the movement was Kārlis Lobe. Famous members of the organization included: Vilis Janums, General Rūdolfs Bangerskis and Zenta Mauriņa.