Voldemārs Ozols
Quick Facts
Biography
Voldemārs Ozols (October 17, 1884, Vidreja, Vitebsk Governorate – July 12, 1949) was a Latvian military commander, lieutenant colonel, honored with the Order of Lāčplēsis, one of the Latvian Riflemen, a military theorist, and a right wing politician.
On December 15, 1932 he founded a right extremist organization, The Society of the Cavaliers of the Order of Lāčplēsis and Freedom Fighters "Legion" (Lāčplēša kara ordeņa kavalieru un brīvības cīnītāju biedrība "Leģions"), known simply as the Legion. It was a rather small organization, primarily of World War I and Latvian War of Independence veterans. In 1934, in the declaration of the martial law by Kārlis Ulmanis, the Legion was the only organization mention by name as a threat to the state, and Ozols was arrested, accused in the preparation of a coup.